Fall 2023 - A Euro Roadtrip - Cotswolds

After starting off on a rather wet first day in Bath, the boss decided to rent a large umbrella for 2 quid. She has always been such a smart travelling companion for her husband. And sure enough, it never rained again after Mrs. Gym completed that wise transaction. Of course, to protect the public, Mr. Gym was never allowed to carry the thing.

On the morning of September 18th, 2023, our travellers trekked up to the Royal Victoria Park. They ascended the escarpment on a portion of the Cotswolds Way. The trail runs diagonally across the park and up a steep grade that runs onwards to Cold Ashton. They only followed the path up the hill as far as the edge of the "foot-golf" course and then traversed across the hill to the Botanical Gardens. There, they briefly purused the large variety of colourful plantings and stopped to marvel at the palm trees that seemed to be thriving there. Later they returned to the hotel having put in a good five or six kilometres of cross-country trekking in the morning.  They took refreshments at the Huntsman, a Georgian public house, right next to their hotel. A properly pored Guinness was the right medicine after the morning's exertions. 

Later that day, the travellers explored some beautiful green spaces across the River Avon in Bathwick.  To get there they crossed the Pulteney Bridge which was built in 1774 and is very cool.  Both sides of the bridge deck are lined with with shops and restaurants. Bathwick is another area where there are more rows of stately stone townhouses surrounded by ample green space. The travellers wandered all three of the area's large city parks. Next to the river there there is The Recreation Grounds which includes a rugby stadium and a cricket pitch. There is also Henreitta Park, a tranqil 10-acre park with some massive tree specimens. Close by there is also the larger green space of Sydney Gardens. Jane Austen used to hang out here.  There is a great children's playground, tennis courts and stately walkways that cross the The Kennet and Avon Canal on impressive iron-railed foot bridges. Bathwick is definitely worth exploring.

On the last day in Bath, prior to checking out of the hotel, our travellers bought two tickets to tour the Roman Baths. For about 20 pounds you gained entry and at your own pace, used a handheld audio device to get the details on the artefacts and the workings of the ancient temple and spa as you wandered through the site. It is a must-do thing when you visit Bath.

The Vauxhall Corsa was patiently waiting for Gym in the underground parking lot where he had left it when they arrived in Bath. Gym had missed the masculine purr of its powerful engine. Lol, just kidding! Later that morning, the travellers left this beautiful city and returned along the M4 motorway towards London. The righthand drive Corsa was returned unscathed to where they had rented it and dinner followed in the Heathrow Marriott restaurant. Gym and his sidekick retired early that night because they had a 6 AM flight to Barcelona. They did not want to miss their flight because there was a Gym family reunion in the capitol of Catalonia. 

Cotswolds Way in Royal Victoria Park

The trails rises in a steep grade across
the foot-golf course

Beautiful Henrietta Park in Bathwick, Bath

Huge tree specimens in Henrietta Park

Mrs. Gym is Queen of the Castle in Sydney Park

Avon Canal running through Sydney Park

Puteney Bridge at twilight

The hot spring that feed into the Roman Bath

Looking down at the main pool used 2000
years ago by Roman subjects

The hot springs entered here

The 'used' water flows out into the River Avon

An ancient hot tub

Fall 2023 - A Euro Roadtrip - Cotswolds

The author's Sketchers below the Cotswold Way 
marker in front of the Bath Abbey

Ever since the summer of 2016, the Cotswolds has been on Gym's mind. It has been seven years since he first wandered into this Area of Natural Beauty, about 2 hours west of London. That first trip only made it to the northernmost parts of the AONB as our travellers were based in Buckland, a village from which they could hike up over to Broadway and Snowshill. Since that time, Gym has been looking at the maps of the Cotswolds and realized that there was so much that he and his sidekick had missed. 

Far to the south, the city of Bath sits prominently on the Cotswolds Escarpment. It is the southern end of the 102-mile Cotswold Way, the trail that runs south from Chipping Camden along the crest of the ridge. Bath is also an ancient city and was a vibrant Roman settlement. In more recent times it has been popular as a place to "take the waters". Since the Roman times, the baths in Bath have been a popular destination. But there it so much more to see in this place. Laid out in typical medieval fashion the town centre's narrow streets are lined with stone buildings that are constructed with the easily-carved limestone that is quarried in the area. Even on a rainy day, these buildings seem to emanate a warmth that stone buildings in other areas do not.

After settling in to the Abbey Bath Hotel on the evening of September 16th, 2023, our heroes spent the following day ambling about town and eventually determined that their hotel location was just about perfect. The River Avon and its many beautiful pathways are right out the front door and behind the hotel is the town centre. The Bath Abbey church and the Roman Baths are literally just a couple of blocks away. Just up the hill to the north are the chi chi addresses on The Circus and No. 1 Royal Crescent. If you live there, you live in gorgeous Cotswold stone homes that are within walking distance of the centre of town. Although these four storey townhouses are not detached, they have ample backyards and are close to the very abundant green spaces that are so plentiful in Bath. Gym has seen homes in this area listed on the internet, for millions of pounds. 

There were plenty of great watering holes and eateries near the Bath Abbey Hotel. "Dough" is a quaint little pizza joint not too far away. You can choose to customize your pizza there with crusts that incorporate turmeric or hemp. Our travellers also tried the Joya Italian Steakhouse where one can get some perfect al dente pasta or a flat iron steak. The prices and service seemed spot on at both these establishments.

The Bath Abbey

The Abbey Bath Hotel

Mrs. Gym above the River Avon with the
Pulteney Bridge in the background

The Pulteney Bridge at twilight. It is 
lined with shops and restaurants.

No. 1 Royal Crescent

Narrow lanes leading into the town centre

One-of-a-kind shops and eateries

The scenic River Avon

St. John the Evangelist Church from
across the river

Frontal view of St. John the Evangelist

Fall, 2023 - A Euro Roadtrip - Suffolk

 More on Suffolk

For being so close to London, Suffolk is surprisingly, a sparsely populated county. It has a few small towns all of which are surrounded by lush green farmland. The geography is gently undulating lowlands bordered on the east by the English Channel. Like that of the rest of southeast England, the climate is temperate and the weather is moderated by its close proximity to the European mainland and the warming influence of the sea. Certain types of palm trees do well along the coast of Suffolk.

Gym and his dear companion, spent two wonderful days in St. Audry's neighbourhood, on the outskirts of Woodbridge, Suffolk. St. Audry's is interesting because the oldest part of the community, is formerly the wards of the county lunatic asylum, until it was all converted to residences in 1993. Then later on, new detached homes were built down narrow country lanes, one of which was purchased by the Andersons, 18 months ago. The Anderson home became our traveller's*(see note) home base for a couple of days. Thank you Brenda and Roland for putting up with our hero and his sidekick.

Woodbridge lies along the river Deben and is about 8 miles from the coast. During their short stay in the area, the travellers would explore the neighbourhood around St. Audry's and the outskirts of Woodbridge, They also spent a full day on the coast, exploring the three beautiful seaside villages of Thorpeness, Aldeburgh and Orford. All three villages are within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths -  Area of Natural Beauty. The day started with a hike down the beach from Aldeburgh to Thorpeness and back on the trail that looped through the Thorpeness Golf Club  to Aldeburgh, on the  North Marsh Circuit. Following the very pleasant 4.4 - mile hike, thirsts were assuaged on the patio of the highly-rated Wentworth Hotel. 

The group then drove over to the historic village of Orford. Orford Castle towers over this cool little fishermans' village. Built between 1165 and 1173 by King Henry II to consolidate Royal power in the region, this well preserved keep was not open when our travellers were there but the exterior was very impressive. Orford's St. Bartholamew's Church was open for inspection.  It is a fine example of Grade I listed, 14th Century church. After trekking around the village, the group sat down for a bite on a deck overlooking the Orford Ness Nature Reserve which was the haunt of smugglers in th 1800s. Later that night after sundowners looking out over the Anderson garden, everyone walked down towards the river to the Coach & Horses Pub, for some great fish and chips. By the time everyone got home again, the step-meter was registering a very respectable level of daily achievement.

The next morning just before Gym and Mrs. Gym were to drive to Bath in the Cotswolds, Mrs Gym was happily reunited with her suitcase after a 48-hour separation. One of Heathrow's finest consultant couriers had finally found the Anderson home. Mrs. Gym now had the wherewithal to dress for success on her two- week expedition across the pond.

The Corsa made it to Bath in just over 4 hours and the tired travellers checked into the Abbey Bath Hotel. Stay tuned for more from Bath.

*Note: The author wishes to point out that in the UK, he spells "travellers" the English way, instead of "travelers" which is the American spelling. Also of note, wherever additional vowels are required to comply with the Oxford Dictionary, he has tried to comply.  

A narrow country lane disappearing under a canopy
of foliage in St. Audry

This tower was part of the old Asylum and is now a private home

These townhouses were former wards of the asylum, now all renovated residences. The “tower home” is in the background.

The Scallop. Artwork on the beach near Aldeburgh 
near the start of the 4.4 mile hike. Gym believes it is Ed Sheeran posing on the left of the statue with his peeps.

Beach houses in Thorpeness

House in the Clouds, a home built on a former
water tower in Thorpeness

Another shot of the above. You can rent it!

The Wentworth Hotel in Aldeburgh. The patio is on the right.

St. Bartholomew’s church interior in Orford.

The pipe organ

The exterior, on a warm day in September, 

Orford castle has stood the test of time

Fall 2023 - A Euro Roadtrip - Suffolk

September 13-16, 2023

Our intrepid travellers are off on another adventure. This new expedition was thrown together fairly quickly. It had been a warm and pleasant summer but with autumn's shorter days approaching, our hero and his fetching bride needed a diversion to take their minds off the inevitable seasonal changes that always bring about a little bit of autumn melancholia. The solution of course is to work one's way towards the equator where you can still enjoy a dose of Vitamin D that doesn't come from a pill. And so, plans were initiated for a three country tour, including time spent in Britain, Spain and France.

There were other reason’s for crossing the Pond and visiting Europe. In late September, there would be an opportunity for Gym to connect with 2 of his brothers and their families, in Barcelona for a few days. In addition, Gym and Mrs. Gym would be able to check out the new country home of a couple of good friends that had recently moved to Suffolk, UK.

The trip began with a two-leg journey on a big Boeing 787 Dreamliner that stopped in Montreal, before carrying on to London Heathrow. It was actually the same plane both legs of this journey, so it seemed the chance of losing luggage on the connection in Montreal was negligible. Sure, the connection in Montreal went without a hitch, but the, Mrs. Gym’s suitcase was lost in Heathrow, extending the streak of recent airport woes to three in a row. 

At Heathrow, our intrepid travellers picked up a Vauxhall Corsa to begin this grand Euro Road Trip. A Vauxhall Corsa is a a compact car that is slightly smaller than a standard golf cart, with just enough power to travel on a Motorway. Once you toss your luggage into the back, you must fold yourself into the vehicle and try to orient yourself in the hunched posture of a go-cart driver, before moving out on the highway. From the driver’s side window, it is possible to look underneath the reticulated lorries to see the door latch of the SUV that you should have rented, two lanes over. Somehow despite the cramped cockpit, Gym piloted the rental from Heathrow, to the beautiful Suffolk countryside, with the help of Siri, who Gym is really starting to respect. Siri had guided them down the narrow country lanes right to the intended destination.

More from Suffolk in the next post.

Gym’s diminutive Vauxall Corsa, in front of the Anderson country home.

The lovely backyard of the Anderson home.

Another perspective of the Corsa with the Anderson’s
real car behind it.

Mrs. Gym and Brenda Anderson on a hike near the Anderson home.

Roland Anderson next to the local pub 
where we all had a fantastic dinner on Friday night