I am on board British Airways flight 170 from Pittsburgh to London Heathrow with Dad in the seat in front of me. We each have a row to ourselves! Linda should be boarding her flight at Dulles, and Ed is in the air from Denver. England, here we come!
I spent the last three days at Dad’s because flights on Monday and Tuesday were pricy due to Labor Day weekend. All has gone smoothly so far. No traffic to the airport even! We had a couple of cocktails at the Pittsburgh airport. Here we go!
Our flight went well and was quite early. We circled a bit outside of Heathrow waiting to land. I barely slept, I think Dad did somewhat better. Passport control and customs were trivial. We met Ed at Hertz for the rental car, then waited for Linda whose flight was nearly an hour late. Then off to Oxford!
First glimpse of England!Flight path coming into Heathrow.
None of us had been to Jenkins’ ‘new’ house that they havelived in since the late 80’s. They have just renovated their garage into a lovely ‘garden flat’ which is where Ed and I are staying. It has a comfy bed, bathroom, kitchenette and a writing desk and dresser from Grandpa & Grandma’s house.
Tiffany was at the house when we got there. So nice to talk to her! She made spaghetti bolognese for dinner. I believe spaghetti of some sort is now an official welcome dinner for the Batterman’s in England.
Alan is his usual energetic self, and Barbara seems well in spite of apparent mild dementia. Have not seen Greg & fam yet.
Dad is so happy to be taking this trip. I am really glad we were able to convince him to join us. He keeps saying he never thought he would travel to England again.
Whew. I hope we didn’t overdo it today with Dad. But a fun day. I went for a morning walk/run on Cuckoo Lane (the alley path that runs along the Jenkins’ property) up to Bury Knowles Park. I ran a little. I woke Dad up at 9:15(!). When we were all ready, we took the bus into Oxford.
First we met Tiffany at the Covered Market to drop off her bag.
Tiff bought some lamb at M. Feller & Daughter.
We saw the oldest ham in the world.
Really old ham!Somewhat more recent meats.
We climbed the tower of University Church clock tower for a wonderful panoramic view of Oxford.
Radcliffe Camera from the University Church clock tower
We then had a delicious lunch in the cafe there. I had a goat cheese quiche, and Dad had Cornish cod.
Will order anything with Cornish in the name.
Then we took a bus tour of the city with an audio guide that was informative.
Riding on the upper deck.
Next we went to Blackwell’s bookstore, which I remembered from my trip in college. Dad got a book of Norse mythology he had been interested in. Ed and I got an Oxford University hoodie for Lincoln.
After an afternoon coffee, we walked over to The History of Science Museum, a science museum that had a lot of old (very old) instruments and a blackboard that Einstein used in a lecture here, and bedpans used in the development of penicillin.
Next we met Tiffany at Christ Church for Evensong (choir service).
Then we went to La Cucina for a nice Italian dinner.
Overall, despite buses, a lot of walking and steps!
Barb’s birthday! Ed & I were awakened by chestnuts (conkers) falling on the roof of the flat. Surprisingly loud. Dad was awakened by pigeons. We took quick walks, had breakfast and then Linda, Ed and I bused down to the Ashmolean Museum. It is free, and we took a free “highlights” tour to get an overview of the museum. The guide was very good. We saw Pocahontas’ father’s mantle of deer hides and shells, a Stradivarius, a jewel commissioned by Kind Alfred, among many other things. Could make a number of visits just to this one museum. We walked back on paths through Parks & Fields, crossing the Cherwell where there was a lone punt.
Tiffany roasted a lamb shoulder Persian-style, and with delicious couscous and salad it made quite the meal. Gregory and his wife Becky were there with their daughters Izzy and Scarlett, beautiful girls. After dinner and cake, we went out in the Jenkins’ back garden with the kids played with some neighbor kids. Greg built a fire pit fire, and cocktails were drunk and cigars were smoked. A great time was had by all, especially the kids.
Dad and Barbara looked through picture’s on Dad’s laptop. So cool seeing Greg as a father. His family is lovely.
We had a 10:00AM reservation for breakfast at The Quod. This is a hotel restaurant, the hotel being The Old Bank. When we went up into the University Church tower the other day, we were looking down on the the roof of this hotel.
Linda and I had whole kippers, ironic because we both moaned mightily when we were served fish for breakfast in Cornwall in 1976. Alan & Ed had English breakfasts with bangers, grilled tomatoes, eggs, blood sausage and mushrooms. Dad had avocado and Cornish crab on toast with an egg, and Barbara had an omelette.
From there we walked to the Pitt Rivers Museum. It is an annex on the Natural History Museum and has many artifacts typical of such a museum but weirder and organized by use rather than era or country of origin. Some examples were shrunken heads, and a witch in a bottle, but there were entire rows of weapons, musical instruments, snow sports equipment, toys, clothing, tools, etc etc etc from everywhere and everywhere.
We decided to break for a drink at the Eagle and Child, an old (c. 1650) pub noted for being frequented by JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and the other ‘Inklings’, Oxford writers who met for discussion there.
We were then met by Tiffany for the remainder of the afternoon.
Dad, Barb and I took a taxi while the others walked to Christ Church College. We walked by the gardens and then queued to tour the college. Highlight (for many) was the dining hall, which was recreated in studio for the Harry Potter movies. So many young people dressed in Hogwarts shirts there to see the hall. We got a more in-depth view of the cathedral, which we had seen a lot of on Friday for Evensong. We also saw several quads, but visitors were not allowed in. Last time I was here, Kellie Walsh and I somehow roamed the residential areas of one of the other colleges…
We then walked to a nearby pub, The Head of the River, for bloody Mary’s (‘Red Snappers’) and an early dinner. Ed had fish and chips, I had a veggie & goat cheese pie, Linda had chicken, and dad had a Niçoise salad. We sat outside and the weather was perfect as we watched boats (including punts) go by.
After dinner we took a bus home and sort of petered out.
Tomorrow we leave for Cornwall. The forecast calls for rain, so just as well we will be in the car, but it may not be the best day for scenery. Speaking of weather, it has turned chilly here. It was nearly down to freezing overnight! It felt nice though and has not been too damp. The sun today was lovely with bright blue skies most of the day. The leaves are starting to change. We had been unsure whether we would see any fall foliage this trip, as none of us have been here in autumn before. As we will likely miss the aspens in Park County this year, British fall foliage is much appreciated.
Today was the drive down to Cornwall. We left at about 10:30, Ed driving the VW Cubby rental van. A couple of weeks ago, Tiffany asked whether Barb could come along, and our has house had plenty of room so we were so happy to have her with us!
About the house! After all of us dilly-dallying about a few possible rentals, Dad found a place in Stratton two houses down from Ring O’Bells (so basically part of the same building) where our Saunders/Davis ancestors lived. It is directly across the street from St. Andrews Church, where some of those same ancestors are buried.
It was a rainy, gloomy drive. We stopped for lunch in Watchet, a small coastal town in Somerset on the Bristol Channel. It reminded me of the Cornish towns we have been to, and also New England. We ate at the Star Inn, a pub with typical fare. I had cod and asparagus fishcakes, which were mostly mashed potato, but tasty. Ed & Dad had prawns scampi style, and Linda had a ploughman’s lunch. Barb had fish sticks off the kids menu. We got to the house in Stratton after five, unloaded the luggage, and then Linda, Ed and I went to the outskirts of Bude to get provisions. We found two real supermarkets which were not here last time I was here! They even had wine, beer & liquor.
At home we fixed drinks but soon discovered that the cottage pie we had bought had not made it into the house. Linda and I waited for the rain to stop (took quite some time), then walked down the street to where the car was parked. It had slid under the seat.
Linda, Ed & I walked to the churchyard after the store and found Nicholas Saunders’ grave. We will have to explore the church more tomorrow. The house is great, 16th century, lots of odd steps and awkward spaces though. As one did in the 16th century.
Ring o’Bells on the right, and the house we stayed in two doors down.
I slept well in our loft bedroom. We have the third floor. It has exposed massive arched beams, a little low for walking near the sides, but it looks cool. The bells from St. Andrews ring all night but I love them. They don’t chime Westminster chimes, it is a much prettier tune. The walls of the house are so thick that the bells are muted nicely.
We walked over to the churchyard so Dad could see the graves of the variousNicholas Saunders ancestors. We peeked into Ring O’Bells and noticed some construction going on. Dad got the attention of the workers, who said a French woman who lives next door had just bought Upper Ring O’Bells. Dad told him his history with the house, and they gave him a very old, sheared-off nail from the eaves (I think). I collected some chestnuts from the churchyard. I’d like to try to grow a tree from one.
How many ancestors of these two have walked through here?
We all piled into the van to drive to Tintagel & Port Isaac. The roads are very narrow and Ed was not enjoying driving on them.
Tintagel was packed. We found a car park near the path to the castle, which filled up just after we got there. As we gathered near the road, Ed caught himself checking for Mom. Ed & Linda waited in line for tickets, then a guy came out and said tickets could be bought closer to the castle. But we also heard that the tickets were for scheduled times an hour or more away. Meanwhile, I noticed Land Rover rides to the bottom of the very steep path. That was really the only way for Dad (or Barbara) to get closer to the castle. Ed stormed off toward the bottom, Dad & Barbara caught a Land Rover, and Linda & I walked together. Tintagel is completely different than the last time(s) I was here. The town is completely overrun with tourists. We could hardly get the car in or out of anywhere. There was a gift shop and cafe near the bottom of the road and a new bridge to the island with the ruins. None of us paid to cross the bridge. I met Dad & Barb at the bottom, walked a bit and then hiked toward the bridge so did get a look at the ruins. Ed & Linda walked from the road midpoint to the bridge. Then Ed went to an old church nearby and Linda hiked down where I met her. Tintagel was a bit of a bust. Even the pasty shops had sold out of some varieties.
Next we headed toward Port Isaac. Dad, Barb, Linda & I had lunch in Port Gaverne, the next bay over. Dad, Linda and I had tasty lamb wraps, and Barb had fish sticks from the children’s menu. The restaurant was called Pilchard’s, which is a fish. Meanwhile, Ed parked the car up the hill and went for a run.
Then on to Port Isaac, where the TV series Doc Martin was filmed. I have only seen a few episodes, while Dad has seen them all and Linda has seen most. Port Isaac is very like Clovelly, steep roads to get to the harbor, not very accessible to cars. Dad & Barb waited in the car at a carpark and Ed, Linda and I made our way down. It was very picturesque. Linda found many of the settings of the show. There were fishing boats and fish shops at the water, tea shops, and a lot of hanging baskets.
Not tourists at all.
We headed back to Stratton on motorways, Ed being tired of driving with the sides of the rental scraping the hedgerows when cars came the other way.
The dinner plan for tonight was the Tree Inn just around the corner. It is a former manor house, parts of which date to the 13th century. I believe it played a part in the British Civil War.
We did not get seated in the charming part of the restaurant, and the service was slow. It took us nearly an hour and a half to be served. But the food was excellent! I had risotto, Dad had pasta, Ed a steak, and Linda the pork special. Barb had fish sticks – just kidding! She had a salmon starter.
We walked back for drinks at the house. I went over to the church to try to get a long exposure of the church at night, but couldn’t see well enough. One more night to try. It looks beautiful and eerie with the greenish churchyard lighting and the gravestones.
Didn’t get to try again the next night but my terrible photo is still….eerie.
We decided to stick close today, going into Bude at most. We woke up to rain this morning, but it was expected to clear out. Linda, Ed and I set out on a walk to find the monument to the Battle of Stratton (Stanford Hill). We walked up the hill, Market St. to Maiden Street, over to the A39, which we crossed. We were going on only a vague idea where it was. We followed a footpath up a hill which ended in a cow pasture with no sign of a monument. Another trail ended up in an adjoining cow pasture. By this time we were soaked, but Linda scouted ahead and waved us up further. After passing some curious cows, We found a plaque describing the battle, which was part of the English Civil War and took place May 16, 1643. After reading the plaque, we headed toward a road and there we saw the actual stone battle monument. I had read in one of Dad’s books that so much blood was spilled that the field produced splendidly for years afterwards.
At about lunchtime we all left for Bude, where we bought pasties at Tasty Pasties then walked to Bar 35 for cider to wash them down with. We then walked to the Strand and found George and Mary’s house (4 Granville Terrace). Dad wanted to see if the pub down from the house that George frequented was still there, but it was now a part of Adventure International, and so is the entire former Granville Hotel. Next we crossed the river and walked to The Castle, which is now a history museum of Bude. That was quite good, with exhibits on shipwrecks, railroads, etc. We found a few references to family there that bore further research.
Photos by Linda
I wanted to walk along the cliffs, but it was still raining so only Linda would go with me. We walked to Compass Point, a small stone tower marked with the points of the compass. It was quite blustery! We could have gone further but decided to return to the castle where we had left Dad, Ed & Barb at the cafe.
“Typical British weather!”
Ed and I walked back to get the car, stopping in a few gift shops on the way. Ed bought some coasters and a Bude print.
Back in Stratton, Ed, Linda Barb and I tried to visit a gallery and history archive that Linda had found but it wasn’t open.
We got ready for dinner with Anne Davis at her daughter Natalia’s in Stibb. We had to work to dry enough clothes and shoes to wear.
Natalia and her husband Bob have built a wonderful house with a view of the ocean & fields. They have two children, Seth, 4 1/2 and Peggy, 9 months. They are both blonde-haired and Seth has wonderful curls. They are quite adventurous, climbing, hiking and camping. Natalia is a high school geography teacher and Bob teaches architecture at a college.
Anne and her boyfriend Dave travel all over in their motorhome but live in France and Spain the rest of the time. She looks just the same, a few more wrinkles.
Natalia and Bob fixed awonderful dinner – a smoked mackerel spread to start, then pork with apples and cider, mashed potatoes and green beans.
For dessert there was saffron bread pudding, junket, rhubarb, hedge blackberries, and clotted cream. All traditional Cornish food and all delicious. I really liked Bob and Natalia – they would get along well with Erica and Raf.
Woke up this morning to drizzle again. We had talked briefly yesterday about possibly revisiting Bude today if the weather was nicer, but instead we decided to pack up and head to Salisbury as originally planned.
After breakfast, all but Ed walked over to the church one last time. We had never been inside the church before for whatever reason. I peeked in yesterday but there was a service I didn’t want to interrupt. The church was beautiful. I tried to imagine Grandpa Davis ringing the bells as a child. They had some cannonballs and other relics of the Battle of Stratton on one wall; I wonder if they were there when he was young. We also wandered some more around the churchyard looking for relatives. Anne had told me that the sets of baby twins who died were buried there but I couldn’t find the gravesite she had described.
The Bells of St. Andrew’s (play video to hear them!)
My feet were soaked from the search, so I got into the packed van barefoot and we set off to Salisbury to see the famed cathedral. We had never been to Salisbury, and the town was very interesting, comprising of architecture from multiple historical periods. We had lunch in the cathedral, then went to see the Salisbury copy of the Magna Carta, which is the self-proclaimed best. Then we went into the church itself. A major project to renovate the pipe organ was underway, and the work and the exhibit describing it were interesting. A chaplain talked to Dad a bit about it.
Barb, Richard and Susan in front of Salisbury Cathedral
After our short visit it was time to walk back to the van and make the short drive to Stonehenge, as we had booked tickets for 4:00 online. Astonishingly, none of us (except Barb) had been to Stonehenge either. After years of being told to temper expectations of Stonehenge, it actually was impressive. I think the land around it is what makes it so – vast rolling hills, virtually treeless, with burial mounds all around it. It was very windy and grey, but that added to the mystery. For future reference, you can get pretty close to the fenced area without tickets, and it might be good to do so sometime when the light is low in the sky.
Stonehenge
The drive back to Oxford was tedious due to traffic, accidents and a few wrong turns. Once back we had cocktails and chatted with Alan, then he made eggs and smoked salmon with bagels and we broke out the cheese we had bought in Cornwall (Red Leicester, Wensleydale w/ apricot and double Gloucester with onion and chive).
I got up and did a walk/run up to Bury Knowles Park. I love Cuckoo Lane, the tunnels and walls. At the park I did some ‘leg busters’ a routine to strengthen skiing muscles. While there I checked the bus stop for tomorrow when Dad & I go to the Proms. I also found the Headington Shark, which I knew from a card Alan sent years ago. It is a house with a giant shark crashed into the roof.
Ed wanted to see a dentist to look at the tooth he cracked at Natalia’s. He tried calling but couldn’t get in so he walked to the London Road and was able to get into one quickly. He was able to get a temporary fix and will probably only need a crown at home so that is good.
Next we drove to the Victoria Arms for lunch. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I remembered it from 1976! Vast lawn down to the river, swans, punts, etc. That is when I first had a Ploughman’s lunch/platter. Dad remembered it too but I don’t think Linda did. I had a smoked fish platter. Linda and I walked a bit down the path from the pub.
After we got back to Jenkins’, Linda and I walked into Oxford (about 2 miles) and she bought a t-shirt from TOAD – The Oxford Artisan Distillery – which we happened along, and a sweatshirt for Dad at the punt hire near Magdalen College.
When we got back, Tiffany and her husband Iain were cooking dinner. It was our first time meeting Iain. He brought haggis from Scotland. Really liked him. Greg and Becky and their kids came was well. Tiffany had a call with someone from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC at 8, then we had haggis, root vegetables, sausage, pork pie and tiramisu for dessert. All delicious. It was Ed’s first time having haggis.
Ed and Alan are leaving for Wolverhampton in the morning for a football game. Dad and I will leave for London around two for Last Night at the Proms.
