To read about this trip from the beginning – click here.
Gloucester
After a week of scoffing yummy food we knew we had better do a Parkrun. The weather was much better and we both did the Newent Parkrun, then went back to the guesthouse and watched James Martin’s cooking show while washing and getting read to go to Gloucester. The key sights – also known and the Gloucester 12 are: –
Gloucester Cathedral
The New Inn
Gloucester Folk Museum
St Mary de Crypt
Gloucester Docks
The Old Bell
Beatrix Potter Museum
26 Westgate Street
Blackfriars
Roberts Raikes’ Inn
Brunswick Square
St Oswald’s Priory
Gloucester Cathedral
There was the Crucible art expo on at Gloucester cathedral so we popped in there. Apparently some of the Harry Potter movie scenes were filmed in the Cloisters. Then we had lunch at the Guildhall. The Guildhall was having a One Direction special and was swarming with teenage girls. Then we took a stroll over to Gloucester Quays. Here old harbour warehouses have been restored and you can eat, shop, watch narrow boats tie up for the night, explore preserved old boats or read info boards scattered about giving info on how the quays worked in days
Bourton on the Water Cotswolds
gone by.
We headed back into town and had a take-out jacket potato at award winning pie shop just before they closed. We needed to have an early supper before going back to the B & B.
Sunday morning our guesthouse owner had come to terms with the demise of her cat and all the traumas of traveling so we decided to have her award winning breakfast. It was good. And good value. They do tend to go on about award winning this and award winning that in the UK. Almost every place had some award
Bourton on the Water Cotswolds
whether it was biggest pub, best pub, smallest pub, most loved pub, widest selection of beers pub. Basically every second place had won some award or other.
After breakfast our host kindly lent us a book on scenic drives in The Cotswolds. I don’t know why we thought we could do it in a day. It’s not a massive area (100 miles from north to south) but there are a LOT of villages and you mostly travel along narrow lanes which slows the trip right down. Houses in The Cotswolds have a distinct character, many built in honey coloured Cotswold stone. Timber and thatch also feature in local architecture. Development is limited to preserve the historical ambiance. You can also cycle or go walking through The Cotswolds. Go to www.cotswolds.com for more info. Sundays are busy and families flock into the region to wander around the villages, shop, eat ice-cream, have lunch,
Burford Cotswolds
visit museums about local industriess and characters, or just hang about. If you fancy something completely different try the – Museum of Mechanical Music – www.mechanicalmusic.co.uk .
The area in and around Gloucester has such a wide variety of things to do. From our walks in the Wye River Valley next to Wales, The River Severn, the country fair and book expo near Cheltenam, Gloucester itself and the historical buildings to The Cotswolds. We got to see a lot. The following morning we headed back to London to my husband’s aunt. She had a fortnight without us and I can say hand on heart, was pleased to see us. If only for a few days.
For more on other places to visit scroll to My Holidays and Trips.
The background to our fortnight in Gloucester was that we were booked to do a raw food (which is a NOT cooking) course there. My husband had seen Deborah Durrant at the 2013 London Vegfest and signed us up to do her hands-on Feast program. The course is expensive for South Africans. The current exchange rate is grossly unfavourable for us to say the least! But we’re both passionate about wholesome food. And if it helped us in our forays into raw food, then it would be well worth it. More on the course later.
River Wye
We arrived in London and spent a few days with my husband’s aunt as per usual. She’s 90 and has a love/hate feeling about us coming over. She lives alone in a large 4 bed roomed house in North London. It’s getting harder and harder for her. My husband has the awful job of trying to get her to accept care. His aunt loves when we’re around to help with things she can no longer do. She also feels safer when we’re in the house and likes that we clean and prepare food for her. Or take her out to the local pub for a meal. But she struggles to remember when we’re coming and going. It startles her when we walk in the house. So we keep our stays short. The raw food course ran from Monday to Friday so we added the weekends on either side to our time in Gloucester.
Typical steep narrow road
My husband hired a car from Enterprise Car Hire. We always use them as they’re the cheapest if you figure how to get the best price. (We don’t get paid to say that) We usually take the smallest or second smallest car. For the fortnight it cost £360. (Excludes fuel but includes £10 per day insurance) I booked 3 nights at a YHA youth hostel in Welsh Bicknor which cost £15 per person. Includes bed linen, but not towels. You can hire towels for £2. All food is extra but at those prices it’s to be expected. Supper was
Symonds Yat West
£7.50 for a main course, £3.50 for a local craft beer and £8.95 for a bottle of French wine. The food, beer and wine were all good. My husband had a Vegetable Thai Red Curry and I had a Veg Balti.
The YHA hostel in Welsh Bicknor is set in a gorgeous location amongst historical buildings right next the River Wye. It’s at the bottom of a narrow steep lane that does not accommodate two-way traffic. A bit of a problem if you encounter a car as you may have to reverse backward up a narrow steep hill.
Symonds Yat Trail
That’s how it is and no-one makes a fuss. We saw deer, wild birds, squirrels and rabbits – every time we went out.
I used youth hostels exclusively when I traveled Scotland with friends a few years back. Despite the name Youth Hostels, they are not exclusively for youngsters. I had only positive experiences. However we stayed at one in Brighton together earlier in the year. The first time my husband has ever stayed in a hostel. We were disappointed. (Read about that in My Holidays and Trips at the top of the page)
I gave the hostel in Brighton a bad rap and I wish I hadn’t. Maybe I needed to know more about how hostels work. Not sure if it was a YHA hostel. Basically YHA are a charity. They strive to provide accommodation at rock bottom prices. Obviously funds are limited so if you want designer decor, luxe linen and gourmet food – well then give them a miss. But if you just want a place to sleep that provides the basics then youth hostels deliver.
Here’s what you get –
friendly and helpful staff
bunk beds with clean linen – you pay extra for a towel
shared amenities – showers with hot water
you can self-cater or have low cost meals – I consider myself a fussy eater but I was happy
heating
local tourist information and brochures
some places have TV and wi-fi – some do not
basic furnishings – furniture and carpets can be a bit tired
decor is not a priority
some things are due for repairs like leaking taps or a lick of paint
affordable accommodation in key locations i.e. near to scenic walks or in cities
