Date: 31st May 2022
Travelled: 200 kms from Leicester to Waverton, Cheshire.
Visited: Newstead Abbey
Stayed: Canal Reserve, Waverton, (Chester), free, N53.1722, W02.81620
Budget: 6 days @ $ very expensive per day.
We are joined by another camper in the small carpark in Braunstone. Another very quiet evening with a little drizzle, this seemed to continue through the night even though we were in the land of nod. Itโs a cold morning but the rain has gone. Pam goes for a walk whilst I start another blog. I chat with our neighbour for a while, Pam returns and we have breakfast before saying goodbye the Leicester.
Turning north on the M1, the rain seems to settle in once again as we join a convoy of trucks all churning along at 60 mph. The 60 kms till we turn off the M1 for Newstead pass quickly but Iโm glad to see it gone. The next 20 minutes of A road are a breeze as we drive through the Sherwood Forest. We are in the heart of Robin Hood country with tourist signs of Robin in his hat mark the way. Despite this we miss the turn for the Abbey thanks to a GPS shortcut.
Arriving at the Abbey we pay ยฃ6 parking fee (shit England is expensive), find a spot and relax and unwind over a coffee. The weather has cleared and we even have some sun.
Founded as an Augustinian Priory in 1170 it remained with the monks being extended until the reformation in 1540, when it was granted to a John Byron. It would eventually become the home of George Gordon Byron or Lord Byron, the famous English poet and writer for some 30 years.
Our guide book recommends visiting the abbey gardens, Byronโs home can be visited but thatโs another ยฃ10 pp so weโll just wander the gardens.
Byronโs epitaph to Boatswain is apparently one of his most read worksโฆByron really loved his dog and the English have an obsession with their dogs so itโs perhaps not surprising. Byronโs will stating he wanted to be buried here with the dog. Mind you his hedonistic lifestyle and travels required him to sell Newstead to clear his debts before he died in 1824.
We walk the gardens for some 90 minutes. Whilst they are expansive there is little sign of spring just yet. The lawns and edges need doing and the hedges need a prune. Perhaps we are being a bit harsh. We return to the Hymer and set the GPS for Waverton near Chester.
The drive west takes a couple of hours, probably 30 minutes longer than needed as the GPS takes us on something of a scenic drive to Waverton. Our stop is a small reserve adjacent the Chester Canalโฆitโs just beautiful. As itโs a long walk to the pub, it looks like drinks on the canal watching the narrow boats meander by, will do nicely .
Michael + Pam
