Since lockdown, I’d only briefly seen my brother– and at a distance. Wanting to spend more time together, we therefore decided to go away together for the weekend.
He lives in Liverpool, and I’m in London, so we decided to pick somewhere between us on the map and go there for a weekend. We thought Stratford-upon-Avon would be a good bet.
I studied literature at Warwick University so used to go to Stratford for student-priced theatre. But, I sadly hadn’t got to experience the lovely town in the daytime. So, we headed off for a little staycation here in the UK!
The weather wasn’t completely rain-free, so we mooched around charity shops and cafés. Despite suffering greatly due to lockdown, like all arts and heritage sites, Shakespeare’s birthplace – the house he was born in, the lovely garden and a small museum about his life and his work – had just re-opened.
They were incredibly careful with physical distancing. One of their staff told me they used to welcome 1,500 visitors a day but have now been forced to scale back to 350. Once government support runs out, I’m not sure how they’ll manage, but the fact that they’d opened their doors again provided a real boost for me at a gloomy time.
It almost made me forget that we are in a global pandemic…
We stayed in an Air B&B bang in central Stratford which for two nights was fine. From here we were able to go to restaurants and all the other places around the town. We went to a gastropub for dinner on the Saturday night which served delicious food.
Overall it was a lovely weekend. For me, just getting out of London was really refreshing after spending so long tied to my desk in my room!
I’m next going to the Peak District and am hoping to do another trip in September, perhaps to somewhere in Wales.
Billy Zafar: A very Scottish stag do