A Walk in Shakespeare Country

We had the kind of week or two around here that warranted not just getting out of the house last weekend, but getting far, far away. As we just had the day on Saturday, we drove about two hours away to Lapworth to do a walk known as the Lapworth Circuit.

This fellow was out to greet us at the start of the walk. By starting early-ish (10 am?), we pretty much had the circuit to ourselves.

Leaving the Packwood House parking lot, we passed beautiful countryside walking along the road to the canal.

 

Soon we joined the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. We loved these series of narrow locks.

 

I'm not sure if this is the Stratford Canal again or the Union Canal. The walk follows part of both.

  

We passed many, many narrow houseboats moored along the canals.

 

Yes, another canal picture! But you'd be so impressed with my restraint if you saw how many pictures I'm NOT sharing.

 

As we left the canals and started through fields, this became quite the muddy walk. Wellies would have been in order. I kept wondering on our walk how Elizabeth Bennet managed to only get six inches of mud on her petticoats. 

 

After briefly passing through Lapworth and slogging through the muddy fields, we reached Baddesley Clinton. I have to say, if I were to live in Elizabethan times, I'd definitely want a home with a moat.

Isn't that sword on the wall ginormous? I'm not sure how anyone lifted that thing.

 

Lovely Baddesley Clinton

 

This walk is centered in the Forest of Arden, of As You Like It fame. The forest doesn't really exist anymore, but it's still pretty countryside.

 

We started and finished the circuit at Packwood House. The Tudor house completes the Shakespearean atmosphere of our day.

There's something rather charming about a walled garden.

 

This yew tree garden reminds me of a scene from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I really can't help comparing everything I see in England to scenes from books I've read.

We are at the very end of snowdrop season and right at the beginning of daffodil season. Very few are blooming here, but they're everywhere in Cambridge now.