Stratford upon Avon

After breakfast on the final day of our trip, we packed up the car and headed off for Stratford upon Avon. I haven't been there since I was 15 or 16, on an O Level school trip to see The Merchant of Venice.

It took us about an hour to get there from Uttoxeter. The children caught up with some more sleep in the car - Alton Towers must have really worn them out!

Stratford is a really pretty town, with some really great shops. We managed to get parked in a car park right in the town.

Emily and I popped into Lush to look at all there lovely fresh products. We decided to buy a couple of the fresh face mask but planned to pick them up on the way back to the car park.

We headed towards the river and the RSC, which is undergoing a massive refurbishment and covered in scaffolding.

We sat by the river watching the swans, and saw a boat going through the lock.

We got an ice cream and then took a little boat trip down the river. It only lasted 15 minutes, but it was really pleasant sitting on the boat in the sunshine.

After the boat trip, we picked up a sandwich at Greggs and headed back to the car, via Lush, and then headed home. We had a good trip and got home just before 4pm.

We have had a brilliant three days away, and we are looking forward to our next trip to Durham in a couple of weeks time. I am happy that we have been able to fulfil our promise to the children to take them to Alton Towers, and despite some really dodgy weather we all had a fab time!

M x