Stone City

I got off at Stamford and found myself in the middle of an old and rather desolate train station situated in the middle of a residential area. No welcoming ticket office or information center, and I made a full circle around the station before finding a useful map. Off I went, suitcase in toe, for the city center. At the information center – the most useful part of any city – I discovered I had come to the stone city that was transformed into Merryton for the most recent production of Pride and Prejudice. I grabbed some brochures and wheeled my way to 40 Casterton Road.
I lugged my suitcase through the gate and up the winding stairs. I rang the bell and was answered by the barking of dogs. I rang again. The dogs responded in kind. I double-checked the street signs and my travel information. Everything seemed in to be in order. I began snooping around. Through the windows I saw a sunroom, a morning breakfast nook, a Christmas tree and fireplace. The longer I looked the more I desired to be inside. After finishing my lunch on the swing outside the house I took action. It was nearly teatime and my face was getting cold. Leaving my suitcase I decided to try the neighbors: 38 Casteron was deserted, 36 was being renovated. I walked up 34 and was greeted by Jan Power, a friendly young woman who was new to Stamford herself. Defying the coolness attributed to the British, she asked me in for a cup of tea and biscuits. We talked for over an hour and eventually got a hold of Bill and Carol, who had lost my arrival information and were returning from town.
I spent the afternoon and evening in the B&B as the sole guest of my hosts. Though my room was delightful, I opted to spend my first few hours curled in front of the fireplace with a cat named Tootsie. That night I slept soundly and alone for the first time in over three months. How lovely.

The next day I woke to an enormous breakfast of cereal, coffee, scones, croissants, orange juice, bacon, eggs and toast. I finished nearly all of it and found no need to buy lunch. Having looked through some brochures the night before, I took a walk to the Elizabethan mansion of Burghley House, which was used as Lady Catharine’s house in Pride and Prejudice, and rightly so. The house is located about a mile outside of town and surrounded by a large park landscaped by Lancelot “Capability” Brown. The frosty morning, and rolling countryside dotted with sheep and islands of forest gave me my own Austen-type experience.
An hour or two later and I followed a tour map through town, stopping at an antique store, the Stamford museum, and a number of churches and lovely old buildings. Inside St. George’s I found a display of miniature Christmas trees and nativities along with a Christmas card sale. My camera was frequently pulled out. I’ve become quite the happy tourist of small English towns. A few Christmas purchases later I headed back to the B & B to prepare for a departure I wasn’t quite ready to make.