Today is the Summer Bank Holiday. More importantly for us, it is the day each year when we celebrate our anniversary. Choosing a bank holiday for this means that we always have the day free to spend as we wish.

We also used to celebrate today as the “official birthday” of our beloved Freya and though she is no longer here, we remember her with affection.

A thoughtful stare
Photo by Tigger

We started with a stroll to the deli, passing round Myddelton Square. Here we were in luck, managing to spot one of the cats who live there. We were the object of a thoughtful stare.

Pigeon flypast

Quite by chance, someone or something disturbed “my friends” (the garden’s pigeons) who flew up as a flock almost as though they were performing a flypast in honour of our anniversary.

Sitting outside the deli

We took coffee at the deli and sat outside. It’s a grey day today, with rain threatening (as usual on a British bank holiday), and it did start spitting while we were drinking our coffee.

Nothing daunted, we set out on foot to a destination we had in mind for this special day. Tigger took us on a roundabout path through the backstreets and even though I couldn’t quite see how this would lead us to where we wanted to go, I trusted Tigger and her “Inner Pigeon”.

Old Royal Free Hospital

We passed through the housing estate established in the grounds that were once those of the Royal Free Hospital and this brought us out exactly where we wanted to be.

Bellanger’s Brasserie

This was Bellanger’s Brasserie, reopened after closure during the pandemic. I mentioned this favourite place of ours recently (see A ticket but no squirrels) and said we looked forward to visiting it again.

We thought they might be booked up solid but we were in luck because we were early. We could have a table if we limited our time there to an hour and a quarter. That’s plenty of time for us!

Inside Bellanger’s

The food was as good as ever and the staff friendly and attentive. We enjoyed it greatly. Afterwards, we returned home and will stay in now for dthe rest of the day. Happy anniversary, Tigger!

We did our usual shopping run to Sainsbury’s this morning during which I photographed some familiar scenes:

Farmers’ Market

Going through Chapel Market

Waiting for our coffee in Mercer’s

After lunch, we went out and started, as per usual, with…

Sitting outside Myddelton’s deli

…coffee at the deli.

King’s Cross Station

We then took a bus to King’s Cross and..,

Aboard the 46

…there boarded a 46 bus.

Rosslyn Hill

This deposited us on Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead. We started walking down the hill.

Posh houses

The houses here are quite posh. Photograph with caution (it worries their owners because they think you’re casing the joint…)

St Stephen’s Church

You can photograph the churches, though, as God doesn’t seem to mind.

At this junction, Rosslyn Hill gives way to Haverstock Hill.

Cabmen’s shelter

There has been a cabmen’s shelter here since at least Victorian times as it’s mentioned in a story by H G Wells, though I forget which one. It looks closed at present.

Old Town Hall

This is the old town hall at Belsize Park. I remember seeing weddings here but it now seems to have been “repurposed”.

Costa

We popped into Costa for rest and refreshment.

Tea

I had tea to make a change from coffee.

Belsize Park tube station

Belsize Park has a tube station on the Northern Line.

Queen Victoria pillar box

We found this pillar box with the cypher of Queen Victoria on it. That it is still in use goes to show how well made these boxes are. Unfortunately, this one has been allowed to fall into a poor state. (In case you’re wondering, it’s the pillar box that is leaning, not my photo that is crooked!)

Art Deco apartment block

At this lower end of the hill, the posh houses have long given way to modern apartment blocks. This Art Deco one is less ugly than many of the others.

The Sir Richard Steele

This pub is not coy about displaying its name. In case you are as ignorant as I am, I will mention that Sir Richard Steele was an Irish playwright, poet and politician. (Perhaps you knew this but I had to look him up.)

Chalk Farm tube station

We reached Chalk Farm with its tube station. The origin of the name, Chalk Farm, is uncertain and subject to argument. More information about that will be found here.

The Roundhouse

We came to the Roundhouse, which is a Grade II* listed building, and decided it was time to start back. We took the first of two buses at a nearby stop.

Resting pigeon

We changed buses in Camden Town and, near the bus stop, spied this pigeon resting and watching the world go by.

Aboard a 214

We soon boarded a 214 bus that carried us back to the Angel and home. I noticed that the pigeon also flew off, though where he was going, I do not know.

We may have been away from home only from Tuesday to Friday but I awoke this morning to the usual with a slight but pleasant tinge of novelty. Like the cat, I feel happiest on my home turf.

Sunshine in Myddelton Square

After leisurely start to the day, we took a stroll through Myddelton Square to the deli.

A fire appliance

We saw a fire appliance creeping slowly round the square and later…

What’s the fire crew doing?

…we saw the crew doing something to water outlets in the street. What? Testing them, perhaps?

Coffee at the deli

We found a table at the deli and drank our coffee in familiar surroundings once again.

Cutting through the gardens

By the time we had finished our coffee, it had started spitting with rain so we thought we had better go directly home. On the way, we cut through the gardens of Myddelton Square.

Another leak?

As we went, we noticed these excavations dug by Thames Water. Have they found yet another leak? One has the impression that the water distribution network is steadily crumbling away.

Duncan Terrace Gardens

After lunch, the weather looked better so we went out for a leisurely stroll and walked through Duncan Terrace Gardens which we have not visited for a while.

A squirrel claims a share

Someone was feeding the pigeons but then a squirrel came along to claim a share and, as you can see, he was in luck.

Duncan Street

We walked up Duncan Street to arrive at…

Upper Street

…a busy Upper Street. Tigger proposed going to Caffè Nero for tea and toasted teacakes. I was happy to agree!

In Caffè Nero

The coffee shop was busy but Tigger found a vacant table while I was ordering at the counter.

Tea and toasted teacakes

The little slices of butter come straight from the fridge and are therefore hard to spread even though the teacakes are warm.

Just then, my sister called from Canada. She had called yesterday when we were on the train and I had put her off because, with my hearing and the racket of train noise, I would have had difficulty coping with a phone call. I therefore didn’t want to put her off again and so went ahead with the call. It probably annoyed other customers because I have my phone on loudspeaker in order to hear better.

The pigeons of Culpeper Park

To return home, we made a loop round to Culpeper Park where I took a photo of “my friends” (dixit Tigger), the resident pigeons. Someone had put food out for them and they were happily feasting, a cheerful image to end with.

When it was time, we collected our bags and strolled across to the station.

The Old Ticket Office

There was a live departures board in the hotel lounge so we knew that our train would depart from platform 8. Thither we went via the footbridge though we took the lift at both ends.

On the platform

Three trains arrived here in quick succession, 16:11, 16:14 and 16:20 so the platform was busy with people coming and going. Our train was the last of the above three. Our tickets are for this train only but we do not have reserved seats. That turned out not to be a problem as there were relatively few passengers and plenty of vacant seats. The rack, too, was large enough for our cases.

Aboard the train

We can now relax and wait to be delivered to Liverpool Street Station where we can take the bus for the final leg of the journey.

A view from the window

There is landscape to watch rushing past the window and the train stops at several stations en route. Even so, every minute carries us closer to London and further away from Cambridge. As we went out of Cambridge on two of our four days, we saw relatively little of the town itself so we will need to catch up with it another time.

We have arrived

We arrive at Liverpool Street and join the crowds on the platform

Moving through the station

We cross the station to the upper street level and the bus terminal.

Lurking

Our bus is lurking but will move to join us in two minutes.

Aboard the 153

We bus came and we hauled our suitcases and ourselves aboard.

Back at the Angel

Here we are back at the Angel and home.

It is the end of the trip but we have a long weekend ahead of us with the bank holiday on Monday. “Normal life” will resume soon enough but in the meantime, let’s keep the holiday spirit while we can!

We awoke to what seems likely to be another dull day. It is also our last on this trip. As our train leaves only this afternoon, we have the morning free. We have settled on a visit to Saffron Walden.

Hotel lounge

We handed in our room keys and arranged to leave our suitcases in the hotel until train time. For breakfast today, went to the hotel lounge.

Coffee and croissants
Photo by Tigger

We had our usual coffee and croissants. (Yes, Tigger breaks hers into pieces.)

Off we go!

At the appointed hour, we went to the bus stop and caught a number 7 bus,

Through villages

The bus follows a circuitous route through towns and villages.

We arrive

After about an hour, we arrived at Saffron Walden, The settlement has a long history (possibly going back to the Neolithic Age). The first part of its name comes from the 16th and 17th centuries when it was a centre for the cultivation of the saffron crocus (crocus sativus). As Wikipedia explains, “The stigmas of the flower were used in medicines, as a condiment, in perfume, as an expensive yellow dye, and as an aphrodisiac.” The second part derives from two Anglo-Saxon words, wealh (“foeigner”, i.e. “native Briton”) and denu (“vale” or “valley”), hence “Valley of the (native) Britons”.

As this was a flying visit, we didn’t have time to investigate fully so I will just post a few pictures.

Lunch

We stopped here for lunch. The weather had improved sufficiently for us to sit outside.

Colourful old houses in Gold Street

Then we walked through the backstreets to the High Street and the stop for the number 7 bus at 1:16.

A view from the bus stop

I took a last look down the High Street with the steeple of St Mary’s Church in the background.

Aboard the number 7

The bus came and took us on the hour’s journey back to Cambridge.

Back at the hotel

We have returned to the hotel where we have collected our cases and are relaxing over coffee in the hotel lounge while waiting for for it to be time to cross to the station and board our train.