May 3

Up at 6:10 and still unsure where I am going today. Had a bit of breakfast and after consulting with Cathy, decided to go to Oxford. Carol and I had been there once before and they have a marvellous botanical garden, the oldest in England. We stopped off to visit with a friend of hers at Chilgrove, Brenda and her husband Dick who is the farm manager for West Dean Estate. We walked around the farm a little, saw the new born calves and lambs and talked about the dairy herd. They milk on average 170 cows and sell to Marks and Spencer.

Then we drove to the train station, which was a blessing as managing my suitcases on the bus is a little awkward. I have a very large suitcase and another large tote bag as well as my knapsack and computer. This is different from when I had arrived as my knapsack was packed, but as I wanted to travel light to France and for the next few days it has become my suitcase and refrigerator. It has worked out fine. We got to the train station at 10:53 and I bought a ticket on the 11:06 train for 35.10 pounds. Fortunately they had a lift available as I had to go underground and to the other side of the station platform for my first leg of the trip. Cathy helped me get my bags across and the train arrived just on time. We said our good byes and I was off on another adventure. The first place I had to change trains was in Havant about 15 minutes away. This required hauling my luggage up an inclined ramp and over a pedway to the other side of the platform. From there I waited about 20 minutes to catch a bus to Guildford. On that journey I had lunch which was bread and cheese from yesterday washed down with a beer and followed by an apple. This train segment took about 40 minutes and we passed through some pretty countryside including golf courses and backyard gardens that were a delight. Getting off at Guildford I walked 10 feet across the platform on the same side of the tracks and after consulting with fellow passengers boarded my train to Oxford that was waiting at the station. I am on and seated by 12:37 and have access to a plug for my computer to keep it charged while I type this portion. This section of the trip takes about 1 ¼ hours and only stops at Reading before Oxford so is very direct. I have no idea what I will be doing in Oxford but will figure something out once I get there.
When I arrived there at 2:03 with my entire luggage I had to take an elevator up and over a pedway and back down to cross the platform. I checked at a bus tour company masquerading as a Tourist Information Centre, but did locate a cafe that had a WIFI connection about one block away which was still far enough considering all the luggage I had in tow. I signed on and found a message waiting from my friend Hein who lives in Evesham towards Birmingham that I should come and stay overnight with him and his family. I replied that I was on my way, towed my luggage back to the train station and bought a ticket for the next leg which was leaving at 2:50, so my timing was very good. It was a nice train ride out through the northern part of the Cotswolds and the train was not very full. We stopped at about 6 stations on the way but the trip only took about 53 minutes. Upon arrival I took a taxi to Hein’s house which was not far away but would have been nearly impossible with my luggage.

Once there I was met by Hein and his wife Selina who grew up in this area so it was a natural choice for them when they moved back to England from California. I also met their two sons Jost and Johannes. They also have two daughters, one in California and the other in London. Their address is The Gatehouse, Abbottswood, Evesham and they have a lovely home and gardens which I forgot to take pictures of. Hein and I toured the gardens both front and back and they have done a lot of work here and have more planned. After a lovely roast pork supper with all the trimmings, we went for a walk to the town centre taking a circuitous route through some historic sections. Evesham has a long history and in 1265, Simon de Montford who had temporarily wrested control of the country form the King (can’t recall which one) and introduced parliamentary control, was drawn into battle by the King’s son and unfortunately defeated at Evesham. There is a well on a private property where he is supposed to have died and it is appropriately named Battlewell. We continued our walk until we eventually discovered the true purpose of our sojourn which was a pub. It was very busy as tomorrow is a bank holiday, but we were able to enjoy our pint of bitter just the same. We walked back up the hill to the house about 11:00 where we enjoyed a nightcap and were off to bed about midnight. It was a very enjoyable day with a lovely family.

Pictures today show a blurry picture of the Cotswolds from the train, Hein and his family and a picture I took in Oxford that shows how everyone here walks regardless of their age and physical condition.