A British bookshop hates to see me coming

This email is part of a travelogue series I’m sending sporadically during my travels this month. Regular editions of Wishful Working will resume later in January.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope you have enjoyed some time off, with lots of rest and little treats. I can’t believe it has already been nearly three weeks since we arrived in Southampton and began the UK “road trip” portion of our holiday. We’ve packed so much into this trip, starting with our first stop: Bristol.

Bristol

After hiring our rental car, we drove directly from Southampton docks to Bristol. On this first day, we were both a bit rusty in our respective roles of driver (Dawson) and navigator (me), but we eventually made our way into the city center, parked, and started exploring the harbor area.

The weather felt very British — chilly, cloudy, drizzly. We wandered the harbor area and walked* to look at the famous suspension bridge (*climbed a very steep hill in the pouring rain). By the time the sun set at 4pm, we were nearly soaked. Our journey to our hotel took at least twice as long as Google’s estimate, thanks to the rain, the dark, the confusing Bristol lane markings (or lack thereof), the rush hour traffic, and my abysmal navigational instructions (“That way!” I shouted, gesturing incomprehensibly at an intersection. Sorry to my husband.)

Needless to say, our first road trip day was not the most fun. 😂 But it was an adventure, and we slept quite well that night. 

Wales

After Bristol, we dipped into Wales for two days. Dawson wanted to visit a particular Welsh castle — Castell Coch — and I wanted to visit the Welsh “town of books,” Hay-on-Wye. We got some decent weather (even sunshine!) after our soggy day in Bristol, and we got more comfortable driving and navigating. In fact, one of our favorite things about our time in Wales was the beautiful drive through Brecon Beacons National Park. I would love to return someday and do some walking/hiking there.

Hay-on-Wye was a huge hit for both of us. There are over twenty bookshops in this little town, and we went to most of them. Shockingly, I only bought one book — a vintage edition of a C.S. Lewis book for my collection. I love buying books, but they are undeniably heavy souvenirs. I knew I should pace myself during such a long trip. However, I tend to buy as many art prints, magnets, tote bags, and enamel pins as my heart desires because they’re light and easier to pack. When I get home, I might do a “by the numbers” recap of this trip 😂

The Cotswolds

From Wales, we drove to the Cotswolds. We stayed in Bourton-on-the-Water (how fun are these town names?), which was an extremely quaint town, and we spent a few days exploring the area. We really like the tv show Clarkson’s Farm, so we especially enjoyed visiting the farm shop and pub. It was funny to pull into the parking lot at the shop and recall the episode(s) they spent begging the local government for permission to build that very parking lot.

An unexpected highlight for me was the model village in Bourton, a strikingly accurate and detailed 1/9 scale replica of the village of Bourton. Models and miniatures are just so cute!

York

For me, York is always going to be the main event of a trip to the UK. In 2015/2016, I spent a year living near York, so visits to York are very special and nostalgic. It’s such a beautiful city full of history and character and magic. I love returning to my favorite cafes, shops, and scenic spots.

I also love visiting friends in the York area, and this trip was full of wonderful visits. We got to stay a few nights with the host family I lived with ten years ago, and we spent Christmas with another family I’ve stayed in touch with through the years. Long distance friendships are bittersweet, and time together is precious. It’s fun to go home with a suitcase full of art prints and books and other souvenirs, but I’m even more glad to go home with a heart full of new memories to cherish.

Next stop: London! We just arrived, and we have a few busy days ahead of us. The next time you hear from me, I’ll likely be back in Canada! I plan to wrap up this travel series with a note about London and some final reflections.

See you soon,

Kara

Kara Detwiller is a writer and creative based in small-town Saskatchewan. She specializes in long-form content writing for enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, and manufacturing clients. She is also working on her first novel, among other creative pursuits. To connect, reply to this email or find Kara on LinkedIn.