Roemin abit

After another good breakfast we set off home via Stoneleigh Abbey with our 2 for 1 Gardeners World magazine discount card. We booked ourselves on the 1 o'clock guided tour of the manor. The abbey is practically non existent and the manor is partly converted to private apparments after the fire which almost destroyed it. The tour guide was extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable, making for an interesting hour, with a talk about the history of the site and a tour of the ground floor. Afterwards we had a snack in the Orangery which overlooks the river Avon before a walk down the river as far as the pets graveyard. Must return with a Groupon voucher for afternoon tea and have a longer walk round the grounds. Stoneleigh is just a couple of miles off the Warwick bypass but this is the first time we have been.

It's damp grey start to the day but it should brighten up later!  It did brighten up and we went to nearby Henley in Arden for lunch. The high street is a mile long but most of the old village is in the middle with several good restaurants. Some expensive looking gated accomodation behind the main street. We randomly chose the The Bluebell for lunch, but having had a good buffet breakfast and were having dinner in the hotel, we decided on a seafood sharing platter. It was excellent quality and value with a very attentive staff. Dinner was most enjoyable again and the restaurant much quieter.

We are celebrating our 54th wedding anniversary with a 2 day secret escape at a spa hotel in Warwickshire. We arrived just in time for a cream tea with the other 3 secret couples. After a stroll round the hotel and spa block we enjoyed a nice dinner in the brasserie later. It was rather noisy with golfers and a corporate event. If the weather was warmer I guess many of the noisy ones would have been outside in the gardens and on the terrace. Not too many people in dressing gowns. !