I had an itch recently to go to Stratford-Upon-Avon. There's no real good reason why, as I'm not a particularly big Shakespeare fan, but I've been before a while back and remember it being particularly picturesque.

Of course, this time, I was going in the middle of one of the UK's many heatwaves, so the grass was all dead and dry and the good looking photo opportunities were few and far between. However! The river still made for some nice scenery.

Whilst perusing what non-Bard options for entertainment there were in the area, I stumbled upon the Stratford Butterfly Farm, a small but mighty butterfly attraction that is just across the river from the main town centre. The website says:

Come rain or shine enjoy the unique pleasure of discovering hundreds of the world’s most beautiful butterflies flying in an exotic environment of tropical blossom with splashing waterfalls and fish filled pools.

Now, I couldn't decide if this was a foolish idea or not - it was a hot, hot day, so was going inside to a tropical environment silly? Or was it okay because I was super hot anyway, what difference would it make? It was a fun visit anyway.

To cool off, I wandered along the riverside path. This was the stretch that could be a beautiful walk but was pretty dusty and just a reminder of how much we need some rain. I had an eye on crossing the water via the chain ferry, but it was closed, so I continued on to the end of the river and back. Even though it wasn't as green as I might have liked, it was still a really nice walk.

I picked up some lunch and enjoyed by the river, and then had a quick mooch about town... noting the very impressive and unique library. Surely only Stratford-Upon-Avon could boast of a library looking like this?

All in all, it was a very nice day out but probably not entirely suited to me given that I ignored everything relating to Shakespeare. The butterfly farm was a nice addition but I was a bit embarrassed that my best photos were not of butterflies!