48 HOURS IN Stratford upon-Avon

2 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Jul 30, 2006 | by JOHN LAW

THINK Stratford-upon-Avon and you think William Shakespeare. But while the town's connections with the playwright remain its biggest draw, take a look beyond the Bard and there are some unusual discoveries to be made. Did you know that a medieval cure for fever was to lie down with a freshly-killed pigeon on each foot, for instance? If you want the complete works, Stratford's a great place to spend a weekend...

FRIDAY EVENING

KICK off with a visit to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on the banks of the Avon, where the Royal Shakespeare Company is currently staging its biggest ever festival.

Until April 2007, theatre companies from around the world are joining the RSC to perform all of Shakespeare's 37 plays at the same event for the first time, along with his sonnets and long poems.

This summer you'll catch, among others, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar - and even Star Trek's Patrick Stewart in The Tempest (pounds 5-pounds 42 - 0870 609 1110).

We enjoyed a pre-show dinner gazing out across the river at the Quarto's restaurant (01789 403415). Afterwards we mingled with the "luvvies" for a nightcap in their favourite pub, the 15th Century Dirty Duck.

SATURDAY MORNING

STRATFORD'S new Shakespearience virtual-reality attraction sets the scene nicely with a colourful introduction to the man and his plays (pounds 7.25, children pounds 6.25, families pounds 19.95 - 01789 290111, www.shakespearience.co.uk).

Next, take a stroll around the town's three Shakespeare houses. His birthplace has some wonderful old four-poster beds, beautifully painted cloth wall-hangings and a recreation of his father's glove- making workshop.

At Nash's House - once home to Will's granddaughter - we toured a new exhibition of his complete works, showing the early editions and production methods. The adjoining site of New Place, where he died in 1616, boasts a splendid Elizabethan-style garden.

The Bard's son-in-law John Hall was a doctor and at his home, Hall's Croft, you'll see his 17th Century consulting room. It is here you learn about horrific medieval treatments and see some intriguing tools of the trade, including some fearsome-looking forceps and a rectal speculum..."Open wide and say AARGH!'"

These three timber-beamed gems, and another two just outside Stratford, are maintained by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. They are all fascinating places with enthusiastic guides and you can save money with a ticket covering all five (pounds 14, children pounds 6.50, families pounds 29 - 01789 204016).

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

AFTER a beer and sandwich at the Garrick Inn, another of Stratford's oldest pubs, we joined the guided 90-minute town walk (pounds 5, children pounds 2, families pounds 12). You stroll alongside the Avon to Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare is buried, and hear stories of plague, more medieval cures, flood, fire and ghosts.

Then it's time for a cream tea! There are some naff tea shops here but at the award-winning Crabtree & Evelyn teahouse smiling waitresses dispense the scrummiest cakes and scones in town.

Suitably revived, we jumped on a Bancroft Cruisers boat outside the Holiday Inn for a leisurely 45-minute cruise along the Avon, chugging gently past the theatre and out into the Warwickshire countryside (pounds 4.50, children pounds 2 - 01789 269 6 69, www.bancroftcruisers.co.uk).

SATURDAY EVENING

STRATFORD has some cracking restaurants. We went colonial amid the palm trees and wicker furniture at Georgetown (0870 755 7751) where they serve Singapore Slings and Malaysian dishes to a piano accompaniment.

A four-course meal with a cocktail, wine and coffee costs about pounds 30.

Livelier souls than us can end the night at the Chicago Rock Cafe, where they have a DJ and live bands. There's more music and comedy clubs at Shakespearience and Cox's Yard.

SUNDAY MORNING

DRIVE out of town - or take the City Sightseeing bus (pounds 9, children pounds 4, families pounds 22 - 01789 299123, www.city- sightseeing.com) to the two other Shakespeare properties on the multiple ticket.

You'll recognise Anne Hathaway's Cottage with its thatched roof and glorious garden from countless chocolate boxes. Mary Arden's House and the Shakespeare Countryside Museum illustrate 500 years of farming history. There's a decent cafeteria here, but if you prefer lunch with something stronger, try the Mary Arden Inn nearby.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

TO brighten up your day back in Stratford, breeze into the Butterfly Farm (pounds 4.95, children pounds 3.95, families pounds 14.95 - 01789 299288, www.butterflyfarm.co.uk). Here you can stroll through a tropical rainforest and see hundreds of dazzling flutterers. No swatting allowed!

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

SUPERBREAK (0870 701 4444, www.superbreak.com) offers two nights' B&B at the Macdonald Shakespeare Hotel from pounds 166pp sharing. For more information on Stratford visit www.shakespeare- country.co.uk. For info on the region go to www.visitheartofengland.com