Saturday 27th April 2024: Stow on the Wold
Our breakfast was again reserved in the Travelling Duke. There was a short queue and once our names had been crossed off the list we were shown to a table.
Stow-on-the-Wold
We passed the Rollright Stones on our way to Stow. just after we turned off the A3400. Parking looked to be in short supply and the rain convinced us to keep going!
As we came closer to Stow the traffic built up to become a traffic jam on Sheep Street. Looking for somewhere to park we turned right and followed the signs to the free car park by the Tesco supermarket.
The rain had yet to ease and luckily for us the walk into the centre via the High Street was short.
Huffkins Bakery and Tea Rooms
To get out of the rain we went into the first tea room that we came to. Huffkins was very busy and after a short while queuing in the doorway we went to a table. There was a serious issue with their tills and orders had to written down to be passed to the kitchen. Plus getting credit cards scanned and money into the tills was even slower. I queued for over 20 minutes to get a simple order of tea and cakes. Then after 30 minutes I asked a passing waitress please could she check where our order was? The tables around us had all been served despite being occupied later. It seems our order had been lost…
The bill was larger than expected, perhaps tourists to Stow are expected to pay extra for the privilege of visiting?
Thankfully the rain had eased and we wandered around the Market Square window shopping. When we looked at the jewellery on display we gulped at the prices!
Along Church Walk then Church Street we passed St Edward’s Church before we came to the still busy Sheep Street. There are so many interesting shops in Stow to look at that we will have to return. Talbot Court lead us back to the Market Square. For watches there was another jewellers with a window full of them.
As we walked back down High Street to the car park, minibuses were disgorging lots more visitors.
Diddly Squat Farm
The traffic jams had all but gone as we drove away from Stow. A quick Google Maps check and we switched routes to take us to Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm shop. The farm shop is on Chipping Norton Road off the A361. True to form the local council has not provided any signs to point anyone to the farm shop.
The car park had lots of spaces.
The queue for the shop stretched around the front of and back into the car park. We walked around the shop to what had been the barn. Now the side facing the fields had gone and inside were tables and benches. At the far end was a hatch which was a bar serving beers and cider.
The food van had closed. We bought a couple of drinks at the bar.
After we turned the corner in the queue, we watched the local butcher carrying in lots of boxes as he restocked the fridges. Almost everyone leaving was carrying a box of cider as well as bags of jars and the packets from the newly stocked fridges.
Using large bottles from the shop other visitors were buying “cow juice” from the dispenser by the door.
We also took away lots of chalk dust on our shoes which months later was still defying vacuuming off the floor mats!
Heythrop Park car park
This Mustang looked wonderful and I admired it every time we passed during our stay.
This X1 owner clearly couldn’t be bothered to park in the regular space that were closer to the hotel but instead blocked an electric charging bay!
The Travelling Duke for dinner
After a couple of games of Rummikub we went for dinner at 7:30pm.
This meal reinforced our earlier thoughts on just how much better the food has here at Heythrop Park than at any other Warners we had been to. Plus the friendly efficient service we received just added to our conclusion – no stress and great food!
Phil Collins Connected
Our second evening’s entertainment was another band. This was billed as the Phil Collins Connection. They covered Genesis, solo Phil Collins as well as Mike and the Mechanics in their show.
The band’s upcoming tour dates.
Here’s a sample from YouTube.