More than a wet weekend in Wales
⬅ previous ⬆intro next ➡Day 10 ~ May 24 ~ Hedd Wen to Snitterfield (Stratford on Avon)
As we are leaving, the sun seems to be arriving. Is this a sign? No, not that sign, of course that's a sign!
We've got a reasonably long journey ahead of us, which we're going to break into three roughly equal parts. First we'll have a look at Chester, then meet our friends Patrick and Katie at their home near Stafford, then on to tonight's accommodation, a (modern) shepherd's hut near Stratford on Avon.
Right, next stop, Chester.
Well, -ish...
See, Amanda has bought a couple of Bon Maman crême brulées for this evening's pud, and we know that the hut doesn't have a grill, just a hob and a microwave, so we have a slight technical problem: melting the sugar crust. Normally I'd use a blowtorch, of course, but we haven't got one. What?! We haven't packed a blowtorch?! How can this be?!
First World Problem, I know, but there's bound to be something like a B&Q near Chester, and indeed there is one directly on our route just before we get into the centre.
Blowtorch sorted, back to touristing...
Sadly coaches and motor cars are no longer made here: it's now a shopping arcade, but the architecture is still wonderful.
The fabulously Gothic (though actually Victorian) Town Hall.
And facing it, some genuine Gothic (though lots of Victorian Gothic-style restoration and quite a few other things in parts too), Chester Cathedral.
The building of the nave, begun in 1323, was halted by plague and completed 150 years later! That's what we call a delay.
The vault of the ceiling, which you might expect to be stone, is actually wooden.
This is one panel of a massive textile art exhibition, “Threads through the Bible”. The artist is Jacqui Parkinson, which is a name that probably means something to those in the stitching world, but not to us. Her web page says that “This is probably not only the largest textile project by a single artist ever, but also the largest textile project for 600 years”.
I'm curious as to what was done in 1400-and-something that was this big: it's certainly far bigger than the 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry which is very much in the news right now.
We love the organ too.
Janya the baby elephant is in the square outside the cathedral, but almost certainly not a churchgoer.
There's actually quite a bit of a story here, so I will refer you to archaeologist (and self-professed chocolate obsessive) Howard Williams who has written a blog page on the subject.
According to Wikipedia, “Chester city walls comprise the most complete Roman and medieval defensive town walls in Britain”, although they have been much modified over time: the gate inscription announces that the work was begun in 1768, and the clock proudly proclaims its birth in 1897.
We could definitely spend more time here, but we have to move on.
As we're pretty much passing right by, it would be churlish not to pop in for coffee with Patrick and Katie.
Writing this at the end of the hottest summer on record in Britain, it's hard to believe how green it was back in May!
So to our final night, a rather upmarket shepherd's hut in a small park.
It's clean and comfortable, if basic – though a lot less basic than the Treehouse!
Look, we even have a proper bathroom!
After unpacking we have a little walk into the village, but there's really nothing much to see. There's a pub that the site owner has said is worth a visit, but we have to confess it looks a bit dull from the outside, no pretty beer garden or anything, so we're not tempted.
From needing the log burner at night, it's now warm enough to include salad for dinner (with chile con carne made yesterday when we had the full facilities of Hedd Wen) and we will sit out on our deck to eat it.
So I now have a little baby blowtorch to join with my normal domestic one and my big-boy professional jobbie. Even I think three may be more than absolutely necessary, but this one will definitely be more convenient to pack for future trips where it may be needed.
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