Stratford-Upon-Avon to Henley on Thames

Our last day with our friends. Bit sad but we have plans to drive to Reading where Gail & Alan will be ready to welcome us aboard their new boat.

The weather has turned against us so we will have to abandon the boat visit. Instead, we will meet for lunch at Henley on the Thames.

Before we get to Reading, we stopped very briefly at an iconic shop. Yes, we are going to visit Diddly Squat Farm. The place is jumping. Car park overflowing and a huge queue. Clarkson’s Farm has done two series and they were shooting series three yesterday, but the rain stopped it today. We didn’t really expect to bump into Jeremy Clarkson, but he is around here somewhere. It is absolutely commercial madness to expect customers to stand in the mud and rain but that’s exactly what everyone was doing. Sharon wrote our message on the barn wall just above David Beckham. We made a few purchases and hit the road. The TV series doesn’t really show you how close the shop is to the village. No wonder it causes grief.

Gail & Alan met us at the train car park in Henley. We went to the The River & Rowing Museum located by the River Thames. It has three main themes represented by major permanent galleries, the non-tidal River Thames, the international sport of rowing and the local town of Henley-on-Thames.

The museum also celebrates The ‘Wind in the Willows’ has a really good gallery and is based on the 1908 book by Kenneth Grahame. It draws upon the original illustrations by EH Shepard who is from these parts.

Our farewell lunch at yet another old pub called The Angel on the Bridge. Dating back to 1728 this pub is one of the most photographed and painted pubs in England, because of its architecture and the amazing riverside location on the River Thames.

After the traditional farewell group photo, we caught a train with Gail and Alan. They wanted to make sure we connected to the right train to Heathrow, so they stayed with us to Twyford. This is a single line that just goes back and forward to the main line.

All good and we are heading toward London. We changed at Hayes & Harlington then just a short trip to Heathrow.

Our hotel is The Renaissance only a few miles from Terminal 2. The hotels around Heathrow are not allowed to operate their own shuttle so there is a service called Hotelhoppa. It’s ok but you are squeezed in. Only one door at the front which is dumb.

By now we are drenched, tired and travelled out.

We had a great time in England. Tomorrow on to Athens.Read more