A short drive from Stow is the world-famous Stratford upon Avon, birth and final resting place of William Shakespere. It is an undeniably pretty town, with some lovely views over the canal and the river. Nevertheless, while undoubtedly steeped in history and a cultural centre of immense importance, I found it a bit like any other market town in Britain.
And that sense of sameness is something that has really struck me over the last three days. It appears that every high street in the country now has virtually the same mixture of shops. Any regional variation seems to have been driven out by the big corporates, and any sparks of diversity submerged in an ocean of Starbucks, WH Smiths, Clinton Cards and all the rest. In a town like Stratford, famous the world over for the creative contribution it has made to civilisation, this tide of blandness seems strangely out of place.
The weather smiled on us once again for the last day of our trip, making it a glorious hat-trick of sunshine and azure blue skies. We arrived in Stow on the Wold last night to a warm reception from our hosts the Kings. Moe's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw the spacious bathroom - her extended soak leaving plenty of time for me and the missus to get reasonably sloshed on a bottle of Oddbin's finest, packed for that very purpose.
Stow is a beautiful little Cotswold market town, and one that has a surprising amount of interesting shops lining its capacious square. A careful trawl of the charity shops brought us a delightful bone china tea service for 20 quid - absolute bargain! After exhausting all that Stow had to offer, we headed off to Stratford upon Avon for the afternoon.
Today dawned brilliant and blue just like yesterday, providing the absolute perfect setting for our day out in Bath. I've only been to Bath a couple of times, and I think most of those I was working so I didn't see much of the place. The plan for today was for the girls to visit the Thermae Spa - about the closest thing to an onsen you'll find in Britain - while I wandered around exploring the city. I wasn't disappointed. Bath is an absolutely beautiful city and one day wasn't nearly enough to see it all, so I hope we'll return in the near future.
Today is the first day of our 3 day mini trip to the West country. The idea is to give the girls a look at Merrie Old England before we disappear to Japan. This first leg has taken us to Stonehenge and Avebury, and finally to Bath, where I am writing this entry.
Stonehenge was wonderful, and I think it made a big impression on the girls. The view of the stones as you come over the hill on the road from Andover is really stunning. The weather couldn't have been better, and the setting for our visit absolutely perfect.
A mild-mannered,if occasionally grumpy English middle-aged beer lover with a passion for Japan, martial arts, travel and a whole load of other things.
