So, I spent quite a bit of time in Huntingdon, England and decided to write a bit about it. Huntingdon is a nice little town with quick highway access and everything you need like shopping, pubs, a pedestrian zone and the city is quite well organized. I stayed in a nice house while I lived in Huntingdon as you can see here, more on this later.
I visited a couple of festivals, chatted with the locals, sampled the food and purchased souvenirs as any good tourist would do. I also stayed in an upscale hotel in Hitchingbrook once and had a nice time. I will cover these events in more detail on the subordinate pages.
The Manor & Hotel Alconbury: I’ve been here several times over the years and enjoyed the Pub experience and the meals as well.
The first time a bunch of us met in the evening for work as someone mentioned that you could order a steak and they gave you a hot stone to cook it on. I thought this was an interesting concept so I followed along and ordered a steak to see the hot stone in action. They bring the steak partially cooked, medium rare I believe and you can cook it to the point you wish. It brings an added experience to the meal and I rather enjoyed it. The meal was great and we ended up staying several hours enjoying the environment.
The next time we just stopped by to say hello as one of the people i was traveling with knows the owner. He is quite friendly and we spent an hour or so chatting with the locals. While there I learned they serve venison so we decided to get a group together and try it along with the hot rock again. You have to order venison in advance as it turns out a local butcher has to get the meat through someone who has a special license to hunt deer. Weapons and hunting in England are a whole other issue and I won’t go into it here but suffice it to say they are a bit more strict than in the states.
Anyhow, we pre-ordered the venison and showed up a few days later with quite a large group and the were waiting. They had to coordinate who ordered what and then prepare the meals as they knew what we ordered but not the exact time we would show up, just a window. So we sat and had some drinks (pop,coffee etc) and waited for the main course. One thing I like and had to get used to when overseas is the speed with which things are served. You have time to have a conversation before the meal arrives and it took about 30 minutes or so. This is much different than a typical American restaurant experience where the get the meal to you as soon as possible. The venison arrived along with the hot stone and I got to work, cooking it to my taste and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I think the meal and desserts experience lasted 2 or three hours and I had a nice relaxing meal with a bunch of friends and co-workers.
I forgot to mention that in the rear of the place is what once was an enormous tree that lightning hit I think. So, some time after that someone carved animals and faces into the sides of what remained. It is a nice place to get a meal and I recommend it.
RIverfest: I think I mentioned somewhere that the British love festivals of all types as do most cultures I’ve found. Turns out the Americans haven’t cornered the market and good thing too. A bonus I love about the festivals in England is the tie in to history which is completely fascinating. This one was held on the river in Huntingdon, England.
The whole thing was laid out on I believe fair grounds or a large park situated on the river in Huntingdon. There was plenty of parking and the fee was reasonable so I stopped in to look around. As is the norm there were vendors of all types but here it appears most were selling home made food, drink and crafts. There were also games and events in the center of the grounds so as you walked the perimeter and browsed the tents you wouldn’t miss the festivities. I, of course wandered into every tent and sampled what I could. Oh, one thing I especially loved was the tents resembled what you see associated medieval England and activities involving knights and jousting.
Many of the people were also dressed in period clothing to make the event even more interesting. I sampled honey, a barley drink (I haven’t ever seen anything like this in the U.S so I had to try it. It was great and I wish it was sold back home). I also tried some local cider, bread, cheese and meet. I ended up purchasing some things to mail home so my family could also sample the local food.
I was there most of the day, wandering through the tents, watching the races and medieval events staged by the locals and enjoyed the entire thing. This was one of many such events I discovered and attended while I lived in England and I highly recommend you attend if you are ever touring the British Isles.
Mariott Hitchingbrooke –This is a high end hotel in Hitchingbrooke which is adjacent to Huntingdon.
I felt like royalty as when I arrived my room wasn’t ready so they let me into the dining area for some complimentary drinks and light snacks. The staff at the front desk were very friendly and one of them was from Hungary which I found particularly interesting. I mean, how do you come from Hungary and end up there? Opportunity I guess, seems she started working at a hotel in Hungary, Budapest I believe and this was part of some career progression. The place was great with a pool, jacuzzi, small gym and restaurant. The drive-up was covered and valet parking was provided in case you felt important or were in a hurry or just because.
The rooms were very comfortable, large beds and the rooms were immaculate. I changed and went down to the pool to try it out along with the sauna and jacuzzi, and loved it. Ended up having a conversation with some of the locals who use the place to get away from the rut of life.
It is a luxurious vacation away from home but close to home at the same time. I was only there for a few days as I moved on but my stay was pleasant and everyone there was friendly and helpful.
Just like everywhere I’ve traveled the Brits like festivals and they either make up a reason or reach back in history. While I was in Huntingdon they hosted a couple of festivals, this one had a historical feel to it with the people all dressed up in some type of period costume from their past. Here you can see people gathered around to watch I believe a joust and some period actors recreating activities from their past. They also had some vendors dressed in period clothing making food from their past and selling it. Of course I tried some of it and believe they did a tremendous job. The spices weren’t as prevalent as we have today or at least in the states but nevertheless, it was good.
Back to the festivals. As I walked the grounds of the Riverfest there were people set up demonstrating activities like cooking, tool making, food preservation, weaponry and I think there was even a bit of falconry. Here you can see areas of the ground with the tents and activities underway. There were some people that even made a week of it and stayed on the grounds in their own tents and really got in to the celebratory mood.
The festival was located adjacent to the river, the day was sunny and there were plenty of activities for all ages. I saw a few performers acting out scenes from the past like a trial, dancing, jousting , and weapons demonstrations. Some of these pictures give you a feel for the area the festival covered. It was a park or parade ground that ran along the eastern part of the city.
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