Alexandra House Hotel, Swindon was a good base for my friends M & J and myself for our 3 night Easter break. We travelled by coach stopping in Oxford for a couple of hours
where we had time to enjoy street entertainment
fancy a bite - get it - bite!!
apart from lots of food stalls the rest of the market was spectacularly underwhelming
the indoor market however was much better.
Our hotel had a pretty Easter display at reception
some nice seating areas and bar areas
and the rooms were very good, warm with a super comfortable bed and en-suite.
Our first trip was a scenic drive through some pretty Cotswold villages to Bourton-on-the-Water. Easter holiday + glorious weather = people, lots of people, it was heaving.
Admiring a garden on the way to the delightful, excellent Model Village.
As a keen miniaturist I was in my element.
The River Windrush flows under Bourton's famous bridges providing
a beautiful backdrop to the miniature beeches, cherries and chestnut trees.
You can hear music in the tiny church
and can wander the lanes peering into all the different buildings.
Eastfield House used to be the cottage hospital
The Motor Museum
The Croft ice cream parlour
Look at the cute little post box
The following day we visited Bath starting with a guided coach tour doing the usual
tourist stuff around the city, which was very nice.
You can't visit Bath without going to the Royal Crescent
and hearing about the eye watering property prices!!
Planted in 1793 this tree is one of the oldest
architectuarally planted trees in the world
Timber Treasures, the shop behind the tree, has an interesting history. It's part of the old Abbey Gatehouse, and, at 600 years old it is one of the oldest buildings in the city. In 1817 in a room above the shop a young Mary Shelly finished the final draft of the classic Gothic novel "Frankenstein". Over the years the shop has been a gin palace, a brothel, a greengrocers, a Temperance Meeting House and an antique shop. Today it sells hand made wooden gifts.
We found a wonderful bookshop
With so many tourists there were queues everywhere. The queue for the Abbey was the full length of the building. J and I can walk miles but we're not good at standing, so we all decided that once you've seen
one Abbey/Cathedral you've seen them all.
At £25 we decided not to go into the Roman Baths
The Pump Room restaurant looked very nice
Pulteney Bridge
The walk along the river is very nice.
We had a lovely few days.
∼ Be safe and well∼
Polly x
The Model Village is so cool! Glad you included a few shots with people to show the scale. When we were in England on a tour in 2009, we spent an afternoon in Bath. Of the places you feature in this post, we visited the Abbey, the Roman Baths (you didn't miss anything) and had lunch at the Pump Room (the best part!) The Pump Room has this elaborate fountain from which you can sip the spa mineral water. I passed on that experience, LOL!
ReplyDeleteI wish we had gone to the Pump Room for tea. I read about tasting the mineral water, I think I would have passed on it as well :-)
DeleteWe visited Bath once and thoroughly enjoyed it. So many things to see. We took in a seminar about Jane Austen which I really enjoyed. Just walking around the streets was a treat. The bath was a highlight.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed walking around.
DeleteYou are certainly gadding around Polly but good for you.
ReplyDeleteI first visited Bourton-on-the-Water and the miniature town as a child with my parents - it was very quiet then. I remember walking along the edge of the water in Bourton itself and slipped into it - my mother was not very pleased as I was wearing some brand new clarks sandles.
Happy memories Rosemary - except for the sandals. I'm worn out, no more gadding about until a day trip in May!!
DeleteYou have been visiting some delightful places! I would have also been enchanted by the miniature village. I couldn’t even tell it was miniature until I saw the photo with the people! When I was a teen, I posted it to Tivoli’s miniature World and Toronto in loved it.
ReplyDeleteThe village was built by craftsmen using the same materials as the real houses. It's a beautiful place.
DeleteWow! What a lovely Easter adventure, Polly! I want to shrink myself down and explore the wee town and all of it's incredible wonders! Thanks so much for sharing these lovely photos!
ReplyDeleteThe only miniature people were in the church. Sadly if there were any in the streets some visitors might steal them.
DeleteSuch a fun place for an Easter break. Glad you had such a good time!
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Thank you Amalia :-)
DeleteOh Polly -- you are bringing back both old memories and ones I want to make! I've been to both Bourton-on-Water and Bath but the trip to Bourton was part of an all-day Cotswolds bus tour -- great fun, but minimal exploration.I didn't even KNOW about this miniature town and I would have been absolutely gobsmacked to see it! And Bath -- I skipped the Cathedral too but someday if you have a chance to return to the baths, the tour was fascinating and worth the admission -- which I agree, is very steep. I wish I'd found that bookstore, although maybe it's a good thing I did. The bridge -- sigh. I remember. But we didn't see the Royal Crescent. So now you are reminding me that I absolutely must return!
ReplyDeleteHello Jeanie, there are reasons for both of us to visit again! The model village is wonderful :-)
DeleteThanks for the little tour! The model village is wonderful. I didn't know there was a model village at Bourton-on-Water. I went to Bekonscot once, the model village at Beaconsfield. Bath is lovely. My father grew up there. The bookshop is very well stocked - is it an independent bookshop? I read that independent bookshops are thriving at the moment, which is good news.
ReplyDeleteWhen my girls were little we lived in Bedfordshire and Bekonscot model village was a favourite day out. I read that too about independent bookshops. The one we visited was Topping & Company, they are independent.
DeleteWhat a wonderful way to have spent Easter, Polly. I would have enjoyed the miniature village as well.
ReplyDeleteIt was Beatrice. Good friends, lovely places and glorious weather.
DeleteWhat a charming place to visit. Love that purple flower bed in front of the house. The bridge and river are so lovely. What a peaceful place to walk.
ReplyDelete~Sheri