Bullring!

I haven't been home in a while,and so after coming back for Shelby's exeat weekend, we decided to go up to the Bullring for some Christmas shopping! Needless to say, being a Saturday close to December, it was absolutely rammed! Unbelievable busy! There were so many people, it was crazy. You really couldn't move anywhere! We got to do some shopping in the new Forever 21 store, which I loved (but didn't get enough time in) and some other shops too! Shelby brought along her school friend Becky, who was such a good sport taking photos of me in front of the bull!

Stamford, town of churches

Because we had set off much later than we had intended, we tried to go out about in Rutland and see something else. The train museum didn't look great, nor did the falconry, so we went over to the little town of Stamford, which has more churches per square mile than any other town in England. It's full of cute little coffee shops and tea rooms and little shops. It reminded me a bit of Taunton because of the lovely restaurants on the river! We went and had ice cream (even in the cold weather!) in a little coffee shop before driving home!

Normanton Church, Rutland Water

So, because the steam train wasn't running this weekend, Mike and I went over to Rutland county, the smallest county in England. In the middle of it is Rutland water, used for sailing, canoeing, lots of fishing, and with some lovely bike trails around it. They saved the church from sinking in the water by building it up, and it's really beautiful, out on a peninsula. It was bitterly cold, so we didn't stay long, but it was lovely to see all the people out on the water.

Out and about the Cathedral

Because we couldn't go in the cathedral, we decided to wander around outside. Behind the Cathedral, there is a lovely old graveyard, and some lovely houses, as well as the remains of the old monastary which was there in....1240, and you can see the arch remains from the rectory there. It's really nice what they have done with the arches, they have made them into new houses. It's a really beautiful place there. There are lovely paths to walk along there, and some of the Benedict rooms are teashops now. It was super cold, but was so crisp, and I took an awsome photo of the winter trees!

Woo! More Cathedrals!

So everywhere I go, I take photos of Churches and Cathedrals. Everyone says the prettiest thing in Peterborough is the Cathedral. And it really is. It's just off the shopping centre, right in the middle of town, and it's beautiful. You go through this lovely archway and it's HUGE. And the front end has been cleaned lately, so it's lovely and shiny! Being Remembrance weekend, evensong was on, so we couldn't go in, but we had a nice wander round!

St. John the Baptist Church

Right next to Queensgate shopping centre was this lovely little church, right in the middle of everything. It was right next to the Guildhall, and both were under construction, which was a real shame, as I love looking at pretty Churches!

P'borough City Centre

As much as we didn't get to shop, we had a nice time wandering around the shops, and it was super busy! They have a main square surrounding the Guildhall which is really lovely, nice old buildings converted into shops. There was a really lovely Church there under construction though :/ I love places like this, where it's all busy. The queues for the parking were horrific! We didn't spend long here, we took some photos and then went off to the Cathedral!