Here, There and Everywhere

Warwickshire and Oxfordshire 25th – 29th June

Post from John

Within the space of 14 days we have travelled to Edinburgh, Warwick, Banbury and Derbyshire. Whilst the trip to Edinburgh is technically outside the scope of this blog (we didn’t go in Theodora), I think it deserves a mention.

After all, it’s not every day that one’s daughter gets married…..

By way of recovering from the big event, we’d planned a short break in the motorcaravan. So two days after getting home from Edinburgh, we were trundling off along the A14, our destination being the Caravan Club site at Warwick Racecourse. It seems a bit odd weaving between the grandstands and over the course itself, but as usual, the club site was very good. Small, but the normal spotless facilities and just a 5-10 minute walk from the town centre. Also inside the racecourse are St Mary’s Lands, with a conservation area and lots of dog walks.

We spent Thursday afternoon in the Georgian surrounds of Leamington Spa, just a couple of miles to the east. The parks and gardens alongside the river Leam are an extremely pleasant spot to while away a sunny afternoon. Friday morning saw us taking the short walk into Warwick, where the Tudor heritage is a marked contrast to its younger neighbour down the road.  Half-timbered buildings, plenty of individual shops and cafes and the St Nicholas Park by the river Avon make for an enjoyable visit. We didn’t go to the magnificent castle, as we’d visited on a previous occasion.

Before moving on to Banbury, we visited Hill Close gardens. This little gem, located only a few hundred yards from the site, is a group of gardens dating back to the Victorian era, when they were used by the traders living in the town as a place to relax in. The gardens were saved from complete dereliction and redevelopment by Warwick council, and are now looked after by volunteers.

Moving down to Banbury, we stayed at a small private site, Barnstones Camping, a few miles outside the town. Although the pitches were somewhat smaller than club sites, it was nevertheless perfectly fine for a couple of nights. Heading in to Banbury on the Saturday afternoon, we assumed that the town was glad to see us, as they had laid on a welcoming parade….

…. then we realised that it was actually part of Armed Forces day.

A rather grey Sunday saw us heading off to Upton House (National Trust) a few miles west of Banbury. The property is the former home of Lord Bairsted, heir to the Shell Oil fortune and, more pertinent to the display, Chairman of Samuels Merchant Bank. At the outbreak of WW2, he moved the staff of the bank (about two dozen) out of London to live and work in Upton House. The interior of the house recreates this period, full of fascinating detail.

The view from the house is just the lawns and the distant fields:

 Walk across the lawn, however, and the hidden garden appears:

With the theme of “A Bank at War”, Upton House was certainly one of the more unusual NT properties we have visited, and we would certainly recommend it if you are in the area.

Monday saw us heading home in the warm sunshine, to catch our breath before setting off again.