August 18, 2015
John and I were very pleased with the accommodations at Course Lawn House Hotel. Our room was large and in keeping with the style of an elegant old English country house. There was plenty of space for the king bed, two night tables, blanket chest, writing desk, wardrobe, pants presser, mini-bar, flat-screen TV, ladies dresser, small buffet, love seat, cocktail table, and two chairs. The bathroom, also spacious, featured both a large soaking tub and a stall shower.
Photo: Exterior view of Course Lawn House Hotel
Photo: King bedroom with ensuite bath
Coopersmith's Day Four itinerary was the first full day of the tour. It began with breakfast in the hotel dining room. John and I chose a table for two and sat down at 8:30AM. Our departure time was scheduled for 9:00AM. After greeting other members of the group and determining there was table service rather than a self-service buffet, we relaxed and waited for a server to come and take our order. Instead, Jane came over to our table and said there would be "coffee and a cookie at our first stop," and we might not have time for breakfast since there was table service. Then, she went back to her table and continued eating her own breakfast, chatting with some of the ladies on our tour. I was flabbergasted.
I know I can be a beast before coffee, but being told I might not have time for breakfast because of the type of service made no sense to me. As things stood, we had 30 minutes before the bus was due to leave, and with a little effort to get a server to our table, John and I could certainly have breakfast. I walked over to Jane's table and said as much, adding that I would find a server, because that's what needed to be done.
As I made a bee-line for the kitchen door, Jane intervened, protesting that she hadn't meant . . . I had misunderstood . . . she wasn't eating breakfast . . . it was someone else's croissant . . . Ridiculous! I kept moving. The stir in the dining room brought a wide-eyed server out of the kitchen in a hurry. Jane disappeared from the dining room. John and I ordered. I explained to the server that we were apparently in a rush, so I needed something to use for "take away." John was having none of that. He said, "I'm going to order what I want and eat it here." It was a bad beginning for us that could have been avoided if Jane had taken time to explain breakfast service - or anything else about the hotel - during our Welcome Dinner the night before. Clearly the staff was pressed, and that too could have been avoided.
Breakfast was on our table in ten minutes. One of the kitchen staff appeared with bags and napkins for my "take away." I made a scrambled egg and bacon sandwich on toast from what was on the beautiful plate in front of me and bagged a croissant, a brioche, and two slices of toast with marmalade for later. I drank the fresh-squeezed juice and French-pressed coffee, and we boarded the bus on time at 9:00AM.
After tasting the food, I realized everything at Course Lawn House Hotel is freshly prepared to order: the coffee is pressed, the juice is squeezed, the fruit is sliced, the croissant is baked, the fresh bread is sliced and toasted, and so on. In other words, the food is beautifully prepared for each guest. One hour is a reasonable time to allow for a morning meal at Corse Lawn House - more if you have it to spare.
Jane didn't have much to say on the bus, unless someone asked her a specific question. When she didn't know an answer, she asked Kenny. If neither of them knew the answer, she would promise to find out by the next day. I found it frustrating that Jane never seemed to know how long it would take to get where we were going. In general, "an hour" meant an hour and a half and "traffic" was always the reason for any miscalculation or the need for re-routing. Oh, for a map and wi-fi to make sense of it all!
Jane encouraged the driver to use "B" routes, which were scenic, narrow, twisty roadways, many of them ill-suited to our 53-passenger bus, but Kenny did the best he could to accommodate her.
Our first stop on Day Two was Camers, a lovely four-acre property occasionally opened to the public for charity. The owner welcomed us personally and invited us to "wander" through the gardens. He said he would be happy to answer any questions. And, tea would be served at the end of our visit.
Jane joined the group, but seemed to know very little about flowers or gardening, which honestly surprised me. I assumed the guide of a Coopersmith's Garden Tour would have expertise in garden design, horticulture, flower identification - something. But, I was wrong. Jane was an garden enthusiast. At best.
We spent an hour and a half at Camers, the same length of time it took to get there on the bus. Here are a few photos from our visit. More information about Camers is available online at:
Photo: Tea and cake at Camers, served in a garden house
Photo: My first Victoria Sponge Cake. Delightful!
After tea, on to Malmesbury for a group lunch at The Bell Tower restaurant.
Photo: Jane reserved two front row seats for herself, enjoying the best view on the bus.
The day's tour included lunch at The Bell Tower restaurant in Malmesbury. Salmon was the only entree offered our group, but because I was concerned about my deadly shellfish allergy, I declined the fish asking instead for something vegetarian. I knew there was at least one vegetarian in the group, so I supposed the chef must be able to make me whatever s/he was making for her. The waiter was a little grumpy that I hadn't pre-ordered a vegetarian meal, but I explained I had no way of knowing what meal to expect until Jane announced our one choice on the bus. I told him about my deadly shellfish allergy, which meant I couldn't eat farm-raised salmon because shellfish was one of the feed components commonly used. After that, the kitchen kindly prepared vegetarian gnocchi for me. A very tasty dish!
Photo: Gnocchi, sauteed with leeks, radicchio, and garlic
Photo: Mixed vegetables
Photo: Outside The Bell Tower restaurant
The next garden we were scheduled to tour was practically next door to the restaurant. It was a relief to be able to walk around for a few minutes after lunch instead of having to get back on the bus for another scenic but uncomfortable ride.
John and I self-toured the grounds of Malmesbury Abbey.
At the meeting time, John and I joined the group at the entrance to Abbey House, home of "The Naked Gardeners."
Photo: Sculpture at the entrance of Abbey House Gardens
Photo: Waiting for our tickets at Abbey House
Jane did not accompany us at Abbey House Gardens. She gave each of us a ticket and told us what time and where to meet the bus. She forgot to give us maps to the garden, but when I went back to the entrance to ask about a book or some other written material, I found them. The ticket-taker suggested I pick up a stack of maps and pass them out to the group since Jane had already gone out of sight, but I declined. Everyone in the group had scattered into the gardens after a welcome from the owner, and the last thing I wanted to do was chase around after them handing out maps. At least let us "have a wander" in peace! A few minutes later, another member of the tour offered me a map. She said "a girl handed them to me and said to pass them out."
Photo: Garden owner Barbara Pollard welcomed us to her garden.
Photo: This huge tortoise is a Pollard family pet.
Here are a few photos of Abbey House Gardens. For more information, see http://www.abbeyhousegardens.co.uk.
After our walk through the gardens of Abbey House, we boarded the bus and rode back to Corse Lawn House for dinner. Since our lodging was a pricey taxi ride from any other dining option, most of the group opted to take every meal at Corse Lawn House, whether it was included in the tour price or not.
Photo: Artisan breads
Photo: Potato Leek Soup
Photo: Sea Bream
Photo: Potatoes, cabbage, and green beans
Photo: John's strawberry dessert with home-made cookies
I found Day Two of the tour a little better than Day One, because my expectations were lower. I needed to stop comparing the Coopersmith's and Rick Steves' tours, but it was hard, since we were doing them back-to-back.
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