Field of Dreams – 9,10 July 2011

The Metro this week had a photo of a beautiful wildflower meadow in Somerset, and as we have a weakness for wildflowers, we decided to base our weekend in the area.

Only two hours from London, is the old-time seaside town of Clevedon. Unlike the beach-hut/amusement arcade style seaside town, Clevedon is delightful. With a maximum tide range of 47 feet at the Listed Pier, and an abundance of great cafes, this is an interesting place for a lunch stop.



From Clevedon we started a circular drive, through a series of small towns, which 500 years ago, were trying to outdo each other in building bigger and more ambitious churches. We inspected them all, and the monuments to the “worthies” buried in each.

On Sunday we headed south to the flower meadow, passing through the wonderful town of Wells. The town developed around the freshwater wells over 1000 years ago, and was obviously very prosperous, from the wealth of wonderful old buildings.

The wildflowers lived up to our expectations, and from the number of cameras in evidence, everyone else thought so too. There were two acres of flowers, 57 different types of seeds used, on a piece of what was waste land.

We have never really seen a display of natural wildflowers to match what others rave about, the best so far being the Alpe de Suisse. Although this field was stunning it was also unnatural as the seeds had come from various parts of the world and were planted here to create a sight that would not ever occur naturally.

Near here is Lytes Carey Manor, a restored 15th century house, where we enjoyed a different type of beautiful garden,.

Not far from here we drove past Haynes Motor Museum, and decided to include this in our day. The cars were a lifetime collection, and were a stunning visual display, especially the 'red room'. Here all the cars were red, regardless of what make or age.

We followed a circular drive back to Wells, stopping at the lovely small town of Nunney, which is dominated by the ruins if a 14th century castle.

Not far from here, but which proved difficult to find, is a Victorian Abbey, part of a school. Downside Abbey is definitely worth a detour. It is massive, yet crisp and still looks new.

The final stop of the day was another garden – Milton Lodge on a hillside above Wells. The garden was stunning as was the view, with Wells Cathedral in the sunlight dead centre of the vista, the perfect way to end the weekend.

Writer's block – 3 July 2011

It's impossible to sleep in, in a tent. So we were up at 7, and ready with our boots on at 7.45, for a walk along the Heritage Coast. But sadly, as we threw the loose items in the car boot, this included the car keys. Owning an MG sports car, we have been very aware of the problems this would cause, as there is no internal release, and an engine between the car and the boot, so no way of breaking through. Fortunately the AA have a trick up their sleeves for this situation, the sad part was they took three hours to turn up. So Murray had to wait patiently for them to arrive, where there was cell phone coverage, while Christine had a mini walk along the coastal path, returning a full hour before the AA turned up.

It was a quick ten minute job once he arrived, and we were on our way in the sunshine just after 10 o'clock. The morning seemed to feature Thomas Hardy. We started in Dorchester, which he knew well and featured (renamed) in novels. Nearby is the tiny hamlet of Stinsford, where his heart is buried in the churchyard. A short distance north is the cottage, in isolated woodland, where Hardy was born and grew up; surrounded by a lovely cottage garden, the small cottage was a real step into the past.

Driving north from here, we visited a very different style of house. Athlehampton House was built in 1485, by a Lord Mayor of London. It is still a private house today, and open to the public. The gardens are Grade 1 listed, and really wonderful to enjoy on a summer's day. They are obviously really old too, with wonky fountains and great formal clipped yews. The house is equally impressive, starting in a great hall, it all oozes history.

We passed many picturesque country towns, and visited a number of interesting churches. The best would have to be Bere Regis, with it's box pews, balcony for the church band, old tombs and texts on the walls.

Continuing south, we planned to walk around Lulworth Cove, but called into Clouds Hill on the way to visit the tiny country home of TE Lawrence. Famous as 'Lawrence of Arabia' and author of the 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom', Lawrence suffered a breakdown and came to live here and work at the Army Tank Corps nearby. The house had few amenities, but Lawrence found it a haven and set about making it liveable in the style which suited him. We found it very interesting. It was very close by that he had his fatal motorbike accident in 1933.

Lulworth Castle is very near the Cove, and a very different castle to visit, as it was totally gutted by fire in 1929. The stark interior is now a wedding venue, and available to visit. A circular staircase has been installed in a tower, and leads to the roof, with great views. Near the castle is a chapel which is the first free-standing Catholic chapel built after the reformation.

Lulworth Cove is said to have been formed by glacial runoff in the Ice Age. It is a perfectly circular bay, which appears to be a natural harbour, but never seems to have been exploited as a fishing harbour.

From here, there was just one last stop at Whitcombe Church to see medieval wall paintings. We found these, but also were fascinated that they genuinely had 'bats in their belfry'!

Heritage Coast – 2 July 2011

Continual sunshine was only forecast for the South Coast, so we packed our tent, and headed for one of the very popular summer areas. The Dorset coast is a UNESCO World Heritage site, because of the amazing fossil finds in the cliffs.

We started our weekend at the Subtropical gardens, near the stunning town of Abbotsbury. These gardens are listed and enjoy a special microclimate, allowing them to grow many sub-tropical species outdoors. The effect was a lush green jungle.

From here we enjoyed a loop drive in the glorious sunshine. The first side of the loop was an inland route parallel to the coast through a series of attractive market towns, from Beaminster to Honiton. We stopped for a picnic lunch at the Blackbury Camp – a hilltop fort with a wonderful calm silence, on our way to the south coast at Beer. This seaside town is totally delightful, and we noted the name of the cliff-top guest house, hoping for a chance to return.

Further east along the coast is Lyme Regis, a larger town, and also extremely attractive. When we swapped travel tips with fellow guests last weekend, we recommended nearby Rye for them to visit, and they said Lyme Regis was their favourite seaside town. We totally agree, and enjoyed the town built on a bay, where one end is stony and the other uncharacteristic sand. This may be the result of the large semicircular 'Cobb' or breakwater started its life in the 13th century and featured in Jane Austen's 'Persuasion'.

The last stop of the day was the tiny town of Whitchurch Canonicorum, where the village church's claim to fame is a tomb housing the bones of St Wite. The tomb has three oval holes, which pilgrims put their crippled limbs through, hoping for healing. The intriguing facts are this tomb, and Edward the Confessor's tomb in Westminster Abbey, are the only two shrines in the country that escaped the destruction during the Reformation with their relics intact.

Our campground for the night 'Freshwater', is right on the South Coast path near the small village of Burton Bradstock. It was an ideal location, as we could walk to the village, with a choice of two pubs, for dinner. The coastal path meant we could enjoy a walk along it in the morning, while our tent dried.

Freezing fog to heatwave – 26 June 2011

We set off north after breakfast, and came out of the fog just a few miles north of Eastbourne. We had planned a circular drive, which finished up back at Eastbourne, so hoped it might have cleared by the time we returned.

First stop was Wilmington, to check out the Long Man on the hillside. He is apparently elongated when seen from above, but the artist(s) back in prehistoric times had designed him so well, he is perfectly proportioned from the town at the bottom of the hill.

Next stop was Alfriston, a really lovely small town, where the NT own the Clergy House, the first property they bought, and one of the first we visited, nearly 10 years ago.

From here we drove down to the South Coast and walked along the South Downs trail to watch in fascination as the fog rolled up and over the cliffs to evaporate in the warm sunshine above. We stopped at a viewpoint overlooking Eastbourne, to discover it was still shrouded in fog, so instead of walking the waterfront, we returned to walk along the

Cuckmere to Cuckmere Haven where it flows into the sea. The fog was not far off shore here, but on the beach in the sunshine it was getting really hot, and when we returned to our closed up car, the thermometer said 42deg in the car.

It was a pleasure to put the top down and drive inland to Charleston Farmhouse. This was the country retreat of Virginia Woolf's sister, among others. They painted the house throughout in decorative patterns – walls furniture, cupboards, fireplaces etc. This was never changed, and after Duncan Grant's death in 1978, a trust was formed in 1981 to preserve it.

Sadly, unlike Virginia Woolf's house yesterday, they do not allow photography, but the effect was a fun way of brightening up a shabby old farmhouse. The studio is still there, and it was easy to imagine the bohemian atmosphere of this 'Bloomsbury set'.

From here we wound our way home, stopping at several lovely villages – Fletchling, Diching and Ardingly. Along the way we discovered a marvellous Victorian viaduct over the Oose Valley. This is now a Grade II listed monument, and certainly a magnificent sight.

The evening was still so beautiful, we stopped for a lovely dinner at the Gardners Arms, which we stumbled over on the B2028. It was the first evening it has been almost too hot to sit outside to eat – a lovely end to a great weekend away from all the pressures of work.

Lamb and Woolf - 25 June 2011

After weeks of miserable weather, the Met Office were promising a heat wave for the weekend. This was too good to waste, so we took a couple of hours off work on Friday afternoon, and set off for Eastbourne on the South Coast.

The first thing we learnt, was traffic on the M25 is appalling on Friday afternoons, and we crawled along in a very tedious manner. Eastbourne was freezing cold when we reached it, but were reassured by the fact that the heat wasn't due to build up until Saturday. The hotel we had booked was right on the seafront, and I suspect, in common with many there, was stuck in a delightful time warp of how England used to be.

Meals were basic home cooking, just as our mothers used to do 50 years ago. The host had an endless supply of jokes, and could talk for England. But the sea view from our room was great and, in a perverse way, rather enjoyed the very different, non-slick, experience.

Saturday started grey, but the day was supposed to clear, and reach a high of 25 C, with a warm summery evening. We certainly got the improving day, but the mild evening was a myth.

Our idea was to do a walk in the morning, while the day got around to warming up. The walk started in Robertsbridge which was such a delightful town, we had to explore it before starting the walk. After completing the walk, we had a drink at the Seven Stars Inn, which is apparently the oldest hostelry in the country. It used to house the workers building the Abbey in 1194. The Abbey ruins are passed on the walk, but the Pub still survives.

From here we went to Rye. This has to be one of our favourite towns, and this time we wanted to visit Lamb House, the home of Henry James. He entertained most of the notable people of his day in literary circles.

We continued with the literary theme, and went west of Eastbourne to visit the country home of Virginia Woolf. Set at the back of a secluded village, it must have been a wonderful spot to get away from everything and write. Her bedroom and writing studio have been kept just as it was when she lived there.

After dinner, we decided to support the Armed Forces weekend, by attending the concert in their honour, at the Redoubt Fortress, on the Eastbourne seafront. The Fortress is worth visiting on it's own account, in fact, we would have to be honest and say the venue was better than the orchestra, but they performed with great enthusiasm, even tacking the 1812 Overture as their finale. A guest piper was excellent, and despite the freezing fog rolling over the Fortress walls towards the end, we still enjoyed our evening. The warm summer evening never eventuated, and we actually wondered if a heat-wave was a figment of someone's imagination at the Met Office, as we woke up Sunday morning to Eastbourne blanketed in sea fog.

A Tale of Two Pubs – 18-19 June 2011

Summer has totally deserted the UK, and Saturday was a series of heavy showers, just the day to enjoy a leisurely pub lunch. We met up with the Kent contingent and enjoyed an excellent meal at the 'Little Brown Jug'. In Chiddingstone Causeway It was a great way to spend the day.

Sunday was a little better, with the showers forecast to be less heavy, so we set off for The Bell in Godstone, for the start of the SW MG Club summer outing. The route through leafy country lanes, and some new stunning villages, lead us to the Newhaven Fort.

Built in 1860 by a 22 year old engineer who, for the first time in the UK, used concrete to build the fort. Previously, the technique for fort building, was to level the land to sea level before building the fort. But he used the steep cliffs as part of his defences, and built the fort at the top of the cliff. Adding more moat-like trenches and a drawbridge on the landward side for extra security.

The fort was high enough up to see the rain pouring in the distance on the land side, but we were in a microclimate of sunshine, and struck no rain until making our way home.

Having been impressed with the Bell and it's menu in the morning, we decided to stop for an early dinner on the way home. The food was imaginative, and obviously has competition in the village, as there were more lovely old historic Inns in the village, obviously a great place to stop and eat if passing through. Godstone itself is definitely worth a visit.

Capital Ring: Richmond to Boston Manor – 11 June 2011

Today was the annual Trooping of the Colour, and after a lazy start, watching it on TV, the sun came out and we set out to walk another section of the Capital Ring.

Starting at Richmond (one of our favourite parts of London), we set off along the Thames. The first part of the walk was adjacent to the Old Deer Park crossing one of the early Meridian lines that was set up in the time of George III.

After leaving Richmond behind, we approached the small township of Isleworth. This is a very attractive sight, and to approach it the Thames Path goes straight along the veranda of the Town Wharf Pub. This made it a very appealing place to stop for a drink. Despite the wonderful view from the balcony right above the Thames, looking downstream to Islesworth, the Pub seemed fairly deserted.

This was in contrast to the London Apprentice pub just down the Thames Path, where all the riverside tables were full. This pub has an interesting history, dating from Tudor times, apprentices along with their tutor, rowed to this pub to celebrate the completion of their apprenticeship.

Syon House came next, we've previously visited this magnificent house. Leaving the Thames, after Syon we passed through built-up area crossing over to the Grand union Canal at Brentford Lock where the canal boats dropped the last few feet to match the Thames water level. This is a very appealing area of new apartments facing the canal. The walk followed the canal to Osterley Lock and onto Boston Manor Station.