And the destination is....

Today I knew Blair had planned for us to go on a little day trip out of London but had no idea where.

All was revealed with my third surprise envelope this morning: Blair and I were off to Royal Tunbridge Wells! Neither of us had ever been there before and we were keen to visit.

The trip was surprisingly smooth, given the usual Bank Holiday weekend engineering works, and we arrived there before lunchtime.

Royal Tunbridge Wells (http://www.visittunbridgewells.com/) is a spa town founded around the Chalybeate Spring, discovered at the beginning of the 17th century. The water was believed to have healing properties and the town developed as a spa town; a bit like Bath but on a smaller scale.

The most famous attraction is the Pantiles, a colonnaded walkway where the gentry once promenaded and took the water at the Spring.

Today it houses a wide range of shops, cafes and restaurants. Visitors can still taste the water which is dispensed by the “Dipper”!

After some serious walking around to explore the town we decided it was time for lunch. We chose a nice Italian Delicatessen, Gastronomia, at the Pantiles which had tables outside and we were able to enjoy the gorgeous weather.

After lunch we walked around the Common, a substantial area of woodland across the road from the Pantiles. We managed to spot the compulsory squirrels but also some bunnies to my great delight!

Back in London the anticipation for my birthday started to build up but yet again I failed to discover where my presents were hidden. I guess I will have to wait till tomorrow….