Cotswold holiday
Aug. 13th, 2016 11:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
llywelaAfter a week away in the Cotswolds, I am now home from my holidays - bringing back with me a burned finger (never cook on an unfamiliar stove) and a bruised back (fell out of bed!)
The holiday was a big family get-away, there were ten of us altogether, including the baby - occasionally fractious (inevitable with so many personalities crammed together) but mostly a lot of fun.
We stayed in a pretty little upside-down-house on the side of a hill in Nailsworth, near Stroud. This was the view from the balcony:
Layla-May really enjoyed playing in the garden
The first place we visited was the Cotswold Country Park and Beach, two large lakes formed from a former gravel quarry, with loads of water sports on offer as well as two man-made beaches, one for general use and another, smaller one for children only. It was Layla-May's second time on the sand and she still doesn't think she likes it! What is this dirty gritty stuff?
But she absolutely adored paddling in the water - look at that happy little face!
The park itself was very busy and full, and you have to spend far too much time walking through car parks before reaching safer footpaths. But the lakes were absolutely beautiful - such a glorious day!
The next day we visited Stroud, my ancestral home town (one of them, anyway) - generations of the Browning family lived, worked and died in Stroud before venturing a little further afield to Bristol, where my great-grandfather Alf was born (to teenage parents who were married only weeks before his birth), and from there to Cardiff, where we've been ever since! We didn't spend much time exploring the town, though, instead spending the afternoon at Stratford Park. We explored the museum and gardens, and walked around the lake
And Layla-May enjoyed the children's play area - the swing was her favourite, although she desperately wanted to have a go on the obstacle course and climbing frame. Needs to be a little more stable on her feet first, though! She will now walk anywhere so long as she has a finger to hold (two hands are for wimps), but isn't yet taking more than a few steps unsupported, although it won't be long now - she's gaining confidence by the day
The next day, we visited Berkeley Castle, an 11th century castle that has remained within the same family for something like 900 years!
Berkeley Castle is the place where King Edward II was murdered, after being deposed by Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. Centuries later, Francis Drake, Elizabeth I's most famous sea captain, was a regular visitor to the castle.
This was Layla-May's first castle, and she was very, very excited about it. She walked the entire castle, clinging to a succession of fingers for support, and delighted everyone we met
Medieval princesses
Also at Berkeley Castle, we met this fellow
The following day saw a divide in the group - some of the party took Layla-May to St Augustine's Farm Park, where she petted animals and drove a tractor
But I went with the other group to see the gardens at Hidcote, which are lovely.
When we stopped for a rest, this guy came to say hello, hoping we'd have scraps to offer - alas for him, we were empty handed
Day Five was a much lazier day, relaxing around the house, but we did find time to explore the shops in Nailsworth - and found a 'clatterpillar' in one of the charity shops, which at £1.50 was the best purchase of the week, Layla fell in love and carried it around for the rest of the holiday! As we were planning a barbeque for the evening, we didn't venture too far in the afternoon, taking a short trip to Nympsfield for a walk in the woods at Woodchester (but without paying the £7.50 entrance to see the house, which is a Victorian mansion that was never finished, preserved like a time capsule with all the workmen's tools still in place).
On Day Six we celebrated Layla-May's 11th month of life with a visit to the Cotswold Wildlife Park. She absolutely adored it.
The lemurs were her favourite - we couldn't peel her away from them, especially when they came swarming out onto the path around our feet and started licking grampy's shoes!
And that was the end of the holiday - a good time was had by all!
The holiday was a big family get-away, there were ten of us altogether, including the baby - occasionally fractious (inevitable with so many personalities crammed together) but mostly a lot of fun.
We stayed in a pretty little upside-down-house on the side of a hill in Nailsworth, near Stroud. This was the view from the balcony:
Layla-May really enjoyed playing in the garden
The first place we visited was the Cotswold Country Park and Beach, two large lakes formed from a former gravel quarry, with loads of water sports on offer as well as two man-made beaches, one for general use and another, smaller one for children only. It was Layla-May's second time on the sand and she still doesn't think she likes it! What is this dirty gritty stuff?
But she absolutely adored paddling in the water - look at that happy little face!
The park itself was very busy and full, and you have to spend far too much time walking through car parks before reaching safer footpaths. But the lakes were absolutely beautiful - such a glorious day!
The next day we visited Stroud, my ancestral home town (one of them, anyway) - generations of the Browning family lived, worked and died in Stroud before venturing a little further afield to Bristol, where my great-grandfather Alf was born (to teenage parents who were married only weeks before his birth), and from there to Cardiff, where we've been ever since! We didn't spend much time exploring the town, though, instead spending the afternoon at Stratford Park. We explored the museum and gardens, and walked around the lake
And Layla-May enjoyed the children's play area - the swing was her favourite, although she desperately wanted to have a go on the obstacle course and climbing frame. Needs to be a little more stable on her feet first, though! She will now walk anywhere so long as she has a finger to hold (two hands are for wimps), but isn't yet taking more than a few steps unsupported, although it won't be long now - she's gaining confidence by the day
The next day, we visited Berkeley Castle, an 11th century castle that has remained within the same family for something like 900 years!
Berkeley Castle is the place where King Edward II was murdered, after being deposed by Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. Centuries later, Francis Drake, Elizabeth I's most famous sea captain, was a regular visitor to the castle.
This was Layla-May's first castle, and she was very, very excited about it. She walked the entire castle, clinging to a succession of fingers for support, and delighted everyone we met
Medieval princesses
Also at Berkeley Castle, we met this fellow
The following day saw a divide in the group - some of the party took Layla-May to St Augustine's Farm Park, where she petted animals and drove a tractor
But I went with the other group to see the gardens at Hidcote, which are lovely.
When we stopped for a rest, this guy came to say hello, hoping we'd have scraps to offer - alas for him, we were empty handed
Day Five was a much lazier day, relaxing around the house, but we did find time to explore the shops in Nailsworth - and found a 'clatterpillar' in one of the charity shops, which at £1.50 was the best purchase of the week, Layla fell in love and carried it around for the rest of the holiday! As we were planning a barbeque for the evening, we didn't venture too far in the afternoon, taking a short trip to Nympsfield for a walk in the woods at Woodchester (but without paying the £7.50 entrance to see the house, which is a Victorian mansion that was never finished, preserved like a time capsule with all the workmen's tools still in place).
On Day Six we celebrated Layla-May's 11th month of life with a visit to the Cotswold Wildlife Park. She absolutely adored it.
The lemurs were her favourite - we couldn't peel her away from them, especially when they came swarming out onto the path around our feet and started licking grampy's shoes!
And that was the end of the holiday - a good time was had by all!
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no subject
Date: 2016-08-13 10:36 am (UTC)Thanks for sharing your holiday Jo.
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Date: 2016-08-14 03:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-13 11:33 am (UTC)Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ (https://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=303).
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Date: 2016-08-14 11:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-14 03:15 pm (UTC)The lakes were beautiful - that was a glorious day.
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Date: 2016-08-14 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-16 12:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-15 08:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-16 12:34 pm (UTC)