In search of Shakespeare

We tend to avoid school holidays but the summers ones are a bit long to ignore and surprisingly the forecast was good. Thinking of a site about 60/70 miles from MK I started to investigate sites around Stratford upon Avon. Riverside Park just outside Stratford in the village of Tiddington seemed to fit the bill as it was only about a mile from the town and there was a regular bus service. The site also runs a river taxi into town. There was a cracking deal on mid-week prices, four nights for £69 less a further discount if you were a member of the other Club. OK the pitches and toilets were not up to the normal CC standards but taking into account the price? Being a motorhomer location is usually more important as we use our own facilities anyway. We arrived not long after midday and were shown to our pitch. 

Tuesday and time to explore Stratford. We decided on the water taxi as it seemed ideal way to travel on a hot day. The boats can only take six passengers and excited children in front of us were using their maths skills to work out what boat they would be on. The Avon is not a big river but still pretty. It was restored to navigation in the seventies with the work mainly being organised by a chap called David Hutchings who ten years earlier had also organised the restoration of the Stratford Canal. We were dropped off at the landing stage right in the middle of the town but when we emerged into the town it was crowded with faces from all round the world. 

We made our way round the canal basin and along to the river, watched a boat go through the river lock for good measure. Above us the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre towers above you especially now they have added the modern tower. We wandered in to have a look round at the shop and we decide to have a coffee on the terrace overlooking the river, very civilised. Refreshed we set out to look at more of the town. By early afternoon we thought about going back to the motorhome and found our bus. The only problem was that when the driver started it there was something wrong so we have to wait for a replacement! Back at the site we decided to give the rather splendid restaurant a try. It is built on stilts to protect from flooding and you can sit at one of the balcony tables overlooking the river, even nicer when sipping a cool rose wine! 

Wednesday was a pretty lazy day although during the afternoon we did walking into the village of Tiddington which is only a five minute walk from the campsite. For a village its quite well provisioned with several restaurants and pub and a convenience store. Since we changed to a motorhome three years ago it’s the sort of location that we look for. Easy walk to the village and a regular bus service into the nearest town. 

Thursday and our last full day at Stratford upon Avon. We have been blessed with some lovely weather and the temptation is to sit around outside the motorhome. However time to go back to Stratford for another explore, this time on the bus. We went in search of Shakespeare’s house, by the look of it I imagine his parents were reasonably well off. 2016 celebrates 400 years since William Shakespeare’s death and he is perhaps the most well-known Englishman around the world judging by the many tourists that flood to Stratford each year. Another coffee and off to explore a bit more, eventually ending up down by the river where we enjoyed an ice cream before making our way back to the site and home tomorrow.