We had plans today to visit Wightwick Manor a national trust property in Wolverhampton and Boscopol House an English Heritage property in Bishops Wood Staffordshire for our final leg of this trip.

Wightwick Manor is a bust as the parking is tight and limited with definitely no space for a motorhome. After some manoeuvres to exit the carpark we drive onto Boscobel House which thankfully is much quieter and with suitable parking. The house is famous for sheltering King Charles II in a priest hole back in 1651 when fleeing for his life after his Civil War defeat at the Battle of Worcester.

It also has a famous oak tree. Well a third generation of the oak tree planted in the same spot as the one the King hid in before he made it to the priest hole. At the time it was a tree in a forest but now it’s standing alone alongside a smaller oak planted back in 2001 by the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, and grown from an acorn of the original oak tree.

After a wander around the gardens we have a cuppa and share a slice of Victoria Sponge before the short drive to Penkridge.

We are staying alongside the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal on the carpark of The Boat Inn. After a cuppa we wander along the canal and are rather excited when we spot a narrow boat going through the lock. T gets to help close the lock gate too.

We walk into Penkridge and enjoy a cosy fireside pint in the Star Inn. It’s busy. Back to the Boat Inn for dinner and a drink, our ‘payment’ for using the carpark. We watch the last three episodes of the Netflix series The Stranger to end our final evening. Home tomorrow.

An enjoyable albeit damp, windy and occasionally stormy Autumn adventure.

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