Literary Inspirations – 5 May 2012

Continuing our 'staycations' on Bank Holiday weekends, the long weekend was based around the area of sunshine nearest to Chorleywood.

 Bedfordshire looked good, so we set off for a 'Pilgrim's progress' around the area familiar to John Bunyan. Our first stop was a little out of his local area, but having read about a small church in the tiny hamlet of Cockayne Hatley, we made a slight detour.

 In the 18th century, the vicar Rev Henry Cockayne had transported home the 17th century interiors of the Abbey of Alne, and installed these in his own church. Presumably, like most small country churches, this was previously quite plain, now there is a total stunning surprise when entering – just like a miniature abbey.

 We were fortunate to meet a key-holder in the churchyard. Apart from letting us in, they also showed us the tomb of WE Henley, a frequent visitor to Cockayne Hall, who had a wooden leg, and was the inspiration to Robert Louis Stephenson for Long John Silver. Also buried in the same vault is Margaret Barrie. Her father was also a friend of Henley, who called Margaret 'fwendy-wendy', which became the inspiration to her father for Wendy in Peter Pan.

 From here, we drove through picturesque villages, one with it's maypole waiting for the ground to dry out, before the May Day celebrations could take place, and on to Elstow. This is where John Bunyan was born in 1628, and would have been familiar with the 15th Century Moot Hall, now a museum.

 On the way to lunch in the lovely town of Ampthill, we walked to the ruins of Houghton House, up the 'Hill Difficulty' with the 'Delectable Mountains' in the distance. This house, visited by Bunyan in his earlier days as a tinker, was the inspiration for the 'House Beautiful'.

 The final stop of the day was Woburn Abbey, where they currently have an outdoor sculpture exhibition. The house is magnificent, to us the best room is the dining room with its 21 Canaletto paintings of Venice, which look just like giant size tourist postcards of the day, which is what they are, as the 4th Duke of Bedford commissioned them in 1731, after a visit to Venice.

 The other treasure of the house are the vaults, which contain an amazing collection of silver and china. A mock pavilion is set up with a full Sevres dinner service. This year the treasures have been added to with a recently authenticated painting of an old man, by Rembrandt. This alone made our visit today worthwhile, it was spellbinding.

Windsor – 22 April 2012

Following on the stunning bluebell walk yesterday, we drove to Bisham Woods for another bluebell treat. The 'Exploring Woodlands' guide had a tempting photo of bluebells in Bisham Woods, but how, was a mystery to us, as we couldn't find any bluebells. But we did enjoy the views over Marlow, as well as the history of the woods – they were the inspiration for the Wild Woods in Kenneth Graham's 'Wind in the Willows'.

 As this is our last spring here, a final visit to Valley Gardens during azalea flowering was a must. The 'Punch Bowl' azalea garden is stunning, and a really tranquil spot on a sunny morning.

 Around the corner is Windsor, so we made another visit to the castle on our annual pass, after first taking another look around Eton, just over the Thames. Both towns are a snap-shot of historic England.

The Castle had a photo exhibition of 60 years of the Queens reign in 60 photos. Once again, we enjoyed the sumptous Semi-State Rooms, but even more the exquisite dolls' house owed by Queen Mary

Visiting the Neighbours Part II – 21 April 2012

Living in the Chilterns, means we are surrounded by beautiful, picturesque old towns. On the way to check out a new neighbouring town, we called by Denham. When we lived in London, it was a bit out of the way to call in to see how the wisteria was looking!

We discovered Gerrards Cross was probably our nearest movie theatre. As we've never had occasion to visit before, we were pleasantly surprised by the excellent shops there. Once in the theatre, it was an exclusive viewing of 'Salmon Farming in the Yemen'! Never before have we been the only patrons in a theatre!

 By the time we retuned home, the mid-day showers were over, and we enjoyed a walk through Philipshill Woods – bluebell woods on the edge of Chorleywood.

Visiting the Neighbours Part I – 6 April 2012

For the first time in the eleven years in the UK, we had no plans for the Easter Bank Holiday, but planned to take a 'staycation' anywhere sunny in the UK.

Unfortunately, apart from Friday morning, there was no sun forecast for the Easter break, instead it was to be cold, showery with heavy rain on Monday. So we refined the 'staycation' to actually staying at home.

Now that we live in the countryside, this was actually a pleasant option, and Friday morning saw us out starting a circular walk from nearby Old Beaconsfield, making the most of the sunshine.

The drive to Beaconsfield took us through Old Amersham, so we took a few photos on a better day than our last visit, and on to explore Old Beaconsfield. West of Chorleywood are many lovely market towns, which were busy

coaching inn stops on the days of horse and carriages. The towns are full of old coach entrance-ways, into the courtyards of the old inns. Although many entrance ways survive, only a few of these buildings are still inns today.   

Watts Gallery & Chapel – 1 April 2012

A recent TV programme reminded us to visit Watts Chapel in Surrey. This was a life's work for Mary Watt, the wife of artist George Watts. It is a stunning terracotta building, made with clay found by their home, and every surface inside decorated. This is definitely a place to spend some time for reflection.

From here, we did an eight mile circular walk to Guildford and back. The walk joined the Wey canal for the last part of the walk. Along the canal in Guildford are several lovely pubs, so we were spoilt for choice for an relaxing lunch.

Suitably fortified, we climbed the hill to see the modern cathedral, started before WWII, and completed afterwards. Although plain stone, it nevertheless gives an idea what the major cathedrals must have looked like when fresh and new.

The return walk finished at the Watts Gallery. This gallery was built to exhibit his work, and after a recent makeover, it houses permanent and temporary exhibitions of the art of GF Watt.

Our favourite was 'The Hall of Fame'. This is a collection of Watts portraits of contemporaries. Many had photos beside them, which highlighted his skill as a portrait painter.

Amersham – 31 March 2012

The town of Old Amersham is a real visual treat. Just a few miles from Chorleywood, it has a feel of stepping back in time, with not a single building in the High Street, out of keeping with bygone eras. Much of it is instantly recognisable to addicts of TV dramas.

We did an eight mile circular walk, starting in the centre of town. The walk took us through a number of other smaller towns, apart from the lovely town of Little Missenden, none of the other towns came close to the appeal of Old Amersham.

Spring daffodils are nearly over in London, but out here, spring started later, and the daffodils are still at their peak. English countryside walking is nothing to do with a destination, just the enjoyment of the fresh air, the seasons and walking through appealing villages, and of course a pub lunch.

A real English day – 25 March 2012

Sunday was spent in a timeless fashion, enjoying a medley of very English pursuits. First up, a walk across the Common in the warm spring sunshine, to Christ Church Chorleywood. It is a beautiful church, with a warm friendly atmosphere.

From church to lunch at the nearby White Horse Pub. The food was fresh and delicious and afterwards, it was time for a Sunday afternoon walk around the Chorleywood House Estate.

The final walk back over the Common took us past the Rose & Crown, so we were practically forced to stop and follow up our earlier meal with desert!