A day off from cricket today so the group is splitting up to do their own thing.   Some are going to Coventry to see the cathedral, others are off an a stream train ride and I am heading in to Warwick to have a look at the castle.   Warwick is only 2 miles away from Leamington Spa so its a quick trip there with the Harrisons and the Phillips. Takes us longer to find a car park than it did to get there but eventually we are there.

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle developed from an original built by William the Conqueror in 1068 situated on a bend of the River Avon . The original wooden motte-and-bailey castle was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. During the Hundred Years War, the facade opposite the town was refortified, resulting in one of the most recognisable examples of 14th century military architecture. It was used as a stronghold until the early 17th century, when it was granted to Sir Fulke Greville by James I in 1604. Greville converted it to a country house and it was owned by the Greville family, who became Earls of Warwick in 1759, until 1978 when it was bought by the Tussauds Group.   It has a fascinating history, particularly the role of Warwick - The King Maker.   If you are interested, read all about it here......http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwick_Castle

Its an interesting place but too "family friendly" for my liking.   Bryony would call it Disneyland Castle and there are way too many people here for me to feel comfortable. I share Bryony's dislike of crowds and crowded places so I eventually bid farewell to the others and tell them i'll catch a bus back to Leamington Spa . At the bus centre I find two buses, both going to Leamington. I choose one and of course the other is the one that goes direct. My bus winds its way through the outskirts of Warwick and down what appears to be about 100 little side streets and laneways. About a half hour later, I have completed the two-mile (as the crow flies) trip back to Leamington.. I should have gone with the crow.

I have a wander around the beautiful gardens that are set out alongside the River Leam. Another half hour is spent in the Royal Pump Rooms. These were the most famous of several spa baths opened in Leamington between the late-18th and mid-19th centuries. People would travel from throughout the country, and indeed Europe, to benefit from treatments using the town's healing waters. When 'taking the waters' became less fashionable after the mid-19th century the Pump Rooms became Leamington's only surviving spa facility, later also being extended to include the town's public swimming pool . After a major redevelopment in 1997 - 99 the building now houses Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, a public library, a Tourist Information Centre, café and assembly rooms.

A chiili and lime chicken wrap for a late lunch and then its time to join up the crew going out to Eastnor Castle for the Jools Holland concert. I'm driving as the Queenslander car has been designated for this event. With me are Murray and Anne Harrison, their daughter Claire who is visiting them from London and Stirling.   The other Queensland boys are visiting the laundry this afternoon and I am grateful to them for doing my washing as well.

Jools Holland, is a British pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter.
He was a founder of the band Squeeze and since 1992, he has hosted Later... with Jools Holland, a music-based show aired on BBC2, on which his annual show Hootenanny is based.
He also regularly hosts the weekly programme Jools Holland on BBC Radio 2, which is a mix of live and recorded music and general chat and features studio guests, along with members of his orchestra . The concert is being held in the deer park in the grounds of Eastnor Castle, which is about a 75 minute drive from our current base.   Turns out to be a great venue on a slightly sloping hill which gives everybody a great view of the stage. We estimate there is somewhere in the vicinity of seven or eight thousand people there. I hire some plastic chairs and a table to take all the goodies that the Harrisons have supplied for an evening picnic and for the bottles of wine that Stirling has supplied.

The music and atmosphere is fantastic, the only downer being a rain shower that lasted for about 20 minutes.   No rain had been forecast - in fact we have only seen one rainy day in the two weeks we have been here - so plenty of people were caught out and got wet, including all of us.   It was hard work keeping the eyes open for the 75 minute drive back home but we all arrived safely just after midnight and I think everyone has been grateful for a rest from the cricket during such a heavy schedule.   Oh well, back into it tomorrow.