Left The Painswick after a fine British breakfast (highlighted by fabulous, freshly made crumpets and a berry compote), we drove into a heavy rain toward Cirencester and the on to Bibury for a 3-night stay at The Swan Hotel.
The rain let up a bit so a walk of the village after checking in was next.
The rain resumed so we ducked into the Bibury Trout Farm cafe for a bottle of Rose wine and baked trout (directly across from The Swan.
Road trip time at 1:30 and a trip to Burford, “Gateway to the Cotswolds”.
Forbes has Burford listed as #6 best place to live in Europe.
The next stop was Stow-On-The-Wold, an ancient tub dating back to the Stone Age.
The finest brownie in the world (layered peanut butter, chocolate fudge) was waiting for us at Huffkins Bakery. That and an iced coffee is worth a flight to London and the drive to Stow.
A quick pull at The Porch House, which claims to be the oldest pub in England (dating to 947 AD), was an experience with beams that bang foreheads at 5’10”.
Bourton-On-The-Water was next up on the way back to Bibury.
A ten mile trip back to The Swan was directed through rolling countryside by the GPS. Lovely.
Picked up a very nice BMW 520 Diesel at Victoria Station at 9:30 am. GPS is a must as there is always a learning curve driving on the left side of the road.
Drove to Windsor Castle and arrived at about 11. Very light crowds as it was threatening rain, but the tour did not disappoint. Beautiful collections of gold and silver work, paintings by Hans Holbein the Younger (who painted Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell in the 16th Century), and amazing tapestries.
After a quick pint of a Wadworth Swordfish Rum Infused Ale, we finished the drive at our Hotel, The Bird, in Bath.
Set out at 9 am across Tower Bridge and experienced South Bank.
Borough Market is a must visit and it delivered delicious stall after stall of every cheese, meat, vegetable and savory or sweet foods.
We then continued along the Thames for a quick view of Shakespeare’s Globe, followed by a tour of the Tate Modern.
Headed north to Buckingham Palace before walking through St. James Park to the National Gallery.
The volunteer encouraged me to take the 3 Dune Challenge, a 1.5-mile hike up Indiana Dunes’ three highest dunes (Mount Tom, 192 feet; Mount Holden, 184 feet; Mount Jackson, 176 feet), adding that completion of the Challenge would yield a “special reward.”
“After a day sledding down the largest sand dunes in North America, Piñon Flats, a decidedly un-sandy campground protected by the shade of cottonwood and conifer, is where you want to be. The Great Sand Dunes National Park’s April-October seasonal campground has 88 individual sites and 15 group sites, all of which are framed by views of the dunes and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the distance. All campsites require reservations and come complete with fire pits and picnic tables. Each loop of the campground has restrooms with flush toilets and potable water.”
Boomers Daily 