Took the 11am train from Euston London station to Stockport.The journey took about 2 hours.We arrived at 12.55pm where we were met by my cousin.We were taken to his house in High Lane where lunch was ready for us.
After lunch we visited the local church and admired the beautiful stained glass windows and paintings on the ceiling and walls.Then we went for a walk in the countryside admiring the wild flowers and trees and farmland along the way.We walked along the canal where we saw beautiful boat houses ,some plying the canal and some moored along the side of the canal.The boat houses were beautifully painted in dark blue, green and red with gold wordings and had interesting names. We were lucky enough to be invited on to one of the boats which was used for day trips and functions.
We stopped at a small shop for ice cream and after that we made our way back to the house and got ready to have dinner.
Day 2 ( 12 July 2011 ) - Stockport - Lake District
Left Stockport at 8.30am. Stopped at Sainsbury to buy some sandwiches before proceeding with our journey to the Lake District. Stopped at Hayes Garden Centre,Ambleside for coffee and scones. There we saw a few owls being exhibited in an effort to create awareness of its beauty and to raise funds.One of them was the biggest I have ever seen,it was the size of a chicken!
Arrived at the Lake District at midday.Passed through Windemere which is where most tourists will stop if they go to the Lake District.We went there many years back and this time it was exactly as I remembered it.We stopped at Tarn Hows which is a smaller lake and less touristic and went for a walk along the lake.As we walk along my cousin pointed out to me the various wild flowers like foxgloves, thistles,clematus and many others.We passed a group of hikers with several dogs,the biggest I have seen in my life.They looked more like bears than dogs but although they were huge they were quite friendly.We had a picnic there and the sandwiches,chocolate biscuits and coffee tasted wonderful in the cool refreshing air of the countryside.
Then we went to Coniston which is a quiet and charming English village. We went for a walk through the village and from there to the shore of the Lake where we spent some time admiring the view and enjoying the serenity of the place.Afterwhich it was time to make our way back to Stockport.
Day 3 ( 13 July 2011 ) - Visit to Chester
We left Stockport early for Chester located in the county of Cheshire and once we were there we took a walk on the Roman wall that circumvent the city. From here we got a good view of the city. We came down from the wall and we passed by the Chester Cathedral which was first built in the year 907 .
We stopped for coffee at a cafe in one of the narrow streets in the city. From there we went to the main street in time to hear the town crier calling everyone to attention. It was an innovative way to depict the history of the city and also as a tourist attraction.
One of the attractions of the city is the beautiful and ornate Eastgate Clock which was erected in 1899 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee of 1897.It is reputed to be the second most photographed clock in England.
As we explored the city we were impressed by another feature of Chester that is the medieval two-tiered shopping galleries in black and white design.We then visited the ruins of the Roman Amphitheatre . From there we took a walk through the Roman gardens which displayed some Roman artifacts. What was interesting was to see a history class being conducted in the garden for school children complete with the teacher dressed in Roman attire. I thought that was a good way to generate interest in history amongst the students. From here we walked to the banks of the River Dee. Lunch was at a Thai Restaurant along one of the main streets.
We left for Stockport quite soon after that.
Day 4 ( 14 July 2011) - Stockport - Essex
Left Stockport at 8am. Stopped at Eastwood near Nottingham to say hello to a relative who was staying at his friend's house. The house was interesting as it was situated in a cemetery ! The people staying there joked that they had very quiet neighbours! Even during Halloween when they were ready with plenty of sweets for the trick or treat , not even a single kid came !
After a cup of coffee we continued with our journey to Matching Tye in Essex and reached another cousin's house at 1pm.The house is a charming house built circa 1550 with wooden beams and columns and the walls made of a plaster mixed with horse hair ! We were given a tour of the garden which had beautiful flowers and various fruit trees like apple, cherry and plum. After lunch we went on a tour of the village and I had this feeling of going back to the past and being stuck in time and it remindered me of the place described in the book "Little Women" which I used to read.Our first stop was the parish church and then to the forest for a walk.
Dinner that night was at the charming village pub where we had a typical English dinner, fish and chips which was really good.
Day 5 ( 15 July 2011 ) - Visit to Kentwell Hall and Lavenham
Left the house at 9.30am and travelled to Sible Hedingham which was about an hour away,to visit Castle Hedingham.Unfortunately it was closed for a private function.
We then went to Kentwell Hall near Long Melford .Kentwell Hall is an Elizabethan manor house which was once a derelict building and has been undergoing refurbishment since 1971.At the end of an avenue lined with ancient lime trees was the imposing building with a moat surrounding it. We went on a tour of the interior of the building and admired various rooms such as the kitchen,dining, parlour, bathroom and sleeping chambers.After a quick lunch at the Stableyard Cafe we went for a walk through the huge garden. We saw an oak tree which was claimed to be 1000 years of age with a girth of 27 feet. We walked along different types of trees and plants including huge clipped yews, shrubbery and fern stumpery.We then took a walk in the walled garden with a variety of flowers, admiring the various colours and textures. There were also different types of apple trees and vegetables planted in the garden. Another interesting feature of the garden was the topiary depicting the Pied Piper story.We could see that work on the house and gardens were still in progress.
We then proceeded to the historical town of Lavenham.Our first stop was a huge old parish church where we admired the stained glass windows. We walked along the town which had old wooden houses and interesting facade.Our walk took us to the town square whose main attraction was the Guild Hall which was built in a Tudor style. We had afternoon tea with scones at the beautiful Swan Hotel which was housed in a Tudor building and the interiors recently and tastefully furnished.
We returned to Matching Tye at 7.30pm and visited the farmers market which was held in the village hall,since it was drizzling. We bought some cherries and some second hand plates which cost only a pound each to take back home as souvenirs when we leave this charming village tomorrow.
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