Stratford, Shakespeare's birth place. It's not a place to go on a weekend or a Bank Holiday. You can't move for tourists. Whether it be USA, Japan, Spain or from just down the road like Birmingham or Coventry. The weekend arrives and everyone heads to Stratford. If the sun is shining it's even worse. It's always best to go in the week. Visitors from abroad are still present but there are a lot less local tourists which at least allows you some room to breathe.
If it wasn't for Shakespeare Stratford would be like any other town but it does have one thing that no one else does, The Butterfly Farm. This is where I went yesterday.
It's not the biggest of places and the entrance fee of just under £6.00 is possibly slightly too much but it is a marvellous place. Once in you are surrounded by exotic butterflies. Some big and some small and most brightly coloured. Like I say, it's not big and you could probably walk around it in a few minutes if you didn't stop to take it all in, but if you take a slow walk, following the path around the water feature, it is a great way to spend an hour or so.
If you are lucky the butterflies will land on you. There are also birds, Iguanas and a separate section which contains various other insects, reptiles and amphibians.
It's a great place and is also very relaxing although I imagine it can get very busy at times.
After the Butterfly Farm a stroll along the river and then a bag of chips in front of the theatre (still being renovated) was followed by a walk around the shops before heading home.
