August 20, 2015
By now, John and I had settled into a daily routine. We were happy to get up a few minutes early in order to enjoy a leisurely, hour-long breakfast at Corse Lawn.
On this day (Day Six on the itinerary, the third full day of the actual tour), we were using the replacement bus again. It would be ours for the duration of the tour. Our original bus driver Kenny was back. Jane's problem with the guide microphone was solved temporarily when she sat in the guide's jumpseat. She didn't have to stretch the microphone cord so far that it loosened or disconnected from the plug. But apparently, she didn't want to give up her front row seats. She sat behind the driver and used his microphone instead.
On the way to our first stop of the day, Jane talked about about British newspapers for some reason. (I had forgotten until I went through some video notes I made on board the bus.) She said we could request newspapers at the hotel or buy them in little towns where we are going. Why tell us this now, instead of on the first day of the tour? She also talked about giving us maps, but the ones she wanted to buy were in short supply. She said she would keep trying to find enough them in the towns where we made lunch stops. Wouldn't it have made sense to give us maps at the beginning of the tour? Amazon.co.uk delivers in the U.K. I was glad when we arrived at Misarden Park.
We were welcomed by the property manager, Peter. He said the village and the estate are part of the same property and explained that the gardens are open to the public on a schedule, and for charity days. A history of the property and its owners, along with information about the garden design is available in NGS publications and from many other sources. For more information, see http://misardenpark.co.uk.
After the formal part of the tour with Peter as our guide, we were left to wander.
The property was large, and after being on the bus for a long time and listening to Peter's introduction, John and I needed a comfort stop. John asked Jane where the restroom was located. Instead of saying, "I don't know," or "I'll find out," she directed us on a wild goose chase across a wide expanse of wet grass down a steep hill, around the back of the house, then around the side of the house - all this to avoid having us walk across a terrace marked "Private."
Both John and I were angry, because the grassy hill was too steep to manage without falling, even if it hadn't been wet and slippery in the rain. "Oh, I thought there were steps," Jane said. Then, she pointed us in the opposite direction. "I think it's that way . . . No, that way." She didn't have a clue where it was! Why didn't she just say so? We finally found the bathroom on our own. The incident had turned into a spectacle. Afterward, some of our fellow travelers parodied John's exchange with Jane. We had a good laugh.
For some reason, Jane never, ever told the group where we could find restrooms, even after John explained to her that traveling on a bus with no restroom facilities makes it doubly important for people to have comfort stops, which means they need to know where restrooms are located in the places we visit. Every tour guide we have met on Viking, Oceania, Holland America, AMA, NAU, Road Scholar and Rick Steves tours - to name a few - has told participants where to find restrooms, first thing at each stop - even when their buses had beautiful, modern bathrooms on board. Every traveler needs comfort stops. People want to use clean bathrooms, and wash their hands before meals, and freshen up once in a while. It usually goes without saying, but not on this tour.
In retrospect, I doubt if Jane knew where any of the the restrooms were, because either she was unfamiliar with the gardens we visited, or she didn't accompany us inside them. But in her capacity as guide or escort or host for the Coopersmith's group, she really should have made an effort to find out and tell us - without being asked over and over again.
After our time on the estate, the group went by bus to Cirencester. Jane told us this was "the capital of the Cotswolds." She gave us an hour and a half to self-tour and find our own lunch.
John and I went into the King's Head Hotel and Spa. I talked with Reception about the hotel's amenities, keeping the location in mind as a potential home base for a future trip to the Cotswolds, the advantage being that in Cirencester, there would be things to do at night. I loved Corse Lawn, but it was miles from any night life.
Photo: John enjoyed the extensive lunch menu. Selections reflected the chef's culinary skills and imagination.
Photo: Butternut squash and cheese skewers. Excellent combination of flavors!
Photo: Fish and Chips. The fish was a fat, super-fresh haddock. Heavenly!
Our afternoon garden stop was Cherney House. Here we were greeted by the caretaker who took us on a short tour before leaving us to enjoy a wander. For more information, see http://www.cerneygardens.com.
We were offered tea at Cherney House, and chose from a lovely selection of cakes. We were eating about every three hours, every day. The pounds I lost during the Rick Steves tour were coming back.
After tea, we traveled back to Corse Lawn for a three-course dinner. Several three-course dinners were included with the tour. All were at Corse Lawn House. Dinners on the first and last days were with the group. On this night we did not eat as a group. I tried vegetarian menu items.
Photo: Stuffed pepper
This was one of my favorite meals. Five stars, chef!
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