Archives for posts with tag: travel

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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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!

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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Love at first sight is the correct description of how I feel about this village in Gloucestershire. Our cottage is on a small lane, just off the high street. As I am writing this I can hear the clip clop of horse’s hooves just outside on the lane. There are birds everywhere, mostly jackdaw,  magpie, carrion crowns and wood pigeon, as well as a few robins and the occasional pair of pheasants scuttering along the hedgerows. The village is beyond charming, perfectly situated in the midst of lush rolling pastures. Everyone we have met has been so kind and friendly. Here are a few pics I took on Saturday:

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My first walk of the day, at about 8 am. This is St Catherine Catholic Church, just on the corner of our lane.

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Many doorways on the High Street lead to private courtyards, or hidden shops.

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St James Church.

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The walk up to St James.

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Chipping Campden High Street in early morning light.

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On our afternoon walk we find this gate which leads into the lovely Ernest Wilson Garden. Mr Wilson was born in Chipping Campden and was an important plant collector of the early 20th century.

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These unusual rose hips were interesting.

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A lovely, quiet place.

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The view from St James.

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View back towards St James from a public footpath through a field.

Here I am at the airport in Victoria BC, the journey begins! Tomorrow we will be in London. I can’t believe it.

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After Chipping Campden and Mells, we will spend a week in Brockenhurst, the largest village in the New Forest National Park. We will be surrounded by ancient pasture woodlands, and we will cross paths with roaming deer, cows and the famous wild ponies. As with our other villages, we will have ample opportunities for rambling and drinking tea!

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Once we leave the New Forest, but before our last few nights in London, we have two nights in the perfectly picturesque village of Rye. At the confluence of three rivers and just a couple miles from the sea, fortified Rye has held a defensive position on the south coast for centuries (The Mermaid Inn dates to 1156!).

London is calling now! When you hear from me next, that’s where I will be.

 

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!

For our first full week, we will be in the lovely market town of Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire.

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Yellow will be the colour featured in this week’s work, as I attempt to capture the delicate beauty of the honey-coloured limestone buildings. A hub for the arts and crafts movement, Chipping Campden is also the start of the Cotswold Way walking trail. We will take full advantage of that, visiting small towns and historical attractions, and seeking out all the tea rooms!

Day trips may include Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Sezincote House and Gardens near Moreton-in-Marsh.

Our accommodation for this week will be the first of three cottages we will enjoy on this adventure. More on that in posts from September 28–October 4.

At the beginning and the end of my big adventure I will have a few nights in London.

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I will save most of the art galleries and museums for the next UK journey. These are places GJ and I should go together. However, my London to do list does include the Victoria & Albert Museum, which has a number of very interesting exhibits on while I am there including Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up.

My travel companion told me about Dennis Severs’ House. Part theatre performance, part museum, part art gallery, it sounds like a feast for all of the senses.

One of the London experiences I am most excited about is visiting Highgate Cemetery – not to find famous graves, but for the beauty, solemnity, architecture, and grace. Perhaps I will stumble upon a relative or two.

I will be popping back up to London for two nights in the middle of the trip to rendezvous with my sister who will be briefly in London en route to Dorset. She wants to take me to Camden Market, just for fun!

And for a treat, I would love to visit The Grapes pub, perhaps on quiz night!

I would be thrilled and delighted to find Charles Adrian performing while we are there. His performance, as Ms Samantha Mann, Stories of Love, Death & A Rabbit was one of my most favourite theatre experiences.

And last but not least, I would love to visit Dorothy Circus Gallery. It shows the weird and the wondrous, and I think GJ should show there!

All London suggestions are welcome! Especially art, theatre, puppetry, vegetarian cuisine…