Bury St Edmunds & Newmarket
Our house-sitting experiences in Spain and France have been some of the most memorable times of our trip for all the right reasons and we were keen to continue this in the UK. As we’ve said before, it’s a great way to experience life in a different country and live like a local.
Our first UK house-sit was looking after three gorgeous sheltie dogs for two weeks just outside Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. We had been told by the homeowners, Steve and Vanessa, that the location was great for dogs as they lived directly across from a school. Being New Zealanders, we immediately envisioned the typical New Zealand country school with a flat rugby field and a cluster of buildings and raised our eyebrows thinking it didn’t sound that exciting for walking dogs. However, the school was nothing like any we’d seen. A large private school that looked more like a stately home, it was set on the most beautiful expansive estate, complete with a river filled with geese and swans, woodland areas teeming with birds, large fields for grazing cattle, sweeping lawns and gardens, and an immaculate cricket oval. Public walkways ran through the grounds and there was no chance of getting bored with the dog walks; with an abundance of different tracks and wildlife to boot this was dog paradise. One of the dogs, Archie, was getting on in age and had a few health problems so Andrew was assigned with taking him for a very leisurely walk a couple of hundred metres up the lane while I took the younger dogs across to the school for a good run. After Archie had finished his sniffing and was back in the house Andrew would come and meet us and throw the ball around for the other two to chase. It was a beautiful setting and the dogs were easy to care for and great fun. When we weren’t out walking with them they were entertaining themselves in the backyard chasing pigeons, who we soon worked out were goading the dogs, sitting on the fence and swooping down at them. Who knew pigeons had a sense of humour.
The town of Bury St Edmunds is lovely. With a population of just 35,000 it’s relatively small but is very lively, especially on a Wednesday, market day, and the cobbled streets and narrow lanes in the quaint historic centre are filled with stalls selling all sorts of local produce and artisan goods. This is one of the oldest street markets in Britain and has been running since the days of William the Conqueror in the 11th century. We found a Thai street food stall where they were cooking authentic dishes from scratch and had a fantastic green curry in the sun before stocking up on blueberries, strawberries and raspberries at one of the fruit stalls.
Not far from the town centre is the St Edmundsbury Cathedral and behind it are the Abbey Gardens. These renowned gardens cover 14 acres and have won many awards for the creative and colourful plantings. Within the gardens, and what makes them even more special, are the remains of the Abbey of St Edmund, once one of the richest and largest Benedictine monasteries in England. The misshapen pinnacles and arches formed from small stones bound by sand look more like art installations than an archaeological site, but enough remains of the abbey church to suggest it was an impressive structure. At over 150 metres long the church was one of only a few of its date to be built on such a large scale.
Bury St Edmunds is also famous for its beer – in particular Greene King Brewery, Britain’s second-largest brewery founded in 1799. The tour of the Greene King brewery was fantastic and easily the best tour of a winery or brewery we’ve ever been on. Wearing our high-vis vests we were taken through the working brewery and shown the beer-making process from start to finish. Our guide told a great story, relaying the long history of the brewery – his passion for the company clearly evident. In the early years, back when most employers treated their workers badly and living conditions for the working class were terrible, the brewery lead the way in providing comfortable and clean housing for their workers and their families and safe working conditions. The founders were ahead of their time in believing happy healthy workers would be more productive and stay loyal. Their generosity extended to giving their workers a free pint of beer after they finished their day’s work, a tradition that continues today. The brewery building itself is a piece of architectural history. Built in the 1930’s its arched iron windows extend almost the full height of the building and the marble floors make for a very decadent modern brewery. Much of the equipment is also vintage including the beautiful copper vats. Our tour ended with the obligatory tasting, but instead of carefully measured sips that are normally provided on such tours the beer ran freely and our guide was more than happy to open bottles of the types unavailable on tap.
Not far from Bury St Edmunds is Newmarket, the home of horseracing. It’s here where the big training facilities are based with almost 4,000 horses in work at any one time. Many prestigious stud farms surround the town including the National Stud and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Darley Stud. On the day of the royal wedding they were racing at Newmarket, so we decided to go along for a look. Royal wedding fever had hit, and bunting was strung across the courtyards, brass bands were playing and union jacks flying high. It wasn’t a particularly special race day – only six races and mostly for novice horses – but the crowd was big and the atmosphere buzzing. The actual racetrack is huge. The straight is 2,000 metres long, so most races are run without turning a corner. This doesn’t leave much room for tactics – it’s just all about speed. The horses were stunning, all with impeccable bloodlines, and the owners were mostly Middle Eastern royalty or British aristocracy. My tactic of choosing a horse by how it looks in the parade ring proved too hard, they all looked like champions. After four races we both were on a losing streak before Mountain Rescue and Desert Frost saved the day for us in race five and we left in the black.
A couple of days later we went back to Newmarket to visit the National Heritage Centre, a five-acre site in the heart of Newmarket comprising of the National Horseracing Museum, the Gallery of British Sporting Art, and the home of Retraining of Racehorses. This brilliant facility was opened by the Queen in late 2016. Through multimedia interactive displays the museum tells the story of racing, the science behind the unique anatomy of a thoroughbred, and how the industry operates today. Out in the King’s Yard was a racing simulator identical to those used by jockeys in training. We were the only ones there at the time and convinced by the staff member that he’d start slow, I took it for a gallop. I am a lot taller than any jockey and with my knees up around my ears I was in fits of giggles while genuinely trying to hang on as this plastic horse surged under me, getting faster and faster with every mechanical stride. Just as it hit top speed I yelled “stop”. I’m pretty good on a horse but this had me beat. It is a lot more difficult than it looks and I sure felt it the next day. By this time, it was nearly closing time and we’d missed the retired racehorse display but went out to the stables all the same. A few of the horses were leaning out of their stalls and we were talking to them from a distance when one of the staff members called over to a stable hand and asked her to bring a horse out to us. She brought out a beautiful chestnut gelding who was so wonderfully calm and friendly. She told us he’d raced all over the world and won well over a million pounds before embarking on a successful showing career and is now helping other newly retired racehorses adjust to life off the track as they retrain for their new career. We asked what his racing name was: Purple Moon, he’d raced down-under, coming a close a second in the 2007 Melbourne Cup.
Our two weeks in Bury St Edmunds were up and Steve and Vanessa were back from their holiday. It was time to say good bye to our furry friends and head to our next house-sit in Cambridge.
Cambridge
From three dogs to one. Straight from our house-sit in Bury St Edmunds we had another lined up in Cambridge – five days looking after adorable Molly the labradoodle while her owners went sailing. It was the perfect opportunity to explore this famous university town.
Cambridge lies on the River Cam and is home to the prestigious University of Cambridge, dating to 1209. We were expecting a staid and stuffy city, but Cambridge is not this. It is surprisingly hip, colourful and energetic, filled with a mix of students and tourists and a noticeably younger crowd from other English towns we’d visited. Market Hill, where the outdoor market has operated since Saxon times, was especially vibrant and the range of vegan street food on offer confirmed the demographic.
The university is made up of 31 colleges where students live, eat, study and socialise. These colleges are clusters of magnificent buildings steeped in history and are open to the public. We visited St John’s College which over 500 years has grown to be one of the largest and most impressive. Entering through the Great Gate, covered in intricately carved mythical creatures, we crossed to the elegant chapel and then made our way through a series of historical courtyards to the banks of the River Cam where the Bridge of Sighs links the old college with the newer part on the opposite side. The Bridge of Sighs was named after the original in Venice and is said to have been a favourite of Queen Victoria’s. It is now a popular tourist attraction in Cambridge. Across the river the college continues with the ostentatious 19th-century New Court built in mock-Gothic style and probably one of the best-known buildings in Cambridge.
Being summer the River Cam was crowded with punts and everyone trying to experience that romantic notion of punting serenely past the majestic buildings of the Cambridge colleges. At 20 pounds per person they must be raking it in, although the season is probably quite short. It seemed to be the thing to do for Hen Parties, with every other punt jammed full of women wearing bright pink “I’m with the bride” sashes and sipping from bottles of cheap prosecco.
Our visit to Cambridge coincided with the 45th Cambridge Beer Festival held beside the river on the leafy Jesus Green. We decided we’d pop in on Saturday afternoon on the way home from a day’s sightseeing and encountered a refreshingly relaxed and urbane event. Entry was a very reasonable 3 pounds and once in the beer tastings cost around 1.30 for a third of a pint. Kegs were piled high, lining three sides of a huge marque and all filled with real ales, many specifically brewed for the festival. The volunteers behind the bar were only too happy to explain the intricacies of each brew and the clientele were genuinely interested. We sat in the sun on the grass and sampled a few of these local brews. The stouts were particularly good.
Our time in Cambridge was brilliant. We loved the feel of the place, the mix of history and vibrant modernity. Five days went past in the flash and Molly’s owners returned. It was time to move on.
Milton Keynes & Oxford
From Cambridge we were heading back to Kent for Andrew’s cousin’s 50th birthday party but had a day up our sleeve so decided to stopover in Oxford for the night.
On the way we saw the road signs to Milton Keynes and turned off. I have read about Milton Keynes, a visionary city designed on paper and brought to life in the late 60’s and was keen to take a look. The first thing we noticed about Milton Keynes is that there is no city, or at least you can’t see it for the trees. When this futuristic city was designed in the middle of last century plenty of space was provided for parks and trees, in fact two-fifths of Milton Keynes is open space. Unlike other towns in Britain the streets are wide, very wide, and parking is plentiful. The city plan was based on a grid with all main roads conveniently designated H or V depending on whether they run horizontally or vertically. The city is a series of blocks of low-rise buildings almost obscured by greenery and the central city retail area is entirely indoors, made up of a series of interconnecting shopping malls with uncovered areas in the centre for a dose of sunlight. We felt like we were in a 1960’s sci-fi movie and should be wearing white jumpsuits. It was quite surreal.
Back from the future we arrived in Oxford in time for lunch. Oxford is another university town, boasting the oldest university in the English-speaking world. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167.
Before lunch I wanted to get my bearings and if there was a tower nearby we climbed it. Carfax Tower is in the city centre with great views down to the busy streets and across the city to the countryside beyond. Lunch was at the covered markets, from a Chinese food stall specialising in Biang Biang noodles from the Shaanxi province, just like we used to get in Auckland. One of the best thing about being back in the UK is the huge range of quality food from around the world, especially Asia. On the continent it was hard to find good Asian food and we missed it a lot.
After lunch it was time to explore the historic university. We walked through to Radcliffe Square, home to the magnificent circular Radcliffe Camera. The Radcliffe Camera is used as a reading room for the neighbouring Bodleian Library, the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is closed off to the public, but it’s unique circular form can be appreciated just as well from the outside. Here in the medieval centre of the university the buildings are a lovely warm honey coloured stone and reminded us a lot of Spain’s oldest university in Salamanca.
We wandered between the buildings to the Bridge of Sighs, yes Oxford has one too. This bridge crosses a street not a river, connecting two university buildings. If you’re a Morse or Endeavour fan you will know it well.
Across from here is the 350-year old Sheldonian Theatre, designed by Sir Christopher Wren – a former student at the university. It’s used for concerts and graduation ceremonies and from the top there is a beautiful panoramic view of the city.
38 colleges make up the historic University of Oxford and I was keen to visit one of the most well-known, Christ Church. Andrew had had his dose of culture for the day and opted to look around the shops while I went through the college. It is an incredible cultural institution with a rich history. The most impressive part of the visit was the Great Hall where the academics dine each day and banquets are held on special occasions. The hall is huge, seating 300 people for meals, and is lined with magnificent portraits of famous and influential alumni, including the college’s founder King Henry VIII. It is this hall that was used as inspiration for the Hogwarts’ dining hall in the Harry Potter films, replicated in detail on set. The hall may have been recreated on set but the stunning fan-vaulted staircase leading to the doorway appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, as the spot where Professor McGonagall welcomes Harry.
Outside the Great Hall, past the expansive Tom Quad, is the beautiful 12th century cathedral with exquisite stained glass. Exams were underway and signs telling us to be extra quiet were dotted around the college.
It had rained heavily while I was in the college and a very damp Andrew met me at the gate. We walked back to the car and went off to find our B&B and get Mr Love into some dry clothes. That evening we walked along the Thames and watched the canal boats go through a lock. The lock attendant was only too happy to explain the workings of the canal before we were interrupted by a terrific thunderstorm and had to run for shelter in a riverside pub.
We enjoyed Oxford, but preferred Cambridge. Oxford is Cambridge’s sophisticated older sister, polished in appearance and decorum. Cambridge is the free-spirited, eccentric academic.
Back to Kent & on to Malvern
The next day we headed south, back to Lyminge in Kent for Mark’s surprise party. It was a great weekend spent with family – the party was a hit and lots of fun, and we enjoyed our time staying with Andrew’s cousin Jane and her husband Tony in their lovely home.
While we were back in Kent we swapped vehicles. We are using a Europcar long-term rental which is significantly cheaper than their standard rental. However, we couldn’t get a car for longer than 84 days on the one contract so needed to change vehicles at some stage during our stay. We had arranged to do the swap in Dover, where we had originally picked up the vehicle, getting a new car to take us on the remainder of our UK trip. Our very ordinary navy Fiat hatchback was swapped for a much cooler compact SUV – Citroën C3 Aircross in black with white trim. That would do nicely!
Early on Sunday morning we said our goodbyes and hit the road. We had arranged to meet the couple we were house-sitting for next at their home near Upton upon Severn. Conveniently this house-sit is very close to where my sister’s in-laws live in Malvern and we could stay the night with them before heading off around Wales for a week. Patience was away for the evening so after a walk in the Malvern Hills, admiring the expansive views across Worcestershire and Herefordshire, Robin took us out for dinner at his favourite pub. After dinner, as the sun was setting, we went walking again, this time up to the site of some old fortifications that looked a lot like a Pa site. Despite Mr Love grumbling about a short walk turning into a climb he agreed it was a beautiful time of day to be out. No torches needed – the twilight lasts so long in this part of the world.
The next morning, we were off for a week in Wales.
