Day 143, 24 November 2012, Day Trip! We all jumped on the train today to head to Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Given National Rail's penchant for working on the tracks on weekends, strictly speaking we walked to the station, caught a bus to Witham, a train to Ipswich and another train to Bury St Edmunds. The weather was gray and rainy but it certainly didn't hold the crowds back. The town itself was quaint and chock full of market stalls selling solid Christmas Fayre fare - mulled wine and German sausages featuring high on the menu. After exploring the Abbey ruins and the Cathedral, we stopped in a church hall for the economy version - only £1.50 for mulled wine! The Christmas lights were sparkling through the rain and darkness by 4 pm which certainly added to the atmosphere. We even tried to visit Britain's smallest public house ("pub") - The Nutshell. Unfortunately it was full (one of the hazards of being the smallest!) James has become particularly fond of English ales (apparently Greene King exports to Australia if anyone wants to try it out). After trying their Christmas special at the Fayre, "Rocking Rudolph", we ended up visiting their brewery shop and a few drinks were purchased for the train ride home. All frightfully civilised indeed. I on the other hand have come all the way to the UK to develop a taste for pear cider by Magners (which is Irish). It was a long day, but a good one, despite the dire weather (fairly much warmed through again now). Definitely not the best Christmas market we'll ever see I imagine. Off to Edinburgh on Tuesday and their Christmas market begins on Friday... Merry Christmas in advance!
www.burystedmundschristmasfayre.co.uk