Stratford upon Avon 2008

We travelled to Stratford upon Avon by car using the M6 toll Road. We had checked the traffic and being a Friday night the roads were very busy. The M6 toll Road was empty and it cost £4.50 for cars which is worth it to get a clear drive without being stuck in traffic. (we had been stuck in a jam around Cheshire!!!). We had booked into the Stratford Hotel in Stratford upon Avon (formerly Stratford Victoria) and it was very nice. It has parking for over 200 cars and is centrally located (about five minutes walk to the main shopping area and river.) We had originally tried to book into the Stratford Manor Hotel which is the sister Hotel of the Stratford, I am really glad we didn't now as it is quite a way out and you would have to travel by car or taxi to the centre of Stratford. There is a mini gym at the Stratford but no pool, however guests can us the pool at the Stratford Manor Hotel.

The breakfast was great and there was lots of choice of English cooked breakfast, continental, pastries and cereals (if you were really hungry or greedy you could have all as it is a buffet breakfast!!!!). We had booked in for two nights as my husband had a driving experience booked at Long Marston Airfield on the Saturday and Stratford was the nearest town. We arrived in Stratford at around 7pm and after checking in, we decided to go for a wander to get something to eat. There are lots of restaurants to choose from, we settled on a beefeater near the River.

The food was not great, I had asked for a burger well done and it came as a char coaled brick and very dry, but I suppose I did get what I asked for!!!!.

The next morning after breakfast, we had a wander round the shops, the buildings are all so old and beautiful and it is really weird to see these really old buildings with a Pizza Hut or Costa Coffee attached to them. We drove to Long Marston Air Field around lunchtime which is only a few miles and about twenty minutes away from Stratford. My husband had a driving Experience booked with Drivers Dream Days, who offer driving experiences at different locations around the country in luxury cars from Porsche and Ferrari to Aston Martin and Lamborghini's. They also offer off road driving experiences.

We were hoping for nice sunny weather, which is one of the reasons for choosing August but we should realise by now never to expect nice weather in this country and it was grey, drizzly and cold. You can book a drive on the day if you have not pre booked. My husband had an Aston Martin and Ferrari experience booked.

The price for the driving experience includes insurance, but on the day you can pay for an insurance waiver (approx £20 - £30 depending on weather) which covers you for any damage to the cars otherwise you are are liable for the first £2000 damage.

Most drives include three laps and a high speed ride in a Subaru. There is a viewing area and you can buy DVD's and photographs of your experience for about £25. There are tea, coffee and refreshments available to buy on the day also which is a good job as it was cold, wet and windy on Saturday. My husband's first drive was in an Aston Martin, when he was called he was told he was being upgraded to the Aston Martin DB9 Convertible so it was such a shame the weather was rubbish.....

The Aston that he actually drove had not been used all day so he was taken out for one lap with the instructor to make sure everything worked before taking his three laps. As much as he said he enjoyed it, he felt that three laps was not enough and could not make the most of driving such a luxury car. Next up was the Ferrari 355 which he also enjoyed but being such a different car said it felt weird as your bum is nearly on the floor. This was a Christmas present and I think it is a great gift to give somebody who likes luxury or fast cars and realistically is never likely to own one. The website has experiences to suit all budgets from £89 up to £229. They also offer high speed passenger rides for children.

This was my hubby's second driving experience, the last time he drove a TVR which is his favourite car and he has a huge love for them. After his driving, we headed back to Stratford and went to the No 1 Shakespeare Pub to watch his beloved Liverpool in their first game of the new season. After the football (which I am glad to say the Reds won!!) we headed back to the Hotel to get showered and changed to go out in the evening.

We wanted to eat somewhere in between a pub and restaurant and their are loads to choose from. We decided on the Rose and Crown which is a huge pub, but has a separate dining room. It was really nice inside, and the food was delicious and very reasonable. We both decided on the Bombardier Beef and Ale Pie and as delicious as it was, only order if you are very hungry!!!!! I only managed half of mine and felt really guilty as it was so tasty but huge the pudding that I had my eye and was looking forward to on when browsing the menu never got ordered as I was totally stuffed. The waiter was also very friendly and came over a few times to make sure everything was ok and we had everything we needed. After our meal we went into the pub which was very long and had a few drinks.

On the Sunday after breakfast, we checked out and went for a walk along the River. The weather was up and down, one minute it was sun shine and the next there were showers. It did brighten up eventually. The walk along the river was lovely and peaceful with lots of boats and barges. We also had a walk around the streets looking at the old crooked buildings. Because we did not have a lot of time, we did not get to do any of the tourist attractions that Stratford has to offer.

We did walk past William Shakespeare's House but did not have enough time to go in and this is one of the most visited attractions in Britain. Mary Arden's House and Anne Hathaways Cottage are also popular attractions. Other attractions to visit are Hatton Farm Village and Stratford upon Avon Butterfly Farm. (which is the UK's largest Butterfly Paradise. There are also boat trips on the river.

Not far from Stratford is the Historic town of Warwick. Warwick Castle is also a very popular Tourist Attraction and is said to be Britain's best Medieval attraction. We did not make the most of what Stratford and Warwick has to offer because we had a schedule to stick to, but Stratford Upon Avon is a beautiful town and would definitely recommend it. We will definitely be back again especially to do the walking ghost tour in Stratford.

South Africa 2006 Part 2: Knysna

We left Cape Town and drove to George which took us about four hours, we had originally booked into a hotel in George as it had been recommended to us. We stopped off at Witsand on the way which is a small beach town en route and it was very pretty. We also saw some whales from the beach. We had booked into the Protea Landmark Lodge Hotel in George. The Hotel reception area was nice but the rooms were very basic and not very nice, they did not look like they had been cleaned.

We drove around George and decided it is not the place we thought it was, as it was just an industrial town, so went to get something to eat while deciding where to go instead.
We had booked into the Hotel in George for 4 four nights and was definitely not staying for that long.!!!! Our one and only evening in George was spent at the Casino in Mossel Bay which had lots of restaurants in it. We decided on Knysna and booked into the Graywood Hotel for three nights (we would spend the first night in George and move to Knysna in the morning!!!!).

The Graywood Hotel was lovely and resembled a ski lodge. The Hotel is only a 3*, but it is nicer than some 4* Hotels I have stayed in!!!. The people were friendly and the rooms were lovely and clean and the Hotel has a secure covered car park. Knysna has a nice waterfront with shops and restaurants. It reminded me of a smaller version of the V and A waterfront at Cape Town. We booked a boat trip to do some whale spotting and although the heavens opened while we were on the boat, we did see some. That evening we went to the African Restaurant across the road.







The weather was mixed while we were there for a couple of days it poured and at one point Knysna lost electricity, fortunately for us the Graywood had a generator so we were ok. The next day had beautiful sunshine all day as we drove to Ootdshorn to visit the Cango Ostrich farm and Cango Caves. The farm is privately owned and offer tours and the opportunity to ride or feed the Ostrich's. The tour takes 45 minutes and is worth going. The cost of the tour is ZAR50.00 for adults and ZAR25.00 for children.

The caves are also worth visiting and there are two tour on offer which are the Standard Tour which cost ZAR55.00 and the Adventure Tour which cost ZAR70.00 and take 60 minutes on the standard and 90 minutes on the adventure tour. The caves are stunning and should not be missed. That evening back in Knysna we went to JJ's restaurant at Knysna Waterfront. They offer a varied menu including seafood, delicious steaks and South African Game among other items. My sister had the Chocolate Fondue as a desert and it was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted (there was so much I had to help her finish it....)

The next day we headed to Knysna Elephant Park which is rehabilitation centre which offers tours, walks and rides and also has accommodation. The rates are ZAR145 for adults and ZAR75 for children. You can also buy buckets of food at ZAR25 and feed the elephants. The elephants are orphans rescued from culling operations or abandoned. The tours can take up to an hour but you can stay at the park for as long as you wish. We then headed to Plettenberg Bay and booked an Ocean Safari for more whale watching.





The rates are expensive but there are only two companies including Ocean Safaris that are licenced to offer tours. There are two types of tours being the Discovery Cruise ZAR300 and the Premium Cruise ZAR500. The discovery cruise is operated on boats without a licence and are legally obliged to stay 300 meters from the whales, and the Premium is a Close Encounter tour which is permitted to approach whales up to 50 metres. We booked the Premium Tour as we decided if we were going to book a tour we might as well do it properly.

We were not disappointed and saw loads of whales, seals and dolphins and they were really close. Unfortunately I was not quick enough with my camera to get good shots... Plettenberg Bay is in the heart of the Garden Route and is close to Ootdshorn and Knysna. The beaches are lovely and the sea is warmer as it is the Indian Ocean.

Although it had been warm and sunny all day, when we got back to Knysna in the evening it was raining and cold so we did not want to go too far. Just a few minutes from our Hotel was a South African pub called Oldes. South Africa were playing rugby and it was being shown on the big screen, so it was really busy and there was a great atmosphere. There was a spit roast which was free for customers. We had a great night there and the people were friendly.







The Graywood Hotel only offered a bed and breakfast basis although there is a Hotel bar and it is in a great location and is walking distance to the Waterfront. We had heard about the Outeniqua Choo Choo Steam Train which used to operate between Knysna and George, but while we were there part of the track and bridge was damaged due to bad weather so it was was not running. We had come to the end of our stay in the Garden Route and I would recommend Knysna as a base to explore.






The day we drove from Kysna to Cape Town was a nightmare as there had been a landslide because of the bad weather, which meant instead of a four hour drive, it ended up taking us nearly seven hours. Because of the Land Slide, part of the main motorway (N2) collapsed at Wilderness so we had to use the back road through the Mountains. Apart from this mishap, we had a great time in this area of the country and will have to go back as we did not get chance to explore the area as much as we would have liked....