After a relaxing December at home it was time to get back into the swing of things and get out and about, only this time round I decided to spend some time going to places in the UK. Having had a great week away last October in Holland with my friend Tim as my guide, it was time for me to return the favour as he came over for a week.
This was a chance for me to show off some of the highlights of Yorkshire and beyond and for me to reacquaint myself with my own surroundings and revisit towns and places I haven't been to in years, starting with Stratford-Upon-Avon.
The drive down wasn't too taxing and there was loads of parking throughout the town. The leisure centre and the old site for the visitor centre providing the cheapest parking and only a couple minutes to the town centre.
Having not been here since I was a little boy, it was all as new to me as it was to Tim. We did a quick loop of the centre before deciding to walk to Anne Hathaway's cottage first and then make our way back to town. On our way to the track we went past the Clock Tower but unfortunately it was surrounded by scaffolding. The walk was pretty much a straight shot from the town centre right up to her front door, probably even easier to access now than 500 years ago.
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| Clock Tower |
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| Anne Hathaway's Cottage |
We slowly ambled back to the town and being with a man of the Continent, it wasn't too long before we sat down and people watched with some coffee, taking in the beautiful surroundings we found ourselves in. Once refreshed we managed to get in the majority of the sights before the rain came.
Walking through the town we saw William Shakespeare's birth house, Hall's Croft and took a stroll along the river Avon and the Waterside area past the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) building. Even though the skies were grey, you could imagine how gorgeous it would look in sunny summer months, not to mention how busy it must get.
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| Local pub with traditional Tudor architecture |
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| View down the Avon |
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| RSC from behind |
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| RSC from the front |
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| William Shakespeare's birthplace |
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| More old architecture |
Along the way we also dropped into the Holy Trinity Church, the oldest building in Stratford and the resting place of both William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway. For a small fee you can visit the graves within the church, but it is only a couple quid and helps to maintain the church so you know it's going to a good cause.
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| Holy Trinity Church |
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| Inside the church |
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| Shakespeare's grave |
With so much to fit in we didn't have time to stay the night and see a performance but at least we saw some people dressed up in old traditional garb. Whether they were on their way to work or just liked it I couldn't say.
Having walked full circle again we found ourselves sitting down with some tea, scones, jam and clotted cream, a real treat and one I know Tim enjoyed before heading to one of the many nearby pubs for some warmth from the cold and a local pint.
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| One of many pubs throughout the town centre |
A relaxing day of sightseeing really and an enjoyable start to what promised to be a busy week. Next stop a coastal drive along Yorkshire's east coast from Scarborough to Whitby.
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