The Ham Nomads

29 Nov 2014. <GB-ENG> Westonbirt, Tetbury (Arboretum), & Gloucester, Glos —

The day started foggy but clear. We decided to take a jaunt down to the Westonbirt National Arboretum. A pleasant drive, but Gertie had a little trouble climbing Frocester Hill on the way. But it was worth it — at the top is the Coaley Peak Viewpoint, with a magnificent view over the Cotswolds — the mist still lay across the lowlands, with trees poking their heads up from their morning blanket. Lots of people walking their dogs in the sunshine.

We went on to the Westonbirt National Arboretum, getting there at about 11am. The mist was still hanging around a little, and it was a beautiful day for photographs. It's a pity Pop Ham never got here — with his love of trees, he would have been in seventh heaven. The place was set up by Robert Holford in 1829, when explorers and travellers were scouring the world for new species of plant and animal life. The Arboretum comprises some 18,000 trees and shrubs, over an area of approximately 600 acres. It is now managed by the Forestry Commission. The Arboretum would be well worth joining with a year's membership for a local, as the trees have a different aspect at each time of the year. They have different maps and guides for each of the four seasons. The Autumn guide highlights those trees with spectacular autumn displays — the maples, the ashes, the oaks, and so on. We were only catching the very end of this — winter officially starts in a couple of days. Large evergreen plantings will presumably be a feature during the winter.

We walked the Silk Wood section of the Arboretum, meeting up with numerous dogs on the way. We then went into the cafeteria, Suzie for coffee, Warren for soup. We decided to go back to the van, only to find we had left the headlights on after our fog driving in the morning — flat battery.

A friendly RAC man (who happened to be a member at Westonbirt!) came to our aid within 30 minutes, and we were on our way back home, the drive being enough to fully recharge the battery.

Back for some bookwork in the room, then to the van for dinner, and then back to our room. Warren stayed down in the pub for a cider and to watch the Brits beat the Wallabies in their Rugby match. After he came upstairs, we had the sounds of a live group in the pub keeping us company for a couple of hours — Saturday night is party night!

Distance driven — today, 43 miles ( 69 km ); to date, 9,876 miles ( 15,894 km )