Stratford on Avon, Coventry, Kenliworth castle, Shrewsbury

In Stratford on Avon we stayed in a B&B called Twelfth Knight. It was tidy but the owner wasn’t an asset, “why would you want to go to Coventry, it’s a ruin!”. We had a wander around Stratford in the morning. Entry to the church where Shakespeare is buried was free, but it was 1.50 pound to see the grave, slightly distasteful concept, paying to see a grave, so we didn’t do that. We wandered around, past the house where Shakespeare’s daughter lived, fascinating. The main theatre of the Royal Shakespeare Company is being renovated so we didn’t get to see much of that. We drove on towards Coventry stopping at the ruin of Kenliworth Castle. We bought a 14 day visitor pass from English Heritage which allows free entry to sites like this. We drove on to Coventry and went first to the new cathedral. Great to see the tapestry behind the altar, something I’ve wanted to see for a long time. I liked the feel of the new building, D wasn’t so impressed. However, we were both very moved by the ruin of the old cathedral. It’s right next door and remains as it was after being bombed at the start of WWII. We drove on to Worcester, right past Birmingham, roads were busy with many cars moving much faster than our 1.2 L Nissan Micra would allow, I didn’t try to keep up with the R8, the second I’ve seen. Worcester cathedral was also very impressive. I didn’t get to hear the new organ which has just been installed high up either side of the choir. We drove on to Hereford, a great little town. We had afternoon tea at another of the ‘100 best teashops’ in England. Not a teabag in sight. Scones were good, flapjack was very good, fruitcake pretty good too! Hereford cathedral was much smaller than Worcester but the crypt was impressive. Unfortunately the Mappa Mundi room had closed, 330pm. Things seem to close when it starts to get dark. We drove on to Shrewsbury and are staying in The Bull Inn, a pub with accommodation. The pub meal was very good. I had steak and ale pie, D had fish and chips. The accommodation is very good and only 50 pounds for the night which includes a cooked breakfast. We will have a look around here tomorrow and then head through the Peak District.