Handcross to Chiswick

Today we checked out of Woodlands Cottage and drove one hour to our friends the Langtons at 20 Beverley Road, Chiswick where we will be staying until we go to Copenhagen on 8 July. Isabella joined Alice and Molly, who finished school for the year, for a rowing lesson on the Thames - very exciting!!

Haywards Heath

We drove to Haywards Heath for a coffee

Brighton Pavilion and Petworth Park

Brighton Beach - note summer crowd!

Bills for lunch

The Royal Pavilion

Petworth deer photographed by Isabella Sandy

Today we drove to Brighton and had lunch at Bills Produce Store http://www.billsproducestore.co.uk/ before visiting the Brighton Pavilion, built by George IV - what an amazing building! http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/RoyalPavilion/Pages/home.aspx We then drove on to Petworth http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-petworthhouse/ and had a long walk in the park, searching for the deer which are part of the largest fallow deer herd in the UK.

Nymans

Lime Tree walk at Nymans

Today we are visiting Nymans Garden http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-nymansgarden2 which is just up the road - our cottage is in Nymans Wood! The house was built in the 1920's and was badly damaged by a fire shrtly afterwars and has never been repaired. We were able to visit a few rooms which were not destroyed.

Standen and Wakehurst Place

Garden at Standen

Standen view

Millenium Seed Bank at Wakehurst

Today we checked out two National Trust places in Sussex, Standen http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-standen and

Wakehurst Place http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-wakehurstplace which is the National Trusts most visited site and the country estate of Kew Gardens - it is the site of the Millenium Seed Bank. We also made a quick visit to Crawley to get some groceries and a second internet dongle (O2) because our existing dongle (3 mobile) doesn't work at Woodlands Cottage and we are now devoted to having an internet connection !!

Ferry Cottage to Woodlands Cottage

As we didn't have anywhere to stay we checked the National Trust web site and found that Woodlands Cottage, http://www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk/south_east/surrey_and_sussex/woodlands_cottage/357which we had previously considered, was available. We headed south and got a confirming phone call that we could stay for the next few days.

Ferry Cottage - Rest Day

The title says it all!!

Ferry Cottage

Dropped Bern off at Terminal 3 Heathrow this morning - it is only 20 minutes drive from the cottage. We then headed into Maidenhead to do some shopping for the Langtons visit this afternoon.

Cruise on the Thames from Windsor

Bella feeding the swans at Windsor

Waiting at the lock on the Thames

At the lock

Today dawned bright and sunny so we drove to Windsor - about 15 minutes away - for a light lunch at Browns before boarding a riverboat for a 2 hour cruise up the river, including passing through one of the 44 locks on the Thames. We then headed back to Ferry Cottage for tea and scones before dangling a line before dinner. Another great day.

Henley-on-Thames and West Wycomb Park

Isabella and friend at Ferry Cottage

Debra and Bern surveying the course at Henley

Ferry Cottage

We drove to Henley-on-Thames and had lunch at Maison Blanc after a stroll through the village. When we were in Waitrose, Isabella ran into a school friend from SCECGS!. We then drove to High Wycomb where Debra and Bern visited the National Trust house and gardens while Ken and Isabella went into town to try (unsuccesfully)to get a booster for our internet connection. Back to Ferry Cottage for a relaxing evening by the river.

Ferry Cottage & Cliveden

Ferry Cottage

Tortoise Fountain in grounds of Cliveden above the Thames

Joan Bella and Caitlin on the steps at Cliveden

Today we collected Joan & Barry from Burnham station and we had a delightful lunch at Ferry Cottage. We then took a tour of Cliveden before returning to Ferry Cottage http://www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk/south_east/oxfordshire_and_berkshire/ferry_cottage/232for an afternoon tea of scones, jam and clotted cream. We delivered Joan and Barry back to Burnham around 6:30 before driving Caitlin to Basingstoke station at about 8pm for a 1 hour train to Salisbury. A great day!!

Windsor & the Castle

We drove to Windsor and had luch at Browns before Bern took a look around the castle and the Sandy's had a bit of retail therapy on the High Street. We adjourned to a pub to watch Australia and Ghana draw 1-1 (We was robbed again!!!) We then headed back to Ferry Cottage for a pleasant dinner of tuna bake and pumpkin soup (especially for Caitlin who is finding boarding school meals "challenging")

Chatsworth House to Ferry Cottage

Bella 'on tour'

Chatsworth Gardens

The 'famous' photo!

After checking out at The Wheatsheaf Hotel we drove to Chatsworth and 'Took the Tour', strolled in the gardens and retook a photo we had taken 30 years ago! We then drove to London, parked on the M25 for about and hour and then collected Caitlin off her train from Salisbury. Then off to Ferry Cottage in the grounds of Cliveden, http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-cliveden via a lovely dinner at The Feathers Inn.

Nostell Priory and Brodsworth Hall

Isabella pointing to a special window!

Garden at Brodsworth Hall

Brodsworth Hall

We headed back to Nostell Priory and took a very interesting tour of the house before enjoying lunch at the cafe in the gardens. We then drove on to the Victorian era Brodsworth Hall and Gardens. Most of the places we have visited have been National Trust but the English Heritage run Brodsworth was very interesting because unlike the National Trust - English Heritage repair but do not restore properties so it was easy to relate to the story of the house. We then drove south to Derbyshire and stayed at the Wheatsheaf pub right outside Chatsworth, which we planned to visit the next day.

Windemere in Cumbria to Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire

In the Yorkshire Dales

Isabella at Fountains Abbey

Gardens at Studley Royal

Studley Royal

Studley Royal

We checked out of Craigmanor and headed east into the Yorkshire Dales. After driving through the Dales we arrived at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. We walked past the 12 Century Abbey ruins and through the beautiful gardens. We then headed for Nostell Priory and Parkland and arrived just in time to consult a National trust employee who directed us the the Angel pub where we had dinner. We had noticed a distinct lack of B&B's and decided that the Premier Inn at Junction 61 would be our home for the night!

Lake Windemere cruise to Ambleside

Leaving Bowness

Lunch in Ambleside

Leaving Ambleside on the 'Tern'

We enjoyed a lovely cruise from Bowness to Ambleside and lunch at a lakeside restaurant before returning to Bowness on the Steamer "Tern". After a bit of admin we took a drive up to Keswick which looked little changed from our previous visit in 1981!

Shrewsbury to Lake Windemere

Isabella at Attingham Park

Sunnycroft

Bella and swans on Lake Windemere 10PM!

We visited Attingham Park which was just across the road from the Mytton & Mermaid before calling in at Sunnycroft - an unusual Victorian mansion. We then drove north on the M6 to Cumbria and checked into the CraigManor hotel in Windemere. We walked by the lake and had dinner at a quirky little restaurant. It is still light after 10pm so we are having some late nights!!

Milton under Wychwood to Shrewsbury

Oxford - Bridge of Sighs


Isabella outside the Mytton & Mermaid

Bridge over the Severn outside the Mytton & Mermaid

We checked out of our apartment in Frog Lane and headed into Oxford for the day. Caitlin took us to her favourite coffee shop then on to Browns for lunch. We then wandered around the University before delivering Caitlin to the station for the 2 hour train back to Salisbury. We drove 2 hours to Shrewsbury http://www.myttonandmermaid.co.uk/ and had a light dinner while watching Australia get a 4-0 hiding by Germany!!

Blenheim Palace

After our morning coffee in Burford we headed for Blenheim - about 30 minutes drive. Although it was quite crowded we enjoyed a guided tour and then a long walk in the gardens including a ride in a little train! We had an early night at Frog Lane, including watching England and the US match at the World Cup.

Back to Buscot and dinner at the Lamb Inn

After a morning planning our trip to the Lakes District & Yorkshire Dales we had our regular coffee and then headed back to Buscot where we arrived too late on our last visit to see inside the house. We strolled around the garden which is magical. We then headed home to find that Caitlin was arriving an hour earlier than expected so we just had time to freshen up before driving to Charlford where Caitlin was waiting for us. We then headed into Burford for a lovely dinner at the Lamb Inn. We got home just in time to see the badgers having there dinner!

Stowe

After our regular coffee in Burford we headed for Stowe. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-stowegardens It was a bit cold and drizzly when we arrived but we were just in time for a quick snack before joining a lovely lady named Lillian for a tour of the garden. It is difficult to describe the beauty and extent of the garden but even on a cold and overcast day it was stunning. The "house" at Stowe is a school. Captain Cook was a friend of the owner and there was a memorial to Cook on an island in one of the lakes.