Archives for posts with tag: adventure

For the month I was in the UK, I was determined to fulfill all the art perks which had been promised to my Indiegogo backers – those which could be produced with pen and watercolour paint. The engravings, which had to wait until I was home, are almost ready to send to the patrons who requested them. I will post those next.

Finding inspiration for these pieces was not hard. Beautiful architecture, lovely nature, vibrant colour, and gorgeous vistas were all around; my heart was so full.

Hopefully these all made it to their recipients.

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At the very end of my UK adventure last autumn, I spent three last days in London. I didn’t expect to love London as much as I did; and I didn’t even see one tenth of the city. There is so much more to explore and I can’t wait to go back!

I left lovely Rye tearful, and began missing it even as I boarded the train. A quick ride brought me into the gorgeous St. Pancras Station.

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I checked in at Victoria and Edmund’s beautiful house in Hammersmith, where the adventure began a month earlier. I stayed in The Pink Room for these last few nights, and – just like at the beginning of the trip – enjoyed exceptional hospitality. Back onto the tube and on a mission: to find the Fortnum and Mason store. I hopped off at the Green Park station and made my way a couple of blocks to this beautiful department store, filled with delights for all the senses.

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Since I was so close, I walked through Green Park to see Buckingham Palace. Impressive and majestic, but so many people!

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The next day I walked around Chelsea in the morning, heading over the Albert Bridge, and spending a bit of time walking along the Thames in Battersea Park. Back over the bridge and a lovely snack at Gail’s.

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The afternoon was devoted to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I was completely overwhelmed by the extent of the collections. So much so, that I had a little panic attack and had to calm myself with a cream tea!

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The last day I spent exploring Camden with lovely friend I hadn’t seen in many years. Dinner with dear people was the best end to a remarkable trip.

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I will be back in the UK as soon as possible. My heart remained and I must go collect it!

 

 

Still dreaming about Rye, and the lovely place I stayed for three nights, Jeake’s House. It took about five minutes to walk to cobbled Mermaid Street from the train station. I was welcomed warmly and shown to my pretty room. Jeake’s House is perfectly situated for easy walking around Rye. It’s just around the corner from Lamb House, and close to St Mary’s Church and Rye Castle/Ypres Tower.

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The house is beautifully appointed and my stay included a delicious, hearty breakfast each morning in the gorgeous dining room.

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I am looking forward to my next trip to the UK and Rye, and would certainly stay at Jeake’s House again.

This is one of my favourite photo series from my trip: some of the lovely details of Rye, East Sussex. You will notice that more blogging time will be dedicated to Rye than any other place I visited (Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire is a close second!). There are three more posts in the cue after this one! Not a day goes by that I don’t think of this town!

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What a glorious time I had in England last autumn! My travel companion chose some beautiful places to visit; stunning towns and villages I will always remember. In the last week of my visit, I traveled on my own to a little town in East Sussex. It was a town I knew about and had longed to visit, a town known for its literary history and outstanding beauty. I left Brighton on the train the morning of October 18 and within two hours I pulled into the station in Rye. I stepped off the train and my heart swelled to bursting. Within 5 minutes I was at the door to my accommodation, Jeakes House. Being in England gave me the feeling of being home, Rye, even more so.

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For three days I wandered the lanes and paths, enjoying every vista, every shop. I visited Lamb House, a National Trust property, former home of Henry James. I saw sunrises and sunsets. In between the wandering, I got caught up on my painting projects and blogging.

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And there was a cream tea or two! The Cobbles was outstanding!

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I would happily live in Rye, and will be looking for opportunities to spend a lot more time there in the near future!

After our week in the Cotwolds, we traveled to Somerset to the charming village of Mells. Situated alongside the Mells River, the village holds a rich past from Mesolithic flint workshops, Roman occupation, a Saxon village, a 16th century Manor House, wool trade in the middle ages, to more recently an Iron Works and Quarry. The Village amenities include the beautiful Talbot Inn, a lovely café attached to the Village shop and post office, the Walled Garden with it’s seasonal café, walking and cycling trails, and a general sense of serenity.

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Sheep and stone, with beautiful autumn colour.

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Green in every direction.

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The glimpse of St Andrew’s Church from the Walled Garden.

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Through the gate in this stone wall was our river-side sanctuary; the loveliest cottage.

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The Mells River ran directly alongside the patio of our cottage. The sweet and gentle sound was the first to greet me each morning. In the green space across we saw many pheasants, and the view of the stars at night in the dark village sky was spectacular.

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The stone bridge near our cottage which is one of the main roadways into the village.

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The path along the river through deciduous forest.

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A small waterfall along the riverside walk.

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An abandoned building from the old Fussells Iron Works.

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Old walls in various states of ruin are all around the area near the old Iron Works.

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A half of Guinness and some sketching on a rainy day at the Talbot Inn.

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A sweet little jam closet next to a cottage, open most days selling delicious preserves, plants and fruit. I brought home a jar of Strawberry-Rhubarb-Rose jam!

From Chipping Campden, we took a local bus to Broadway, crossing over the county line into Worcestershire, and then walked back into Gloucestershire for about an hour to our second National Trust property, Snowshill – immediately heading to the café for a cream tea to help recover from the last long hill!

Another spectacular place, filled with awe and wonder. Charles Paget Wade, architect and collector, purchased the estate just after WWI, and gave it to the National Trust a few years before he died in the early 1950s. The grounds are beautiful: simple walled decorative gardens near the manor, orchards of apples, and pasture for sheep. A tenant farmer still raises sheep on the property, and the apples from the orchard are used for delectable treats in the cafe. Next to the manor is a small priest’s house where Mr Wade lived while he filled the manor with his collections, which are vast; a passion he acquired as a small child.

The walk from Broadway was very pretty, although a bit treacherous on a narrow country road. The cream tea was calling and we persevered!

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The grounds were so lovely, with apples and flowers, a miniature harbour village, and a magical stormy sky all around.

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The collections: everything from bicycles, to musical instruments, to kitchen items, to prisoner-of-war bone carvings, to religious items, to over 2000 pieces of costume, and on and on.

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We ended the adventure with a drink just around the corner in Snowshill Village at the Snowshill Arms, before walking back to Broadway to catch a bus home.

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My first English pub experience. I had a small sherry!

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DetailChippingAs I sit in our next beautiful cottage, listening to the river just outside our door and the rain, I am thinking back to the wonderful seven days we spent in Chipping Campden. There were so many lovely details within the architecture in this picturesque town – I could post at least 50 pictures of door knockers alone!

Chipping Campden has existed since the late 12th century, but the current look of the village dates from the late 17th century when many of the wood-frame buildings were re-fronted in the honey-coloured limestone found in this part of the Cotswolds. Here are a few of the details I found most charming:

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On Friday we had a travel day, hauling too much luggage from London to Moreton-in Marsh by rail and then catching a bus to Chipping Campden. I loved Paddington Station in London. It was so easy to navigate. The journey was interesting. I was surprised by how quickly London gave way to countryside, and by how many people were on a late morning train to the Cotswolds, granted a vast majority were obvious visitors.

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We weren’t long out of London before the quintessential countryside appeared.

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The Signal Box, Moreton-in-Marsh.

We had a bit of a layover in Moreton-in-Marsh, so we found a quaint tea room called The Marshmallow and had some lunch. Willow can’t resist a scone so she had the cream tea. I went for a more savoury lunch and had the most amazing sandwich: cheddar and onion jam on whole wheat. The bread was very fresh and tasty, and the grated cheese blended so well with the onion jam to make every bite a delight. We hope to do a day trip back to Moreton-in-Marsh to explore when we aren’t loaded with luggage.

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The Marshmallow in Moreton-in-Marsh – pretty room, beautiful back garden patio, lovely service.

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Post-rail-journey lunch at The Marshmallow, Moreton-in-Marsh.

My second full week in England will be spent in the perfectly lovely village of Mells, to which we will bus from the train hub of Frome.

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The internet would have me believe Mells is idyllic, and I don’t doubt it. “One of the finest villages in England” is a quote from their website. It seems to me exactly the sort of place that will steal my heart and hold it captive forever. Mells certainly checks many of my boxes for a livable place: pretty, quaint, well organized, with a rich history, and a 25-mile walk and cycle trail – Colliers Way – right on it’s doorstep. And it’s less than four miles from the market town of Frome which has a thriving arts scene and regular market days. Other villages nearby include Coleford, Nunney (with it’s castle ruins), Whatley and Chantry. We also should try to get to Glastonbury.

During this week I will also be heading back to London for two nights to meet up with my sister, who will be in the UK at the same time. On the way back to Mells, a day in Bath is also on my agenda. Seems like a lot for a week!