Back again from a great few days in the campervan near Ross on Rye. Sorry to have missed you last weekend. It’s a very lovely area which we’d not really explored before. So, part of this trip was just to poke around but also to see how a cranky old man in our party would cope with the “demands” of a camping expedition. Thankfully, we all passed with flying colours.
On the day before we set off on our excursion, we joined a Garden Club outing to Cottesbrooke Hall, a stately home and estate in the lovely Northamptonshire countryside. One of the previous owners made his fortune by cornering the raisin market in the 1600s and, with this fortune, purchased the estate. Raisins? It’s still very much a family home and the gardens are really lovely – lots of quiet spaces, pools, a wild garden and gorgeous parkland.
Here are some of the least bad photos.
And so, off on Friday to the Haywood Farm Caravan and Camping site just north of Ross on Wye. It was a gentle drive, partly not to tax the cranky old man’s stamina, and we were soon allocated a generous pitch, set up with glasses of wine and pre-dinner nibbles to hand.
Daisy had a great time exploring and, in particular, she loved the sections of long, un-mown grass where she could hunt for small rodents. Lots of holes to sniff but thankfully no small rodents were harmed during our visit.
Dinner that night was at the Moody Cow, just a few minutes up the road. They were very accommodating, Daisy curled up under the table and the food was very good. The place was packed which is always a good sign.
The next day we set off for a poke around Ross-on-Wye, a lovely little town – we walked along the river and explored a bit of the older part of town. Had coffee and a snack in a lovely delicatessen where Penelope also discovered some elements for a lovely evening meal back at the campsite.
From Ross we made our way to Westbury Court Garden, a National Trust property and one of a few remaining Dutch water gardens in the UK, it seems. It was excellent and Daisy found great amusement in conversing with the carp in the canals. They are clearly used to people feeding them so whenever they see someone peering into the water, they all swarm to that spot. Daisy could see them coming and was in danger of becoming over excited.
Back “home” for our deli-acquired dinner, a bit of TV in the van and a well-earned sleep.
Sunday it was off to Goodrich Castle, one of many along the Welsh-English border and one of the best preserved. It’s fascinating to walk around, the free audio tour was very informative and the views from the battlements were stunning. Lots of dank, dark corners for Daisy to sniff so even she enjoyed herself.
On to Symmonds Yat for a stroll down the river. We started our trek at Ye Old Ferrie Inn which was clearly very popular – there were hordes of folks having lunch when we set off. It’s also a launching point for canoes and other river-approved transport. A very helpful young lady pointed out the stairs to the starting point of the trail and off we set. Woods, smells and squirrels to chase for Daisy, stunning views all round for us.
We strolled along for about 1.5 miles before crossing the river on a small suspension bridge. It was a bit wobbly for Daisy’s liking so she was not delighted at the prospect of having to cross. So, Penny strode off purposefully across the bridge, I encouraged her from behind (Daisy, not Penny) and the crossing was successfully accomplished. Back up the river until we reached the point opposite the Old Ferrie Inn where, thankfully, there was a small hand-pulled ferry to transport us across to the other side. What are the chances of that?
Dinner that night was at the Olive Tree in Ledbury, a lovely little town. Sadly, the Olive Tree is not dog-friendly so Daisy was confined to the van. As you might have guessed, it’s an Italian and the carbonara I had was very good. The town centre was very quiet on a Sunday evening – the fact that England were playing in the finals of Euro 2024 might have had something to do with that. So, we enjoyed a very quiet and pleasant sànbù after dinner.
On Monday it was time to pack up and make our way back to beautiful, downtown Moreton Pinkney. Heavy rain was forecast but thankfully we were all packed up and on the road before we had any. Daisy was pleased to be home – she’s not that keen on riding in the campervan but Penny fixed her up with a very comfortable space – she pulled the bed out and made her a comfortable little nest hoping she would just curl up and sleep. Which is mainly what she did! Marvellous.
And, it’s been non-stop since then! Wednesday we had a great outing – we met up for lunch with a gaggle of former colleagues – we all worked together at one time or other at the Computer Unit in Oxford. We met at The Fox at Great Barrington and it was great to see everyone again. The food was good, but not great, sadly. Several folks, including Penny, were a bit disappointed at the plaice dish they had – plaice on the bone doesn’t leave a great deal of plaice once you get it off the bone. Also, the waitress was a bit “shouty”. To be fair, she was trying to make herself heard over the cacophony of noise we made in greeting one another after all this time.
Thursday evening we were out to the cinema with some of our lovely neighbours to see the NT Live production of Present Laughter, a play by Noel Coward starring Andrew Scott. It was terrific and Andrew Scott was outstanding. Rapid fire, very funny, very sad, very light, very dark, with some exquisitely humorous farcical moments. Catch it if you can.
And Friday night out to drinks and a BBQ with some other lovely neighbours and then yesterday I was invited to accompany Penny and two of her/our good friends for lunch at the Red Lion in Culworth. Hey! I’m doing all I can to support the service and hospitality sector.
Meanwhile, keep happy, keep smiling, keep exercising, be good, be careful, and keep safe. And be gentle to wasps and bees.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg