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| DYRHAM PARK GARDEN (photo James Dobson) |
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UNUSUAL PERSPECTIVE ARTWORK IN CORRIDOR
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| OUR HOTEL |
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| PUDDLES! |
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| PREPARING TO CLIMB STINCHCOMBE HILL |
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| THE 'TOP' |
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| WINDOW IN ST MARY'S CHURCH, BERKELEY |
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| BERKELEY CASTLE |
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EDWARD JENNER'S HOME
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| NEWARK PARK (photo by Roy Douglas) |
Monday 17th of February was the start of a surprise holiday treat booked by Rubi. She had got a good deal for a half-board stay at the Bay Price of Wales Hotel just outside Berkeley, which is close to the River Severn and half-way between Bristol and Gloucester. The intention was to do some walking in the area, although the weather was looking rather wet for the ensuing week. Not to be put off, we brought wellies and adequate wet-weather gear along with us.
It would be a 2 hour drive to the Hotel, but there was no necessity to arrive in Berkeley until late afternoon, so we decided visit somewhere else along the way. Rubi had recently enrolled us as members of the National Trust, so we obviously looked for a suitable NT property. This turned out to be Dyrham Park, around 7 miles north of Bath, where we arrived around midday.
After parking, it was a short walk down through the ancient deer park to the 17th century house itself. We enjoyed viewing the superbly decorated interiors, furnishings and art. Outside, the gardens were not at their best at this soggy time of year, but we enjoyed a walk around the ponds and were permitted to eat our picnic lunch in the canteen.
By late afternoon we were continuing our way to Berkeley, avoiding the M4 so that we could travel slower and enjoy the views along the minor roads. On arriving at the Hotel, we had time to shower and rest before supper. The menu was limited as one might expect for a half-board arrangement, but the food was very acceptable. The restaurant was full of guests who had arrived by coach, courtesy of Shearing's Holidays, who apparently use this hotel frequently. The older couple on the next table to us were quite chatty and had stayed at the hotel several times before.
The weather was wet and dreary the following day, but we were determined to get outdoors. I devised a walking route that would take us to Dursley, a place I (Steve) had visited before when I walked the Cotswolds Way. We immediately encountered deep puddles and, although following a public footpath, soon found our progress thwarted by brambles so thick that we had to turn back.
After a bit of road walking we regained the footpath and eventually arrived at Dursley town where we sheltered in an old market building to enjoy our picnic lunch. This building happened to be on the Cotswold Way route so, afterwards, we following it up onto Stinchcombe Hill, walking anticlockwise around the elevated golf course. From the trig point, we descended west, passing through Stinchcombe village on the way back to our Hotel. The route turned out less straightforward than expected when another blocked footpath was encountered, requiring yet more deviation. The day's drizzle had been relentless, so it was a race to be first in the shower when we finally got back to our room.
Wednesday's plan was initially to visit the house of Edward Jenner, considered to be the father of vaccination although not necessarily the originator of the idea. In 1796 he found that individuals injected with the pus from a cowpox blister did not develop smallpox, which was a common and deadly disease at the time. It seems odd writing about this now whist under 'lock-down' at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. A vaccine is desperately required to bring this particular disease to a halt.
We arrived early, so while we were waiting to enter the house we took a look at St Mary's Church nearby, with it's magnificent window, and Berkeley Castle which, from the scaffolding in evidence, seemed to be undergoing renovation at the time.
In the afternoon we drove to Newark Park, near Wooten-under-Edge. another National Trust property. This was originally a Tudor hunting lodge, but was enlarged over the years until eventually being given to the NT in 1949. The Trust let the house out as a nursing home, but by 1970 it had fallen into a state of disrepair. It was at this point the American Architect Robert Parsons took over the tenancy and restored it to it's present condition. Although the wet weather prevented us exploring the full extent of the grounds, the history was certainly fascinating.