Although the day was spent largely driving from Wales to Westminster, we had the good fortune to have dined in St. David’s last night, and I had posted before that, so I can now share some bits about that interesting place. Lying on the River Alun on St. David’s peninsula, it is Britian’s smallest city, in both size and population.…
Category: An Epic Adventure
July 29 & 30: Pembrokeshire, Wales
We began our drive west to Wales on Saturday morning, with an intent to stop for lunch near Swansea, to spend an hour with a family friend who runs a pub there. When we arrived in Skewen, Anna had prepared a lovely spread for us — exactly what we all needed after the previous night of a bit too much…
July 28: Bath
Another day in the SW of England, but time to move on to a new locale, for new experiences and views and places to explore. Lucy had arranged for a day in Bath, so we set off by 10:30 for the 2 hour drive through the Hampshire and Somerset countryside to this lovely city. It continued to be dreary and…
July 27: Winchester
I spent a quiet morning as I waited for the skies to clear, ran a few errands — had to buy some Wellington boots for my remaining time in the English countryside. While walking through town I discovered the Oldest Bar in Englands — The Royal Oak and the City Cross, from the 14th C. Locally known as the Butter…
July 26: Winchester
The sun disappeared again behind low gray clouds heavy with rain. Makes me sorta miss gray May and June gloom in Los Angeles (which I truly dislike, but is better than this). I set off at midday, when the rain had lessened a bit, to meet a friend I’d met in Australia for lunch. For those of you who have…
July 25: Winchester
At last the sun overpowered the clouds this morning, at least for awhile. It even caused me to remove a layer of sweaters! My destination today — Winchester Cathedral and other historic sights in the town center. The Cathedral is significant to the town’s history: The seat of the Bishop was moved to Winchester from Dorchester-on-Thames in 676, and around…
July 23 & 24: Winchester and an excursion to London
On Sunday I bid farewell to Staffordshire and Lees Farm and my kind and generous hosts and friends, Keith and Lynn. I loved seeing the north central area of England — the impossible shades of green, rolling hills and dales, dry stone fences and rock escarpments, all features of the incomparable Peak District. Next on my itinerary: Hampshire and the…
July 20 & 21: Village Life
I failed to post yesterday because I didn’t really do anything worth noting. My hosts had a funeral to attend and it was raining pretty much all day, so I did some reading and relaxed at Lees Farm. In the afternoon Keith and Lynn taught me how to play Mah Jong, which is more complicated and takes more brain cells…
July 20: Buxton, Ashford, Bakewell and Arbor Low
The day dawned rainy. Or maybe it didn’t really dawn at all. Hard to tell when the sky is a mass of grayness. But as it promised to clear by midday we headed out towards Derbyshire. (Where I am staying sits at the intersection of Staffordshire, Cheshire and Derbyshire, so we’ve visited all three shires in these 3 days). Over…
July 19: Leek, Little Moreton Hall and Croxden Abbey
I had hoped to see more of this part of England, and today’s destinations provided wonderful examples of small village life, old preserved manor homes and ancient abbey ruins. What more could one ask? We visited Leek on market day, so there were vendors selling produce and antiques and off price goods along the High Street. There was the tallest…