We didn't have an early start as I had to sort out the dinner for Heather so it was around 11.00 before we set off and then Jon wanted coffee so we only got as far as Tesco!
Finally on the road with a new CD to play in the car Now million or something - all the tracks had sold a million and it is very good.
We had a good drive with clear roads and very little traffic and arrived at our hotel about 2.00. After checking in we asked the way to walk into the centre and were given direction which took us along the canal which was very nice but the receptionist told us not to come back that way if it was dark!
A friend had told me about a quirky pub built into some caves and suggested we visit and just by chance we saw a sign for it near the castle so went to have a look. Fortunately, for us, the also do food so we found a table and ordered some beer and lunch. It was full and very hot inside so we sat outside and it was pleasantly warm. The beer was extremely good and so was the lunch.
We then carried on into the centre and had a look around the Christmas Market which had lots of food stalls and we watched the skating on the ice rink which was entertaining.
Time passed by and we went for a cuppa and listened to the Salvation Army band playing Christmas music in the Exchange building just near a very nice tea shop but we did have to wait a very long time for our cuppa.
Back outside and all the lights were on and it was very pretty.
It took us rather longer than it should have to find out way back to the hotel, just as well it was not raining.
We decided to have dinner in the hotel as we had done enough walking. There was only us and one family in the dinning room. Dinner was very good and once finished we went back to our room and watched I'm a Celebrity.
Sunday
I slept well but did wake up as I was too hot and I had to put the AC on. Not sure why the heating was so high but it was uncomfortable. We didn't actually wake till 8.30!
Breakfast was manic, organised chaos with people waiting to be seated and nobody seemed to know what was going on. Once we were seated and got our breakfast it was OK.
We checked out and as it was raining heavily our plans to walk to the castle changed and we drove and parked in a very difficult to get around car park, very narrow to get up and down the levels. Lots of marks on the walls so people have had a few bumps around there.
We went to the castle and were a little disappointed as it was more like a museum and has been restored and is very modern but the grounds are nice.
We had a coffee and it was just so hot I felt ill. I asked the girl how she could work in such heat and no windows open and she said she thought she might have to turn the heating down!
One of the information people at the castle suggested we should visit Wollaton Hall which was a few miles away so after leaving the castle and managing to exit the car park without any scrapes on the car we set off to see it.
It is a lovely Elizabethan house which is not the Nottingham Natural History Museum and free to go in. The grounds apparently have red deer but all we saw were people, lots of them, walking their dogs and no deer but all very nice and would have been even better on a fine day.
The house itself was lovely with lots to see though if you don't like stuffed animals it is not the place to visit.
We left the house and intended to stop for a bite to eat but we were not that hungry which as it turned out was just as well as the sat nav took us a lovely way back but we didn't find anywhere to stop until we got to the A1. We went through some lovely villages and through Melton Mowbray but didn't see a pork pie shop open!
We drove past Rutland Waters which is very pretty and some of the villages had so many thatched cottages in them, really beautiful. It was a shame to get back to the main roads again.
It started to rain as we got near Cambridge and from what I saw on Facebook and the state of the roads it had rained a lot so we were very lucky to have missed most of it.
We got back and Jon watched the Grand Prix and I had told him not to look at Facebook as there were comments on that he would not want to see.
Heather's dinner went well last night. They had a good time and they did a good job clearing up but she had cooked breakfast for them this morning and then they left and she had forgotten she couldn't wash up so I had a few things to sort out before I could cook dinner!
I cooked dinner and Kirsty and James came over and we had a nice birthday dinner for Heather. A lot of celebrations for her birthday I think. We watched the X Factor and then K&J went home.
We are going to London with Heather tomorrow but we need to go to the doctor's and have the dressing changed on her hand first. I hope we don't have to wait long.
WEATHER
Mixed with cloud, sun and some rain 13 degrees
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