Our Time at the McFord House

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Tired after our busy day before, we woke up too late for breakfast! Thankfully, the kind English inkeeper offered us some bacon sandwiches. Mmmmm. After eating, we headed out to the village where the bubonic plague was stopped, Eyam. We toured the museum and learned much about the plague, its origins, how it spread, and some amusing "cures", such as putting a shaved pigeon on infected areas.

We then departed for Finmere, a small, quaint village, seeming to include merely a few houses, a pub and a school. Upon our arrival at the McFord House, we were warmly greeted by one of our friends, and then got right back into action. At this point the men took to a bike ride of over 40 km, while the ladies went to a nearby antique store, both parties making stops at local pubs. We went for diner at one of the previously visited pubs, and ate the fish and chips required for a full English experience.

The next morning we were awoken by the smell of gourmet breakfast. This was a great start to another day full of adventure, including a ramble of over 10 km. Rambling is a unique activity in which you are legally allowed to walk through (what we would call trespassing) people's backyards and fields full of livestock, opening and closing gates along the way. On this trek, acting GPS, Jon lead the way (from a trail map, without a real GPS). After finally emerging from the countryside, with minimal GPS error, we were greeted by the sight of Blenheim Palace. The palace was very impressive. It was the birthplace of Winston Churchill, and was named after a famous victory won by one of his predecessors.

The next day, all were ready to explore new locations for rambling. With our friends in the lead, we headed to Slaughter and Bourton-on-the-water. Halfway through our hike/photoshoot, seeing horses and more sheep, our energy and spirits were lifted through getting long awaited handmade ice cream. Along with rambling, another interesting discovery was that churches are open to the public for touring. At the one we went to on that ramble, there were pens, bookmarks, chocolate bars and more for sale, yet no one was inside manning the store, it seemed to work on an honour system. That evening we watched the Argentinians get defeated by the Germans in the World Cup whilst trying to befriend the cats of the house, it was the last night at the McFord House (Thanks a lot Guys!).

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