Heading Home

Well, I’ve had a couple of weeks of being a tourist but I didn’t quite hang up my boots. Two beautiful walks in the Peak district meant that I wasn’t finished with them, or them with me.

The weather has been cold even for an English summer and on some days very wet but I’ve still been able to see lots and enjoy what England has to offer.

I’ve visited Norman churches with a history dating back to the Battle of Hastings, walked in the footsteps of the code-breakers at Bletchley Park and walked streets lined with Tudor buildings leaning at impossible angles in the Shambles in York and the back streets of Stratford-on-Avon.

I’ve seen Shakespeare’s 'As You Like It' in Stratford and eaten in atmospheric pubs that have never heard of gentrification. Lots of the famous department stores I remember when I lived here have now gone from the high streets which is very sad – Debenhams, C&A and British Home Stores have all disappeared. Marks & Spencer is one of the few to survive.

London is my final stop in a couple of days, to see what’s new and what has stayed the same. It’s been a fabulous trip. By next weekend, I know I’ll be ready to come home.Read more