Last Friday I was totally undecided where to visit next on my quest to visit all the counties in England…should I visit Suffolk or Northamptonshire…first world problems I know! In the end, visiting the cute little village of Stoke Bruerne in Northamptonshire seemed the perfect Saturday excursion as I’ve always wanted to go on a Canal Boat Ride…and a Canal Boat Holiday for that matter.
Northamptonshire is pretty darn close to Bedfordshire so I was in the county in just over 30 minutes (thanks to good traffic on the M1) and managed to arrive before the sleepy little village of Stoke Bruerne decided to wake up…nothing opens before 11am it seems. Needing a cup of tea and change for the parking meter, I ended up in the pub carpark at The Boat Inn talking to Elaine who was also in need of a cuppa…we ended up nattering over a pot of tea for over an hour and talking about my quest. Talking to strangers is always a good idea as Elaine has given me some fabulous tips on places to visit (thank you Elaine…she now follows my blog page on Facebook…Hi Elaine *waves*).
Saying ciao to Elaine, I went for a wander around the village…taking photos of thatched little cottages…
…walking under bridges to snap a photo of another pub (no post office or village shop but there’s two pubs…welcome to England!) and what a wonderful spot to enjoy a lunch during the summer months!
I may have taken photos of doors….AGAIN…I’ll just get them all out of the way now…here’s…
^^This one should be called Twiggy
…another…
…lot…
…of…
….door photos! The owner of the above door popped his head out of the top window and asked if I was okay (Translation: what are you doing you moron photographing my house)…I replied, just taking a photo of your lovely door…he responded, okay (Translation: You’re a weirdo, now bugger off please).
Spring has almost sprung which I’m pretty happy about…hello daffodils…I love all the spring flowers!
I wandered around the tiny streets of Stoke Bruerne and I’m pretty sure the locals were all curtain twitching wondering why I was taking photos of their little houses…that’s the best thing about getting off the well beaten tourist track…the experience is far more rewarding and giggle worthy.
^^^Hello Little England with fields of cute fluffy sheep in the background (they look cute from a distance and yes this Kiwi is afraid of sheep!)
Stoke Bruerne is located on the Grand Union Canal (and you can take Canal Boat holidays on this canal!)
^^My shadow selfie (it wasn’t planned at all)
Elaine had told me that they offer canal boat rides down to the Blisworth tunnel and so I went to investigate and for a rather cheap £3.50 I had a ride down the Grand Union Canal…
…to the tunnel…
…and enjoyed the views of the countryside…
…and the other canal boats.
The guys running the tour are fantastic and are so funny; they love what they do and it shows! These are the boys in action on the next tour.
I decided to walk down the canal…
…to the see the stained glass shop and blacksmith located by the tunnel so I retraced the canal boat ride back down (it’s a very easy walk)..….I had a little snoop inside the shop selling stained glass, there’s something so beautiful about stained glassed that I just want to replace all my boring double glazed windows (practical no but beautiful!)…
…and then checked the blacksmiths…seriously hasn’t he got the most gorgeous face…
…I had a snoop inside to see what he was selling as well…it’s interesting to see them at work and it’s sad to think that this is a dying trade.
Heading back towards the museum, I stopped to take a few hundred photos of the canal boats as they just looked so pretty…
…and so English…
…I still can’t get over how many English people don’t go and explore their own beautiful country when you see scenes like this!
In need of some food, I popped into the cafe inside the museum however the gluten free options were limited to a cup of tea and a mars bar…you’ll eat anything when you get hungry for lunch. There were jars of old fashioned English sweets to tempt you as well but I refrained…trying to stay away from refined sugar…and I may have just eaten a mars bar.
The museum is quite expensive for what it is however it’s interesting to wander through it if you have some time…it gives a history to the local area, about the community that used to run the canal boats and all their traditions…
…plus the views over the canal are gorgeous!
And just when you think this little village couldn’t get any cuter…there’s a thatched pub on one side of the canal…and on the opposite is a rather yummy smelling Indian restaurant…what more could you want!
Stoke Bruerne is a picture perfect spot for a picnic in the sunshine, just remember to bring your own food as there isn’t a village shop…just a cafe which isn’t that gluten free friendly unfortunately.
There’s a lot to see in Northamptonshire including visiting the English Heritage property, Kirby Hall and two of my favourite castles, Rockingham Castle and Deene Park.
What’s your New Year’s Resolution? Where do you suggest I visit in your home county?
xx
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