Another trip, this time a short journey by car around the South of England. Initially designed as a foray into the small villages of Dorset, we wnded up taking small breaks in Woodstock (The Feathers), Milton Abbass (Hambro Arms), Inn With The Well near Marlborough and finally a night near St. Neots on the way home.
Woodstock was a delightful village and had the added benefit (otherwise known as reason for visit) of being within walking distance of Blenheim Palace. Worth a visit, pricey but with the added advantage of repeated return visits within 12 months, which is at least realistic. The Feathers was a lovely find, with an impressively varied choice at breakfast included.
Onto Milton Abbass, which was the original idea for the trip. The Hambro Arms had changed hands since we booked and on the Friday night the new host had invited the locals to a barbecue and extended bar hours; we got the opportunity to join in, thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was a lovely base from which to tour around. While we were there we visited:-
- Milton Abbass historic abbey, replete with Capability Brown input
- Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door and Lulworth Castle
- Wimborne and the minster, along with Kingston Lacey
And with the added benefit of free or reduced EH entry at Blenheim and Lulworth Castle – you can take the man out of Yorkshire etc.etc.
On the way up to the Inn With The Well we managed to accidentally “sat nav” ourselves astray and fortuitously find ourselves near Fiddleford Manor. Another EH distraction, it is thought to date from the 14 century and the wooden structure supporting the stone and tile roof is quite something. On the same day we also visited Bowood House and Gardens in Calne in Wiltshire. Not that much to see in the main house with only a few ground floor rooms open to the public, but the gardens were superbly kept and worth a wander around. As to be expected, Capability Brown had a hand in the garden design/layout. Getting to the point when I’d like to visit a major garden without the Capability stamp (even if he was a Northumberland lad)!
In our full day in the Inn With The Well, we visited a couple of EH sites. West Kennet Long Barrow is a Neolithic tomb or barrow, situated on a prominent chalk ridge and is by far the largest of these types of structure we have ever seen. A short walk away is Silbury Hill, which is the tallest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Then on to Avebury to see the stone circles – along with the village buildings, church and Barn museum, this was a lovely end to our travails around southern England. Finally, onto St. Neots for an overnighter, a quick saunter around the town and then home the next day. Quite tiring but given the miles travelled and the long days, it appears that both injured parties are recovering well.