Arrival: Day 1 – Tuesday
As I mentioned about my travel day, the delay out of Philly caused me to not leave the Heathrow area until after 1pm. I originally planned to go to Cornwall, but decided it was too far. Then I thought I’d make a loop by going to Bath, Cheddar, Glastonbury and then back to my lodging for the night. Alas, jet lag, exhaustion, and the challenges of learning to drive on the left side of the road outweighed my desire to sight-see and I decided to just head in the direction of my lodging.
Leaving Heathrow and the car rental, I knew that I wanted to drive past Pinewood Studios which was nearby and on my way. I thought I’d stop in front of the studio and take a photo since it is an active studio and they don’t have tours. However, the roundabout was not conducive to photo taking so I had to be satisfied with driving past the studios where much cinematic history was made.
Pinewood Studios – Pinewood Road, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire
My little Smart Car
On my way to the b&b, I stopped at a National Trust property called The Vyne – a Tudor style mansion which had both hosted Henry VIII with his wife Anne Boleyn and, much later, Jane Austen attended balls there held by her friends The Chutes (note: my b&b was in Chute Forest). The house had just closed (and undergoing major restoration) but I had the opportunity to walk the gardens a bit – after accidentally purchasing an annual pass to National Trust properties – note to self: do not buy anything when you are sleep deprived! Isn’t it interesting that often people spend much more time outside when they are on holiday? Or maybe it’s just me.
I arrived a my lodging, checked in, and went to the local pub for dinner. I wanted to be adventurous and get food typical to the region – which might have been a gammon steak – however I was too tired to think and just got a burger and a nice English cider.
Gardens at The Vyne
Chute Forest
