Valentine's Weekend in Stratford-Upon-Avon
You may well remember Valentine's weekend as the time Storm Dennis hit in the UK. Sadly, this pretty much caused our (what was supposed to be) romantic trip away to be a (literal) washout. With rain pouring and wind howling, it wasn't the best weather to be out and about, but we made the most of it as and when the rain eased off. So overall, I'm not complaining as it could have been a heck of a lot worse, really!
Anyway, my boyfriend, Tom, surprised me with a hotel stay at DoubleTree by Hilton. As per usual, it was a very relaxing, cosy stay - a complete contrast to the weather outside. On the first night (Friday 14th Feb), we stayed in instead of venturing outside for a wander (mainly because the weather was awful), so we ordered some dinner from Deliveroo. We opted for a Zizzis, going for a goats cheese pizza (myself) and a spicy calzone (Tom)! We then spent the rest of the evening chilling out and drinking prosecco...if you saw my Instagram stories that night, you'll know what we had for pudding!
Anyway, Saturday morning came around quicker than expected (as it usually does), so we made the effort, got out of bed and made a day of it! If you didn't know, Stratford-upon-Avon is famous for being home to the great poet, playwright and actor (yes, actor), William Shakespeare! Having (allegedly) been born, raised and bred there, you can visit his birthplace and the location of his home during adulthood. You can also go and see his grave and venture further out to nosy around Anne Hathaway's - no, not that Anne Hathaway - cottage.
Having walked around for a spell and topped up our food and drink reserves at a local cafe (food to follow), we went back to the hotel to refresh and recharge our batteries before heading back out for some dinner. We thought we'd make the extra effort seeing as we spent Friday evening in. So we went for dinner at the Old Thatch Tavern - a 5 minute walk away from where we were staying!
It was absolutely delicious, so much so, I'm planning on doing a whole separate blog post about it. The food was amazing, we opted for a hunters chicken and a pork roast dinner, all washed down with a large glass of Merlot and an Amstel and polished off with a sticky toffee pudding (we shared it, of course!). You'll be able to see more pictures of the food and pudding when the dedicated post comes out.
Before we knew it, Sunday had reared its ugly head - time to go home :( but before we made the journey back, we stopped for some lunch at the most vintage looking cafe you ever did see, called 'Fourteas'...you can see where this is going can't you? Haha! Basically (and as you've probably guessed) it was 1940's themed. With old photos and strips on the windows, together with old tea cups and walls adorned with Union Jack bunting, it was like we were celebrating the end of the Second World War. I'm so glad we found this little gem hidden away on Stratford-upon-Avon high-street! Again, I haven't put many pictures on as I'll be publishing a dedicated blog post THIS SUNDAY all about it, so keep your eyes peeled if this is something which floats your boat :)
I didn't get any exterior shots of cafes or famous landmarks I'm afraid, mainly due to the weather (as I didn't want to get my camera out in the rain), but you'll be pleased to know that we have plans to go back there in the spring, where I'll hopefully be able to take more photos for you! So the following photos are from in and around Stratford-upon-Avon, so I hope you enjoy them despite the lack of content, but again, watch this space for an update!
Anyway, my boyfriend, Tom, surprised me with a hotel stay at DoubleTree by Hilton. As per usual, it was a very relaxing, cosy stay - a complete contrast to the weather outside. On the first night (Friday 14th Feb), we stayed in instead of venturing outside for a wander (mainly because the weather was awful), so we ordered some dinner from Deliveroo. We opted for a Zizzis, going for a goats cheese pizza (myself) and a spicy calzone (Tom)! We then spent the rest of the evening chilling out and drinking prosecco...if you saw my Instagram stories that night, you'll know what we had for pudding!
Anyway, Saturday morning came around quicker than expected (as it usually does), so we made the effort, got out of bed and made a day of it! If you didn't know, Stratford-upon-Avon is famous for being home to the great poet, playwright and actor (yes, actor), William Shakespeare! Having (allegedly) been born, raised and bred there, you can visit his birthplace and the location of his home during adulthood. You can also go and see his grave and venture further out to nosy around Anne Hathaway's - no, not that Anne Hathaway - cottage.
Having walked around for a spell and topped up our food and drink reserves at a local cafe (food to follow), we went back to the hotel to refresh and recharge our batteries before heading back out for some dinner. We thought we'd make the extra effort seeing as we spent Friday evening in. So we went for dinner at the Old Thatch Tavern - a 5 minute walk away from where we were staying!
It was absolutely delicious, so much so, I'm planning on doing a whole separate blog post about it. The food was amazing, we opted for a hunters chicken and a pork roast dinner, all washed down with a large glass of Merlot and an Amstel and polished off with a sticky toffee pudding (we shared it, of course!). You'll be able to see more pictures of the food and pudding when the dedicated post comes out.
Before we knew it, Sunday had reared its ugly head - time to go home :( but before we made the journey back, we stopped for some lunch at the most vintage looking cafe you ever did see, called 'Fourteas'...you can see where this is going can't you? Haha! Basically (and as you've probably guessed) it was 1940's themed. With old photos and strips on the windows, together with old tea cups and walls adorned with Union Jack bunting, it was like we were celebrating the end of the Second World War. I'm so glad we found this little gem hidden away on Stratford-upon-Avon high-street! Again, I haven't put many pictures on as I'll be publishing a dedicated blog post THIS SUNDAY all about it, so keep your eyes peeled if this is something which floats your boat :)
I didn't get any exterior shots of cafes or famous landmarks I'm afraid, mainly due to the weather (as I didn't want to get my camera out in the rain), but you'll be pleased to know that we have plans to go back there in the spring, where I'll hopefully be able to take more photos for you! So the following photos are from in and around Stratford-upon-Avon, so I hope you enjoy them despite the lack of content, but again, watch this space for an update!
A wet and windy gander
Saturday was spent walking around, visiting quirky shops and cafes and walking to the site of Shakespeare's grave within the grounds of the Holy Trinity Church. It's actually said that if Shakespeare's grave is ever moved or disturbed, the person who does it will become cursed...safe to say it's stayed in the same place since his death in 1616 at the age of 52. Out of respect, I didn't take any pictures of the inside of the church, but I did take one of the outside!
We then came across an old telephone box, filled with footballs. This was done by the Royal Shakespeare Company to advertise David Walliams' 'The Boy in the Dress' which was on at the theatre the same day. How cool is that?
We then came across an old telephone box, filled with footballs. This was done by the Royal Shakespeare Company to advertise David Walliams' 'The Boy in the Dress' which was on at the theatre the same day. How cool is that?
Food
Aside from Zizzis, we didn't really want to eat at chain restaurants that you could get anywhere in the UK. Instead, we made the effort and did some research into some of the best places to eat in Stratford-upon-Avon and we weren't disappointed! Starting at a tiny little cafe with a chorizo sausage roll and a slice of pistachio and berry cake, to an entire pork roast dinner and a glass of wine, we really did experience an abundance of different food during our stay.
As you can see, the last lot of photos were from the 1940's cafe I talked about earlier. Trust me, you're in for a treat with Sunday's post as it will all be about this quirky little eatery! I'll let you know on Twitter and Instagram when that goes live, so watch this space :)
I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Have you been to Stratford-upon-Avon before? What did you do there and how did you find it? I'll see you again really soon with a brand new blog post for you all!
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