Warwick to London

We loved our time in Warwick!  Not just because of the spectacular castle and other history but also the friendliness of the people.  The good folk of the Cape of Good Hope Pub in Warwick befriended us and couldn’t have been more kind.  Sean gave us his famous personalised guided walking tour of the town pointing out a load of historical sites and info and also a big shout out to Steve and Emma who gave us the use of Fergie’s Cottage – I’d definitely recommend it if you’re ever in need of accommodation in the area.

There is documented evidence of human settlements in and around Warwick dating back to 914AD however the area is likely to have been inhabited for several millennia prior to that.  Built as a walled and fortified town, you can still walk through some of the town gates and see many of the original structures including alms houses (early dwellings for the poor) along with many other Tudor period buildings and houses.

The castle itself is something else, perfectly preserved and maintained with excellent displays and life-sized wax figures (the castle was owned, for a time, by Madam Tussauds).  You can see recreations of all the castle departments as they prepared for an upcoming battle and read stories of the various Earls of Warwick and their exploits.  Another highlight was a falconry display with a number of majestic birds flying to and fro between their handlers, often flying so low that they skimmed the heads of the crowd. 

Also in the area and worth a visit was Leamington Spa and the town of Rugby which gave its’ name to our national sport.  I was very happy for a photo with the statue of William Webb Ellis and we also visited the museum where we saw the oldest known rugby ball.  The town itself is a little run down with a number of empty shops but Rugby School is still large and very impressive.

On Friday we left our friends in Warwick and caught the train from Redditch to London via Birmingham.  Dinner that evening was a treat as we met our friends Jordy and Ash for dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s Heddon St Kitchen.  We spent far too much on our meal but it was well worth it!  After that we strolled up Regent St and Oxford St before dipping down to Chinatown – so many people and so much colour and flavour and hardly a mask in sight!

We hope to be here in London until the end of this week by which time Harvey should hopefully be fixed.  The required part was ordered and should be here by Wednesday so that should see the old guy back up and running and us heading back to Redditch to resume our Adventures WITH Harvey.  Until then…

Photo subtitles in order:

1. the gardens at Leamington Spa

2. William Webb Ellis with a fan!

3. Rugby School

4. poster from inside the Rugby museum

5. Gilbert has been making rugby balls in the town since 1823.  This is the oldest known example

6. The Cape of Good Hope pub on the canal in Warwick

7. tour guide Sean doing his work

8. one of the original city gates and some spectacular Tudor architecture

9. here we are at the castle

10. Warwick Castle wax works - this shows the castle treasury

11. inside the castle grounds

12. this is one impressive trained owl!

13. Our Warwick friends 

14. Beef Wellington all round - Heddon St Kitchen's specialty 

15. Chinatown 

PS: Before leaving Russell we made arrangements to re-house Samson, our 14 year old black moggy. Unfortunately circumstances have changed so we’re on the hunt for a temporary home for the old boy.  Main criteria is that there are no other pets in the house – although friendly once he gets to know you, we feel he’s a bit too old and curmudgeonly to make friends with other animals.  Someone has offered to take Sammy from around November onwards so a home is only needed between now and then.  Please let us know if you or anyone you know might be keen to help. Thanks 😊

16. Samson the brave