Royston

I decided to venture outside the city limits again, this time to visit Samantha. I had been looking forward to visiting Samantha all week, so I was very glad to see that the weather was being co-operative. My great Royston adventure began at Chez Shelley with tea and croissants. Shelley has been my breakfast date for the last little while, my partner in croissant, shall we say. Shelley and I had many laughs, many cups of tea, and a few words about barnacles before we boarded the train to Royston. I know you will find it hard to believe that Shelley and I chatted all the way to the train station, chatted while we waited for the train on the platform, chatted during the entire train ride, and chatted as we walked through the exit gates. Normally, we are such quiet people. So chatty were we that we almost didn’t notice Samantha waiting for us!

Samantha had planned out the perfect Royston day for us. Our Royston adventure began with lunch at a lovely Italian restaurant that featured some amazing pizzas and some even more amazing puddings—Samantha knows us so well! We figured after such a delicious decadent lunch a bit of a walk was in order. Samantha played Royston tour guide, covering both historically significant places and Samantha-significant places. After exploring some of Royston’s fine streets, we descended into the depths of city—the Royston Cave. The Royston cave has all these cool chalk carvings by the Knights Templar. Seriously cool!

Upon surfacing, we decided we would head over to Samantha’s house for a bit of a sit and a bit of a chat. Samantha has a wonderfully calming and soothing home, with bright sunny south facing windows. Samantha’s home is so inviting that during our brief sit and chat, we noticed birds happily playing in her garden and witnessed a neighbour’s cat stroll into the living room, as if it belonged here in this little piece of Royston tranquility. Feeling and looking happy, Samantha deemed Shelley and me ready for the next installment of the Royston adventure. Samantha took us for a walk on the heath.

As it turns out, this was the perfect activity for Shelley, Samantha, and me. The heath is wild, beautiful, and full of things to see. It wasn’t long before Shelley was naming plants and chasing butterflies. It wasn’t long before was making friends with every random dog that came along the path. As you can see from these pictures, it looks like this heath was made for Samantha—she and the heath make a perfect picture (although I wasn't fast enough to catch her when she looked at the camera). I can see why she likes living in Royston!

After our walk, we headed back to Samantha’s house for a bit of a rest before boarding the train to Cambridge. We shared silly stories in Samantha’s living room over cups of refreshing mint tea (made from the heavenly mint that grows in Samantha’s garden). All in all, another perfect day trip!