By Millie Reeves

If all the world’s a stage then Stratford-upon-Avon is an interesting backdrop. It’s a town of great contrast - where department stores, living statues, swans and haunted period homes all share one street.

At a glance, the town is magical, an accurate glimpse into a bygone era. Upon closer inspection it’s confused. Original Tudor features reside next to coffee shop chains dressed up to look the 16th century part. Next to them are ‘Ye Olde’ restaurants with painted-on black stripes that are trying to blend in with the thick beams of so many of the town’s authentic buildings.

But my observation is not a gibe at the town, quite the opposite actually. It makes the town unique. It is a place with one massive claim to fame – the hometown of Shakespeare – and it has rolled with it, embracing the life and work of its great resident.

Why did we choose such a place for our honeymoon? Flooding had something to do with it. Our original destination was to be York but with storms devastating much of the city it seemed logical to visit there at a more convenient time.

As a former English university student, I had studied Shakespeare at great lengths throughout university.

However, my husband, Ed, knew little of the man other than the typical ‘he wrote some confusing plays which I was subjected to at school'. Despite this, it didn’t take much to convince him of the town’s charms and he is always first in line for a cultural adventure.

For our hotel we needed two things – parking and a spa. I say needed. Stratford is severely light on both. This is due, in part, to the historic nature of the area. Many hotels are located in listed buildings where swimming pools and parking spots would not be allowed.

We settled for the Hallmark Hotel – The Welcombe, which is often frequented by weekend golfers. It is a grand building on the outskirts of town complete with free parking and a spa - which has a pool, Jacuzzi and sauna. A week stay can set you back over £1000 but we got a good January deal for £477, including breakfast.

The room we had was well decorated in a timeless Georgian style – complete with chandelier. There was a large feature window but had a disappointing view of nothing. The en suite was modern and the toiletry freebies were in good supply. It was a comfortable room.

Our first port of call was to head to the spa. Facilities were free to visitors and children were allowed in the pool at certain times, which was good because our 11 month old daughter was with us and she is a water baby.

The spa was the best feature of the hotel. Changing rooms were clean and had wonderful waterfall showers. The pool was warm (I hate a cold pool) and there were plenty of loungers to relax on.

I like to think I’m a bit of a spa expert, having been to quite a few (they are my Achilles’ heel) so it takes a really good spa to impress me. But I was impressed with The Welcombe’s spa. Not only did it have the standard sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi it also boasted a tepidarium, laconium, foot spa, heated poolside ceramic loungers and an outdoor area with heated pool and powerful cascade showers.

But the best thing about the spa? It was deserted almost every time we went. I don’t know if maybe we just went at the right time but there was never more than a handful of people in the pool. This made for tranquil reading and napping at the poolside.

Before you start to think this is all we did all holiday, I will move on from the hotel and to the town itself. Our days in town can be split into three categories, eating, shopping, being tourists.

We opted to get a Birthplace Plus Pass for all of the Shakespeare attractions. This costs £21 per person - although there are savings if you book online and pick up at any of the museums. This entitles you to endless trips (within 12 months) to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage (that’s Shakespeare’s wife not the Les Mis star), Hall’s Croft, Harvard House, Shakespeare’s birthplace and Shakespeare’s grave. This offers the most value for money if you are planning to visit all of the Shakespeare landmarks as entrance to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage alone is £9.90 and some places, like Harvard House, do not allow entry at all without a pass.

This pass is available throughout the winter months. In the summer it is replaced with a slightly dearer pass that also includes Mary Arden’s Farm – a working farm that opens from early spring until November.

We visited Anne Hathaway’s Cottage first. Described as the museum of Tudor courtship, it only seemed natural that our honeymoon should start there.

The house is a little out the way of the town centre. It was once the working farm of Shakespeare’s father-in-law and is surrounded by beautiful gardens, even in the winter months.

The cottage itself – with thatch roof and tiny doorways - is a treasure trove of quirky objects from Shakespeare’s famous ‘second best bed’ to a chair that was the subject of forgery.

The staff on hand were incredibly knowledgeable, not only about the Hathaway family and their ties to the town and to the great man, but of the house and how it had changed (or not) throughout the centuries.

This became a running theme throughout the week when we visited the other museums. Staff – often in period dress and playing the part quite convincingly – were wonderful at bringing the house alive with stories of its life beyond Shakespeare. A special mention has to be said about the ‘glovemaker’ of Shakespeare’s birthplace. If someone had told me he had time travelled to the museum from 1583 I would have believed him. He had beady eyes and a hunched posture and spoke as if he was telling you a secret, all while dressed in tights and stroking fox fur mittens.

While some people may think the museums run the risk of blending into one, especially if you are visiting them one after the other, I say the houses all have enough individuality to offer the visitor something different. Yes, they are all low ceilings and creaky floorboards but Anne Hathaway’s is where you learn about the scandalous goings-on of Shakespeare’s rushed nuptials, Hall’s Croft is where you get to grips with Elizabethan alchemy, Harvard Hall is the place to go to learn about Shakespeare’s contemporaries and environment, Shakespeare’s grave is – well – a grave and should be treated as such.

Shakespeare’s birthplace was probably the most memorable of the houses, with original floors that the great bard had walked upon, there was something magical about the place. It also gave me a few nuggets of general knowledge that I will be keeping for the next time I’m at the pub and want to look spot – for example, did you know people of the period slept sitting up because they didn’t want the devil to think they were dead?

Aside from our Shakespeare haunts, our touristy ventures also included visiting Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Banbury (about a 25 minute drive away) and discovering the delights of Stratford Butterfly Farm. Both were decided upon as our daughter seems to like horses and butterflies and there’s only so much poetry and old buildings a baby can handle without getting bored.

Redwings is a wonderful organisation that has centres across the country – taking in abandoned or mistreated horses and donkeys and giving them a fresh start. The centre is free to visit (although it relies on donations to survive) and is the chance for families get up close to the animals, all while learning a bit about the work needed to keep a horse in good condition. Our particular favourites were the donkeys who took a fondness to the buttons on my cardigan.

The butterfly museum, at £6.25 per adult and £5.25 per child, is a must for any family visiting the area; even if you are planning a short trip - make time for the butterflies. While the centre’s building looks a little rundown and in need of some TLC, there’s no doubt the creatures are thriving in their habitat and to be able to walk amongst them is a fantastic experience.

The hub houses butterflies of all shapes, sizes and colours and is also home to a few quails, different insects and iguanas (be on the look out for them, they are usually lying above your head). Of course, the centre also serves as a bitter reminder that our butterfly population is declining and to see that many butterflies and moths in the wild would be a great rarity. However, it is good to know that the centre, opened in 1985, is a safe haven for the creatures.

Eating in Stratford-upon-Avon was no difficult thing – and boy did we eat! Two places stick in my mind. El Greco and The Fourteas.

El Greco is a greek restaurant known to locals as the place to enjoy a good feeding-up. Portions are not small here and the ‘mezzes’ you can opt for are popular for a reason. The food at El Greco is authentic and a real treat from their dolmades to their baklava. The highlight at this place is their halloumi. It is chargrilled and, my gosh, I wish I could make it as good as theirs at home.

My only negative point for this wonderful place? At lunchtime they play Tom Jones records on a loop – which is fine, heck I’m Welsh, it’s great – but the tracks are slowed down so much it sounds like Sir Tom has run a marathon just before joining the stage and can’t get his breath back.

The Fourteas is a completely different dining experience. While El Greco is modern and chic, going into The Fourteas is like wandering back into your school canteen. This is because The Fourteas is made to look like a 40s tearoom. Complete with wartime posters, Ovaltine and waitresses in period dresses and aprons, this is a wonderfully fun dining experience that feels a little bit chaotic. While we were eating our Ivor Novello Afternoon tea – that’s cucumber sandwiches, homebaked scones with jam and cream, biscuits, retro cakes and the house blend tea – at least three people had a birthday and so were serenaded by staff.

All food is served on vintage crockery – although an older diner in the corner questioned the authenticity of teapots being used, stating she had never even seen a teapot until the 60s – and ration books and old cookery books are available to purchase at the front of the shop. If I were to describe place in one word it would delightful.

A lot of our time in the town was also spent shopping. Stratford boasts a great range of independent shops selling anything from souvenirs and sweets to oak tables and encyclopaedias. One shop was evening showcasing a statue of a pig made of hay and old Guinness cans. If I could pick only one place to recommend in which to spend your money, I would suggest a lovely little jewellers in the alleyway by the antique centre near Sheep Street.

I originally went in there to mend my ‘something borrowed’ – a necklace my friend had given me on my wedding day that subsequently broke while I was on the dance floor. The shopkeeper managed to fix the chain in a matter of minutes and said there was no charge for the service. When leaving we spotted a gorgeous array of antique charms to loop onto a charm bracelet.

I had been wanting to get one for some time as a little keepsake for my daughter when she was older. I was going to go to a certain highstreet stockist, famous for their bracelets and charms, but the price for what you got never seemed like a great deal.

Anyway, these charms were very…unique. There were old ships, animals of all shapes and sizes, books, dancers and cars. What did I end up picking out for my darling daughter? A beer barrel that opens up to reveal a drunk man with a bottle of hooch, a man (I’m guessing it’s supposed to be Gene Kelly) straddling a lamppost (I refuse to believe he is dancing around it) and an apple that opens up to reveal Adam and Eve. How much for these wonderfully interactive pieces of antique jewellery, plus a chain to house them? £45. I couldn’t believe my luck.

So there you have it, seven nights in Stratford-upon-Avon condensed into a couple thousand words. Would I go again? Yes, at the drop of a hat. Stratford-upon-Avon is the perfect place for any traveller in want of an adventure whether you’re a Shakespeare aficionado or a foodie looking for a great place to eat. It is the place to embrace our Britishness and celebrate our heritage.