Hoo, Medway, England; Who is Hoo?
November 22, 2023
Mestre, Italy; Venice, But Not As You Know It
December 1, 2023Ware is a town and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England.
Where? No, Ware!
Much the same as the word-play in my previous post, when I mentioned that I wanted to go to Ware, I was met with the response, “where”? It became a comedy of errors trying to establish whether my intent was understood or if everyone thought I was still joking about the location.
Eventually proving my point on the map that it was a real place, a family day out resulted in a detour to Ware.
Made It
Once we came off the A10, we found Baldock Street car park, threw on our coats and headed off.
Situated alongside the River Lea, Ware has long been occupied (as far back as 4000BC). It’s said to have been one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in Europe. A fairly large Roman settlement here even had a temple. A Roman girl, now nicknamed Ermintrude, was found on the Ermin Street. Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London (Londinium) to Lincoln (Lindum Colonia) and York (Eboracum).
History Continued
St Mary’s church, dated between the 13th-15th centuries, is an amazing church. Highly detailed stained-glass windows and ornate chairs create an air of importance. There are pretty little patterns throughout, be sure to step a little closer to the windows and look at the finer carvings on the wooden pieces.
Ware Museum caught our attention but we arrived at closing time. Having said hello to the skeleton at the entrance, the volunteers enthusiastically gave us the opening times and suggested we return so we could fully appreciate what was on display. For a small space, there were a lot of displays on show.
Afters
We stopped at the café Milady for Italian cannoli and coffee. I had to choose pistachio, it’s my favourite. They tasted almost as good as the cannoli I ate in Venice!
To walk off the cake, we opted for a walk down by the river. A solid, flat path, it is a gentle walk. There are some interesting buildings dotted along, including 18th century riverside gazebos, designed to offer a peaceful escape from busy lives.
Conclusion
Having arrived a little late in the day, we only walked through the High Street but there is a menagerie of shops and restaurants.
Overall, Ware appears to have a lot more to offer than initially thought. Not a bad little detour, I shall certainly bear Ware in mind whenever I pass.
