The flight leaving Cape Town was an overnight one back to London, so we started the day as we had throughout our stay—by taking a long walk along Britannia Beach one last time. Afterward, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch back at the cottage before gathering our things and loading up the car for the final time. We then headed about 170 km south to the airport. After a reflective and incident-free journey of just under two hours, we handed the car back and made our way to the lounge before boarding the flight. Rachel managed to sleep most of the way… me, not so much.
Upon arrival in London, we were reunited with our one case (we’ve successfully transitioned to one medium-sized case and two cabin bags). We picked up the car, then made a visit to see Chris for a good catch-up while he worked his magic on us with haircuts. After that, we dropped in to see an old friend before heading to Cobham, where Rachel kindly allowed us to disrupt her life for a few days. I spent the day in Guildford while Rachel had a day at her office in Crowthorne.
Seb and Ally had rented a cottage for the weekend and invited Rachel, Mum, and me to spend the weekend with them in the Cotswolds, extra special for mum as she lived there before moving to Cambridge. We made our way across the country from Cambridge and arrived at Medlar Cottage in Daylesford Village. The village is privately owned and forms part of a collection of properties located within a two-mile radius of the Daylesford Organic Farm, which has won several awards and aims to become the world’s first fully self-sufficient farm.
After settling into the lovely little cottage, we got ready for dinner. We picked Seb up from a nearby train station, as he’d spent the day in London, and then headed to the Wild Rabbit in Kingham, where we were treated to a fantastic food experience. The service was a bit slow, but we all had plenty to talk about. Feeling pretty tired, we headed to bed early, knowing that little Arlo would be expecting a good walk and our undivided attention the next day.
After a hearty breakfast, we set off for a very eventful walk, where Ally, who had taken on the role of scout leader, guided us through what could only be described as a swamp. With none of the Cambridge crew wearing wellies, poor Seb had to play the part of packhorse, helping us through the deepest bits. Feeling that we’d certainly earned our lunch, we stopped at the famed Daylesford Farm Shop during our walk and enjoyed some delicious risotto.
There are some great restaurants in the Cotswolds, and particularly in this area. So, we decided on dinner at The Fox, which didn’t quite eclipse the previous night’s meal, but was still very good nonetheless. We were all checked out by 11:00 AM, and to top off the weekend, Christien drove down to meet us after arriving from Tokyo. As we walked Arlo, he had us all in stitches with his stories and escapades. After a lovely family lunch at the Farm Restaurant, which, again, was delicious, we all headed our separate ways, marking the end of another memorable family gathering.
Dream Chasers 