This year I seem to be making a habit of going along with a trip, with no specific idea of where I’m going, only to find that I’m consciously planning to go back to that same area about a week later. It happened over the Easter holiday, where a bus tour I had booked skirted the villages around Stratford-Upon-Avon instead of the originally advertised, more widespread locations, and then I made my way back up to Stratford-Upon-Avon a few days later for an overnight visit.
This past May holiday, it was the South Downs, an area of outstanding national beauty in the Souh towards the coast. It started with the celebrations for Sean's mum's birthday: his sisters organised a weekend in Chilgrove at a cottage in the middle of the woods in the Kingley Vale Nature Reserve. We had to drive along a deeply rutted and uneven dirt road that seemed to be taking us nowhere, twisting through heavy green trees until we finally came to the end of the road and the high, thick, rabbit and deer-proof gate that protected the 11th Century cottage (fortunately much renovated and modernised since then). It was a slow weekend, as there was not much to do in the area given that I am not insured to drive in England (or in Canada anymore, for that matter), but it was beautiful. There were multiple public footpaths and bridleways that spread, web-like, around the cottage, and the fields and woods surrounding us were home to roaming pairs of deer. Mostly we stayed in the enormous garden, though, reading, chatting, and entertaining Sean's toddler nephew. There were lots of games played, much sunning, and even more pastries eaten. We were all debating the relative merits of actually owning a cottage in the middle of nowhere and, while we all thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet, all agreed that we could not happily live in such a quiet retreat all year long. I think that's partly why the unexpected highlight of the weekend was our stop at Arundel Castle on the way home. We'd had enough of the silence of the woods and cottage and were ready to be doing something and surrounded by busy people again.
Why was it so unexpected? Well, because of rail replacement services, Sean and I had to catch our train home from Arundel rather than Chichester, and since Jackie and Jo were giving us a lift there anyway, the whole family detoured to visit the castle. It was only fifteen or twenty minutes by car, and well worth the visit. The best part for me was how excited Sean got, and the way all his stress and frustration seemed to dissipate as we entered the main castle and made our way to the original section and its battlements. As much as I love visiting castles for myself, I enjoy them doubly so because I get to watch Sean be excited and delighted.
We had a quick wander around some of the grounds as well, but since the others weren't quite as interested in touring the extensive castle and grounds, we cut it shorter than we would have otherwise, out of consideration for the fact that they all also still had a very long drive ahead of them. If we had gone on our own, we could very easily have spent an entire day there. When my summer holiday finally arrives (hopefully with the return of some of the twenty-plus sunshine that we had this past spring) I am considering hopping on the train back down to Arundel to explore the grounds and gardens much more thoroughly. There is so much else to see in England though, so we shall have to wait and see if I do, or if I decide to go somewhere new instead!
Now for the return visit:
Anneka and I had been talking for ages about booking a quiet country holiday, perhaps at a spa hotel, for a few days over the actual May half-term holiday. We decided to get together after work on the Monday following my weekend in Chilgrove and actually book something. Originally we were planning to head slightly north-west, and book somewhere in the Chiltern Hills, but when we were struggling to find somewhere we liked there, Anneka suggested the South Downs. We managed to find an excellent deal at Goodwood Hotel - we got full access to the spa facilities and gym at this four-star hotel, and a cooked breakfast both days, for less than we would have paid for an AirBnB! Goodwood was where I really, properly unwound and finally managed to switch off. Funnily enough, that's a very similar pattern to my double trip to the Cotswolds - the first visit I was still running on high stress mode but by the second I was completely relaxed. I think it probably helped that I was on school holidays for both of the second trips. In this case, the spa also helped - the sauna and steam room in particular softening all the physical tension, then the hot tub melting away the stress. It was wonderful to be out in the fresh air all day, wandering the parks and woods on the Goodwood estate, and then come back to the hotel and soak away any muscle stiffness. We had such good luck with the weather too - no rain! Just sunshine and balmy skies. The food and drink at the hotel was excellent too. Expensive, but tasty. We couldn't justify eating there all the time, given the cost, but if I could have sampled everything on their menu, I would have. And we didn't even go to the proper restaurant on the estate - just the hotel bar! We did go to the restaurant for drinks on the last night, and I really wish I had taken a photo of their cocktail menu. They were smooth as anything, and dangerously tasty. Again, if I could have afforded it I (and if my liver could have handled it) I would have sampled one of everything. The best cocktail I had was at The Kennels though. Funny story about the Kennels. Anneka and I couldn't find this mysterious bar anywhere on the estate. We could see it on the map, but the map wasn't very good (and neither Anneka or I are very good at reading maps to begin with) and the guy who we asked directions from wasn't very clear either. It was supposed to be a twenty minute walk from the entrance of the estate. Over an hour later, and having tramped through the ivy and rubbish on the side of a narrow road for nearly ten minutes, we finally stumbled into The Kennels. It turns out we'd passed it multiple times, but there seemed to be a wedding party outside so we assumed that couldn't be it! By the time we found the bar and ordered our drinks, we were laughing at ourselves for not having arrived significantly sooner. I had a ginger cosmo and Anneka had a glass of red wine that she is still fondly reminiscing about. I don't drink wine, so we'll have to take her word for it that it was truly excellent. Once again, this trip wasn't all about sightseeing. We had meant it to be days of country walks, and being healthy and gently active, but while we did have a few small walks of a couple miles it was much slower-paced than that. On the first full day there, we were planning to wander the Chichester Harbour area for the day, walking along beaches, through villages, and around the natural marina. We started at West Wittering beach but only got as far as East Head. We only stopped to read for a little while and eat our sandwiches but we ended up reading in the dunes for three hours. We watched the tide come in and gradually lift the boats that had been beached when we sat down before deciding that it was time to walk back and find ourselves a pub for some drinks and figure out what we were going to do for dinner. It was so refreshing to not have to worry about when and where we were going to be, and to not think about much except my book and good food. I did learn something surprising about myself though: I am not a spa person. I love going and having the massages and facials and other treatments, and I love using the hot tubs, steam rooms and so on. But to go to a spa for the day, without a treatment booked, is rather...boring. I had a book I was reading and enjoying, and I did enjoy using the facilities. But I was restless after a couple of hours. Something for me to remember next time I'm planning a spa break: make sure there's more to do than just the spa! Tags
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Work has really taken its toll on me these past five an a half months, and I couldn't face another high-energy vacation for February half term. I needed to actually take a break and take it easy. What better way to do that than to spend a day at a spa?
That's how I ended up in Bath for two days. I had arranged in advance to go with a group of my fellow Canadian teachers - some work friends and some whom I met at the Engage iday event I attended. I took a 9:20 train from London because I had no intention of waking up early, and alternated between listening to music, reading, and distracting Eric from his marking along the two hour journey west. First stop when we got to Bath was the Roman Baths Museum. It was stony, crowded, and generally really interesting. I still can't get over the ancient nature of the buildings and landmarks here in England. It really is incredible. Particularly when we walked through what used to be the courtyard (now underground). It blew my mind to think I was walking in the same space as people from thousands of years ago. Further exploration of Bath turned out to be rather abortive because of early closing times for museums and a disappointing mix up with where we could have an English high tea. We wound up having a very late lunch at the Roman Baths Kitchen: delicious food. I'd highly recommend it if you're ever in Bath! And if you visit the museum you get 15% off your meal there. I had tomato and brie tarte tatin that was flaky and creamy and wonderfully filling. We went back to our hostel where we played Bananagrams for a while - it's like a highly competitive, high-paced version of scrabble, for those of you who haven't heard of it before. Met a really cute American named Phil who joined in our merry-making, and then joined us in the pub afterwards for a drink (or five, as it turned into). Tuesday was our spa day. And it was an amazing experience. Do not leave Bath without visiting Thermae Bath Spa. We changed into our bathing suits and robes, left our clothes, cellphones and worries in the lockers, and relaxed completely for the rest of the day. Often when we teachers get together it's hard for us to avoid talking about work. Especially when the strongest thing we all have in common is our work. But for some reason we all managed to ignore work for the seven hours we were at the spa, without even trying to avoid talking about it. The sky was incredibly clear and beautifully blue. The kind of skies you really only get in wintertime outside of a city - crystalline, with sunshine that almost has an edge to it. We spent most of the day in the rooftop pool, floating on pool noodles and soaking up the sunshine, steam curling gently off the surface of the water. I could feel the tension floating away from me in the water. We also frequented the aromatherapy steam rooms; I liked to alternate between the menthol/eucalyptus one and the lemongrass and ginger. After sweating it out there, we wandered onto the outside terrace to enjoy the view of Bath, and amused ourselves by holding our arms out and watching the steam rise from our skin. Lunch at the spa restaurant was a treat. Our package included a two course meal, so ordered grilled haloumi with sweet potato puree to start, followed by a fried royal bream in almond crumbs with potato and sun dried tomatoes. I lingered over my meal, much to my group's annoyance, but I enjoyed every last bite. The ginger lemonade was also delicious. My afternoon ended with a roman trilogy treatment: a coffee body scrub, followed by a back and shoulder massage and a facial. 100% worth every pence spent. I'd have loved to spend another half hour soaking off the oils in the showers and then the thermal baths again, but alas we had a train to catch. I was back home in Croydon by ten thirty, having shouldered the weight of my worries and stresses again. I will go back to Bath in a heartbeat, even if just for the spa. But there is a long list of things that I want to do there but didn't get the chance to, so there will be a weekend jaunt to Bath in my near future, I think. tags |
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