Dartmouth – Part One

We arrived at The Camping and Caravanning site in Stoke Fleming for an 18 night stay. We were allocated a really nice spot with lots of space and not too far from the loos. We even had a sea view – just! Here we are all set up with our flag ready for the World Cup Finals.









 Stoke Fleming is a thriving village with most amenities.  Looking  at the position of the post box everyone must be 12 feet tall. We have no idea why it is so high. There is another post box at ground level around the corner.
 
Dartmouth is an ancient borough with a history of settlement going back to prehistoric times. In early times, when marauders of all sorts ravaged the coast, towns were placed some distance inland, safe from raids, and so it was that the first occupancy was at Townstal, at the top of the hill.
Much of the lower part of the town, from the river bank inland as far as the Guildhall, has been reclaimed from the river in various stages since medieval times.
During the 13^th and 14^th centuries, Dartmouth rivalled the Cinque Ports in importance and fame, and for a time it was one of the foremost seaports in the provinces.
The Mayflower and the Speedwell left from Bayards Cove, Dartmouth, in 1620 taking pilgrims to America. Local merchant adventurers, including Humphrey Gilbert, obtained a predominant share of the Newfoundland trade in the 16^th century, and many of the Mayors were men connected with that trade.
In more recent times, the port of Dartmouth has continued its naval connection as the home of naval officer training – initially in HMS Britannia on the River, and since 1905 at Britannia Royal Naval College on land. In the second World War, over four hundred ships were assembled in the port in readiness for the D-Day landings in 1944.


Mock Tudor building on the South Embankment

The Butterwalk                               St. Saviour’s Church

About 2 weeks before we arrived in Dartmouth there was a devastating fire in the centre of town, which affected a whole block of shops and flats. This is the result – burnt out Elizabethan buildings.

We knew Dartmouth was steep, but not this steep 1 in 3. I met a lady in her eighties who had just walked up this hill. she said she ‘takes her time’.
 
At the top of the hill is a geocache and the next two photos are of the Dart estuary from the cache.
 


At the end of our first week we went to the BBC Antiques Roadshow at the Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC). We went for the day out, those with antiques had to wait in queues for up to 90 minutes. At the time of writing the transmission date has not been set. We saw many of the valuers and had a look around parts of the college.



 
The recording set.
At the half way point for the day the college put on the The Field Gun Run – below is a slideshow showing the run. We had to be moved away from the centre line because when the gun is fired at the end of the run the blank cartridge throws out lots of debris.

Ringwood

Over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend Maggie, Andy and Tara came to stay. I was leading a ramble on the Saturday afternoon, from Broomy Walk, and M&A came too. Unfortunately the weather in the morning had been heavy rain and only 6 ramblers turned up including M&A. We walked for 5 miles and it didn't rain once, but it was very wet underfoot. I wish I had put on my new waterproof boots. The morning ramble was lead by Lyn and David, they had 12 walkers and it rained most of the time – not pleasant! 

Here we are at Mill Lawn, close to Burley.

New Arrivals

 

Photo taken by Lyn on another ramble. The view is over the River Avon. Do you like the hat?

Doctors orders I have to protect my ears!

Ramblers rest.

In early June we visited Graham and Jean in Marlborough. On all our previous visits it has rained and when they have come to Ringwood it has rained so hope the spell has been broken with this beautiful day. We were well fed and watered and so had to have a well earned rest whilst walking around the town. Marlborough is a lovely old market town with many of its old buildings still intact.

This is an extract from the Marlborough website.

‘Marlborough, in the north east corner of Wiltshire, is the archetypical English market town – a place where coins were minted in Norman times, Tudor kings hunted for deer and where coaches heading west from London stopped to feed and water their horses.’

Marlborough Town Hall         St Margaret’s Church

 

The Green - William Golding , author of 'Lord of the Flies' and a master at Marlborough College lived at No 29. Front door on the left.

Houses on The Green

     

 Update on the surgery front – I had to have the skin removal above my left eyebrow done again because there was a ‘miniscule’ amount of the BCC left behind. I had the same surgeon and the procedure only took 20 minutes, but my eyebrow is moving up my forehead. If the next time I see you I give you this quizzical look, I’m afraid I can’t do anything about it.

That’s it for a while. We are off to Dartmouth on the 10th June so hope to have plenty to report on our return.

Tewkesbury – Part 2

Part 2 should be called visits to the surrounding area. The bus stop was only a 5 minute walk from the caravan site and so it was going to be more convenient using the bus to get to the main centres. Having said that we needed the car to get to Croome Park a National Trust property. The next bit is gleaned from the NT website:

 Croome was 'Capability' Brown's first complete landscape, making his reputation and establishing a new style of garden design which became universally adopted over the next 50 years. The outer eye-catchers, acquired in 2009, and the elegant park buildings were designed by Brown, Robert Adam and James Wyatt. Croome Court, sold by the Coventry family in 1948, is at last reunited with the parkland, allowing visitors to appreciate the 6th Earl’s vision for the estate as a whole. The house is presented empty of contents, giving visitors an opportunity to follow the restoration progress over the coming years.’

Sue at the newly refurbished Ice House'.

Croome Court and the main room

     

Looking around the cellars at the various displays we spotted this photo of Graham Bill. I know a few of you who read this blog will remember Graham from Cornwall School, Dortmund. Graham used to teach here when it was St. Joseph’s Special School.

Next time you are at a ball make sure you know your ‘fan etiquette’.  Double click the photo to enlarge it.

 

Stuart at the Island Pavilion. This is one of the few photos of me on this holiday so enjoy it.

The number 71 bus takes you from Tewkesbury to Gloucester. We did the main sites on the this visit and on the second one Sue hit the shops and I did some of the geocaches around the hospital.

Here you see the cathedral which is well worth a visit. The second and last photo of me by one of the old steam cranes in the newly renovated dock area.

          

Sue by the centrifugal water pump known as ‘The Snail’. This dry dock is used for overhauling wooden boats using traditional skills.

           

The 41 or 42 bus takes you to Cheltenham Spa. These buses take different routes to Cheltenham so it’s worth doing your homework before you set off. We found out the hard way! On the way into Cheltenham Spa you pass the Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes etc. garages. So we were expecting something a little up market and we were not disappointed. The town is described as the most complete Regency town in England.

The Pump Room in Pittville Park.

Neptune fountain built in 1893 and fashioned on the Trevi Fountain in Rome.

The upmarket shopping centre – set well apart from where the great unwashed shop.

Regency Terrace – I’m sure they look a lot better on a sunny day.

 

The 540 bus takes you to Evesham by a very circuitous route, but it does give you a good view of the little villages. Also it is the first time we have arrived at a bus stop in reverse, honest (it is part of the planned route).

The old market town of Evesham is situated in the centre of the famous horticultural Vale of Evesham - the fruit and vegetable basket of England.

The  15th Century Roundhouse – actually rectangular

The gateway to Abbey Park

The Vision of the Swineherd Eof

This bronze sculpture came about via a public art competition held by the Cotswold & Vale Magazine of Evesham. Six sculptors were shortlisted and asked to submit a maquette sculpture idea using the theme of the legend of Eof. All the proposed sculptures were then anonymously displayed in public where they could be voted upon by the local population.

The 16th Century Bell tower in Abbey Park

The Almonry, this 14th century building, once the home of the Abbey's Almoner, houses a wealth of information and artifacts, documenting the history of the great Abbey and the defeat of Baron Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham in 1265.

  

Well that covers most of our trips out of the Tewkesbury area. Need less to say we met lots of people on site and even one lady said ‘ I remember you from 2 weeks ago’. We think we she was having an away weekend with a male friend ‘ say no more’ wink, wink.

Just to bring you up to date with my visits (Stuart) to the hospital I have had to have one of my excisions (cut out) done again (today 26th May) because there was a minute bit of the basal cell carcinoma left behind. At the moment one of my eyebrows is being pulled up, to give me a very quizzical look. I hope it is the tape that is doing it and not the stitches or I shall look like that forever more!

This is a You Tube clip about St. Joseph’s school – 2 minutes only.

Click Here

Tewkesbury – Part 1

Tewkesbury is an attractive, historic town dominated by timber-framed buildings with overhanging eaves and has a fascinating maze of small alleyways behind the main streets. It is situated on a spit of gravel just above flood level at the junction of The Severn and Avon.

We were booked in for 18 nights so were hoping for good weather so we could get out and about. The advantage of this site is its proximity to the town and local bus services which go to Gloucester, Cheltenham and Evesham.

Here is the reception for the site – notice it is raised up so the floods don’t affect it.

Tewkesbury's glory is it's Abbey, founded at the end of the 11th Century as a Benedictine Monastery. The spectacular central tower, which stands 148 feet high, is the largest surviving Norman central tower in the world. With the exception of Westminster Abbey,

The first few days were sunny and warm, but that soon deteriorated to dry and cold and some days there was frost in the morning. This is May – Global Warming, no way!

Sue just practising for the rest of the holiday.

66 Church Street - An example of a recently restored timber-framed building which has been dated to 1475. The outside has been redecorated in a traditional limewash whilst the interior retains the original ceiling decoration.

This is one of the 11 (about) alleyways which can be found in Tewkesbury.– The Old Baptist chapel can be found down this alleyway along with the Old Baptist cemetery.

The historic Abbey Cottages, over 500 years old, were rescued from dereliction in the 1970s; one houses a museum, the others are residential homes and commercial offices.

The first weekend we wandered across to the Food Festival. Not having to drive I had to sample some of the local beer – not bad.

An interesting label, don’t you think!

Vegetable display.

Tewkesbury Marina has 400 flood protected berths. Located where the River Severn and Avon meet, there is a choice of cruising areas including the River Avon which meanders gently to Stratford-upon-Avon. The larger River Severn flows down through Gloucester to the Bristol Channel and up to Worcester and Stourport.

The local tourist boat close to the centre of Tewkesbury.

A tight fit – they only had inches to spare either side. What happens if you wish to return this way and the river has risen – problems I think!

Mill Bank – spot the swan on her nest.

The original Abbey Mill, built by monks and with foundations dating back to the 12th century, managed to escape dismantling during the dissolution. Once thought to be the largest and most modern flour mill in the world it has long been converted into houses.

Later that week - we think there are 8 cygnets in all.

This is a very potted version of in and around Tewkesbury. We spent ages exploring all the nooks and crannies and doing longer walks in the vicinity, usually with a geocache or two included

Part 2 will be coming soon, this will include all our away days.