Often called the most important pub in Cambridge, it is also one of the largest, with numerous rooms and a great interior outdoor patio.
A full selection of ales, IPAs and lagers along with full shelves of gins, sherries and wines. Very interesting people and conversations. A must visit.
A very nice breakfast at the Arden Hotel had us ready for the 1:45 minute drive east to Cambridge.
Sunday is a perfect day to travel across central England as you miss the traffic heading into the numerous circle intersections. We arrived at The Varsity Hotel just before eleven and our room was not ready. So we checked our bags, had the car valeted and changed for a workout in their gym and spa.
Our room was ready at 12:30 so we went up to our 3rd floor room, changed and went back down to the spa for a sauna and jacuzzi.
Fully invigorated, we hit the streets to experience Cambridge.
We walked over to Fitzbillies bakery and ordered a sticky bun to go and headed down to the River Cam at the Silver Street bridge to sit, eat, people watch and view the Mathematical Bridge at Queens College.
Walked back towards the hotel and viewed Pembroke College, which dates back to 1347 and was open and free to walk about.
Much of the town center closes up at 5 pm so we decided to eat Indian food at The Curry King, just two blocks from the hotel. Very good, authentic cuisine,
Just doors down from the Arden Hotel on the waterfront, The Dirty Duck was busy on Saturday night. 
We walked in and to our very good fortune the window seat table opened up. We ordered two Gin and Tonics with hamburger and fries. The crowd was very interesting with several languages being spoken all round the room.
Great meal and drinks at what was once called The Black Swan.
We left Lords (of the Manor) at 7 am for a 3 mile round trip hike to Lower Slaughter and back for breakfast at 8.
Breakfast was a nice spread of pastries, bread, fruit, cereals, yoghurt and juices. Ordered eggs, bacon, sausage and mushrooms.
We checked out and drove north to Stourton and the Cotswolds Distillery. Their recently opened tasting room and store was light and bright. 
We were offered a tasting of 5 gins, 7 whiskies and their very special “1616 – Barrel Aged Gin. You will never find a better (and free) tasting anywhere.
We more than compensated them by buying Cotswolds Distillery clothing, hunter flasks and other items. They filled up one flask with 1616 for the ultimate roadie.
It was then off to Stratford-upon-Avon and the Arden Hotel.
After checking in we set out to experience Shakespeare’s birthplace, exhibits, the New House, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Hall’s Croft.
After the tour, we had Gin and Tonics and dinner at The Dirty Duck (The Black Swan years ago) and called it a night.
A very popular locals destination. The Mousetrap Inn had most tables reserved or occupied as we walked in Friday night at 6 pm.
The bartender was very friendly and seated us at one of the few available tables.
He quickly recommended the Roast Cauliflower with Chickpeas, dill, raisins and smoked almonds as a vegetarian entree selection. He then suggested two drinks: The Mousetrap house specialty, a Cotswold Dry Gin and soda drink with a unique long ice cube of lemons, cucumber, mint and bitters) along with a twin scotch Old Fashioned. Excellent.
Very unique food, drinks and atmosphere. A must visit.
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.
A quiet night’s sleep was followed by a sumptuous breakfast downstairs at The Bird.
After checking out, we left bags in the car and walked into Bath via the Pulteney Bridge.
The Roman Baths site opened at 9 am today (Monday) and we took the self-guided tour with headset. It did not disappoint.
This is the finest example of a Roman Bath in the world and established Bath as a destination to visit from all over the Roman and Mediterranean world.
We then walked through the town and boarded a double deck bus to tour the rest of the city.
We left Bath and headed north into the Cotswolds. First stop was a quaint village called Castle Combe.
Lunch followed at The Salutation Inn, a pub just up the road.
The Finger Fish and BLT sandwiches on dark bread were amazing.
The final destination was Painswick where we were booked for the night at The Painswick, the 2016 Hotel of the Year in England as voted by The Telegraph in London. We arrived in a slight rain and found fires going downstairs and upstairs.
We finished with dinner in the hotel dining room. Order the Grouse with a Negroni.
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.
We then continued west and drove to the village of Lacock in the county of Wiltshire.
After a quick pint of a Wadworth Swordfish Rum Infused Ale, we finished the drive at our Hotel, The Bird, in Bath.
We went into town and visited the Jane Austen Center, well worth it for the animated presentation, and costumes to be tried on.
We walked through Bath and were amazed at the shops, restaurants and social scene.
We finished up with Fish and Chips and two Gin and Tonics at The Saracens Head, the oldest pub in Bath.
After visiting a few pubs during the walk from Somerset House to St. Paul’s Cathedral, we fortunately came across The Viaduct Tavern. It is ground zero for fabulous Gin Drinks. We had two:
The Gin of the week, No. 209, served with grapefruit, thyme and Fever Tree Tonic. Amazing.
The second was a Monkey Tree 47 with nectarine garnish and Fever Tree. Outstanding.
The ambience was lively, the decor charming and the staff very friendly.
Oh, and the ice was chipped off a block of ice.
From an Eater.com online article:
The light is different, higher contrast. Real-life chiaroscuro. And sound is muted, still, almost absent. Except when the wind is kicking up a tremendous, otherworldly, howl. And the city looks so small, innocent, like a child’s train set, the Statue of Liberty a tchotchke in a tourist shop. Sixty-mile views that reach the Hudson Highlands up north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, and, much closer, planes landing and taking off at three major airports.
There are few New York City restaurants more storied than Windows on the World. The restaurant made its debut on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower in 1976, offering sweeping views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey — the earth itself peppered with the buildings, the bridges, the Statue of Liberty; the sky with tourist helicopters. “Windows was a shining ambassador for New York, an escape from a city that was, in decades past, drug addled, dirty, and crime-ridden below,” Eater NY’s Ryan Sutton reminisced in 2014. “Even if you didn’t know much about fine dining, you knew such a dream-like place existed, and you knew that it came tumbling down on September 11, 2001.”
To read more: https://www.eater.com/2019/9/17/20862698/world-trade-center-restaurant-windows-on-the-world-history-design-book-excerpt
Boomers Daily 