2 - 6 May 2014
Well, Chapel Lane Caravan Club Site, actually, which is our base for a few days away over the May Day Bank Holiday, located just off the M42 to the south of Birmingham. Packwood House (NT) was a convenient stop for lunch and proved to be a delightful place. This “small and intimate” Tudor house was remodelled during the 1920s and 1930s by Graham Baron Ash, who was a restoration enthusiast, collecting furniture, fittings, tapestries from other houses being sold or demolished, to recreate a manor house of the Jacobean era. The Carolean Garden is very pretty and behind it lies the impressive Yew Garden, from which you can look back at the house.
Well, Chapel Lane Caravan Club Site, actually, which is our base for a few days away over the May Day Bank Holiday, located just off the M42 to the south of Birmingham. Packwood House (NT) was a convenient stop for lunch and proved to be a delightful place. This “small and intimate” Tudor house was remodelled during the 1920s and 1930s by Graham Baron Ash, who was a restoration enthusiast, collecting furniture, fittings, tapestries from other houses being sold or demolished, to recreate a manor house of the Jacobean era. The Carolean Garden is very pretty and behind it lies the impressive Yew Garden, from which you can look back at the house.
Any vegetable gardener will be in awe of the
Kitchen Garden, so precisely laid out and maintained. From Packwood
it was only a short drive (10 miles) to Chapel Lane.
After a cold night
(heating and extra blanket brought into action at 3 am!) we woke to a
cloudless, blue sky, but despite the sun, there was a chill to the
air. We made an early start to drive to the Gloucestershire and
Warwickshire Railway (GWR) station at Toddington. We were on the
first train of the day, departing at 10:00 am (quite an achievement!)
and were joined at the next station down the line, Winchcombe, by our
friends, Barbara and Clive, who are also motorcaravanning in the
area. A very pleasant morning was spent riding on the train down to
Cheltenham at one end of the line and up to Laverton Loop at the
other. GWR are currently fundraising to complete the line as far as
Broadway. Engines were photographed and refreshments taken; all very
enjoyable.
After lunch at the 'van, we headed north and stopped to
photograph a train as it passed over the Stanway Viaduct and then
made a brief stop in Alcester to get a few provisions from Waitrose
(no height barrier), where a young car park attendant immediately
recorded our vehicle details. I asked if we were doing anything
wrong (we were, after all, taking up two bays) but he assured us we
were not; he was recording the arrival of every vehicle to make sure
no-one exceeded the two hour limit. While in the store we remembered
we had not yet joined up to “My Waitrose” so took the opportunity
to do so, thereby qualifying for free tea and coffee and a free
newspaper, having only spent £9.30! Bargain! Once we got back to
the 'van, the sun was still shining so the day ended with some
relaxation outside.
On Sunday we visited
Chris, Marie and Ben, as planned. Louise and Steve were staying with
them for a long weekend, so we had our first family get together
since the arrival of Ben. And a lovely lunch out at The Bell at Bell
Broughton – recommended.
Monday, and the last
full day away. We whiled away the morning at the Transport Museum,
situated in the old Midland Red bus depot, right next to the site.
There are scores of buses on display, covering the full history of
the motor bus from the early to the late 20th century.
There is a lot of information about social history, which makes it
appealing to non-transport geeks! A miniature railway and bus trips
were also on offer. The afternoon was spent exploring the
surrounding countryside. NB Alvechurch has a free car park with no
height barrier. To round the day off, John, who does not normally
cook, produced a fine risotto, a lovely treat for me (I did do the
washing up in return!)
