After not quite making it to Attingham Park yesterday I was able to have an afternoon walk there today. I had been wavering in my intention, the weather was sunny with a few fluffy white clouds in the sky but it was rather windy. Was I in the mood for a windy walk?

I had to smile as I was driving there. There was a sprinkling of rain which had not been in the weather forecast. It brightened up again until I stepped out on my walk. Then it started to spot with rain. I chose to carry on with the walk but walked quickly around the walled garden which is one of my favorite parts of Attingham. I wanted to finish my walk but I didn’t want to get caught in the rain. I had my umbrella but it would have been useless in the gusty wind.

Walled garden behind me I was now under the cover of trees, walking along the ‘mile walk’, a pathway that I particularly enjoy. I was pleasantly surprised to find that a bench that had been removed several years ago had been reinstalled in a favourite place of mine to ’sit and rest a while’.

Despite the threat of rain I chose to ’sit and rest a while’ before continuing along the ‘mile walk’. As I emerged from under the trees the capricious grey cloud had passed by and the sun came out.

I couldn’t resit venturing into the deer park. I wasn’t disappointed. The deer were present rather than hiding in the far reaches of the parkland.

After my walk I was in need of refreshment so I stopped at the Mansion Coffee House for a cool drink. I was plagued by wasps so it wasn’t very relaxing!

Whilst I was not quite enjoying my refreshing drink I was entertained by a squirrel that ventured under the tables in search of tasty morsels. I managed one quick photo and was lining up for a better (squirrel in focus shot) before a clueless youth exclaimed ‘Oh a Squirrel’ and stomped towards it only to be surprised that it disappeared rather quickly!

First thing this morning the sun was shining tempting me to visit Attingham Park for a walk in the woodlands. Before going out on any adventure I had to wait in for a routine maintenance visit scheduled between 8.30 and 13.30.

The maintenance man arrived at around 10 am, but for some reason a job that usually takes 15 to 20 minutes took almost an hour! By this time the sun had gone in an it was almost lunch time.

After lunch I decided that there was was not enough time to do Attingham Park justice so I chose to leave that visit for another day.

Earlier in the day my customised map for my local area (as inspired by Country Walking’s ‘Walk Every Path’) arrived.

This led to me revisiting a regular local walk to see how it had changed from my previous visit a few weeks ago. When I got to the pool views I sat and rested a while, watching the ducks, geese, seagulls and fish leaping out of the water.

Later in the day I was able to enjoy fine dining on the patio as the Waxing Crescent Moon came into view over our garden.

My previous post shared my afternoon canal experiences courtesy of a Christmas gift.

Today Mr C and I were booked in for a Wedgwood Ceramic Experience with Afternoon Tea (another Christmas gift).

We used the SatNav so that we could take early morning traffic situations into account. We were directed along a delightful countryside route which was enhanced by it being a lovely sunny morning.

To our surprise we arrived at the Wedgwood factory a lot earlier that either we or the SatNav predicted. We had 45 minutes to spare…

Now what should a girl do with all that time? Sit in the car and wait patiently or get out and explore the area…

Mr C prefered to sit in the car whilst I went out to explore. I enjoyed the landscaped gardens near to the factory and found woodlands beyond. I need to go back and enjoy a walk in the woodlands

Later in the day we enjoyed chilling out on our patio as the sun went down. Our visiting bat (from the local woodlands) chose to briefly grace us with his appearance

The photo I posted yesterday to accompany my ‘Cherie’s Place Thought’ was taken by Mr C whilst we were enjoying a lovely lazy sunday.

Our first port of call was a boatyard near Trevor basin to board a longboat for a leisurely lunch as we travelled along the canal (the lunch experience was a Christmas gift). The boat journey culminated in spectacular views as we travelled across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and back. WOW!

After our lunch experience we were not quite ready to return home. We parked at Blackwater Meadow marina near Ellesmere. From there we had a gentle stroll along the canal path and through the Ellesmere Tunnel, taking in the view of Black Mere pool before retracing our steps to the marina and our car.

All too soon our holiday had come to an end and it was time to return home. As we we were checking out of the hotel I couldn’t resist photographing the two permanent residents in their cosy home underneath the hotel reception desk.

We were in no rush to get home, allowing us to choose one last adventure. We decided to visit Berkeley Castle, which has some fascinating exhibits within its walls. On our way to the castle we heard singing as we walked past St Mary the Virgins’ Church. Later in the day, after lunch, we visited the church which has a lovely interior interesting historical features.

Before visiting the church we visited the castle’s butterfly house briefly (it was so hot and humid), where a butterfly took a fancy to me and almost landed on my head. I flinched (oops) and it fluttered on by…

We also visited Dr Jenner’s House and Museum which is next to the castle. Dr Jenner was the pioneer of vaccination against smallpox leading to its eradication.

Once we had finished exploring we headed home in glorious sunshine, stopping off to pick up some tasty ingredients to enjoy fine dining (at home) later in the day.

Our plan for the day was to visit Dorchester having changed our plans and bypassed it earlier in the week. I was keeping an eye on the weather and thinking about a visit to Muchelney Abbey, a place recommended as a wet weather visit by the member of staff we got chatting to whilst visiting Sherborne Old Castle. We chose Muchelney Abbey in Langport  as sunshine and clouds were forcast there rather than the rain that was forecast in all other areas nearby. Muchelney Abbey is interesting with many rooms intact and has the only complete thatched monks’ lavatory in England.

While we were at Muchelney Abbey we had a long chat with the member of staff that was manning the entrance desk. We discussed the history of the area and some of its links to history in Shropshire. Later we walked around the corner to visit the Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul. As we entered we were surprised to see a groom with his best man and ushers and noticed that the church was all decked out ready for a wedding. They were just about to leave so were able to spend a few minutes to enjoying the features of the church without disrupting their preparations.

We then drove to Barrington Court, restored by Colonel Lyle between 1920 and 1925. We enjoyed a walk around the gardens before lunch, after which we took a tour of the house.

There was still time to spare so we visited Tintinhull Garden which we had noticed earlier in the day whilst we were on our way to Muchelney Abbey. Before walking around the gardens we had tea and cake, in my case cranberry and yoghurt flapjack. The gardens were delightful.

Before dining in the hotel, we had a sparkling elderflower gin and tonic aperitif. In celebration of World Gin Day the hotel was promoting this cocktail which included a sprig of elderflower from its own kitchen garden. Whilst dining we noticed that another couple had chosen the tasting menu and that they were being served at a much more leisurely pace than we had been the day before.

When we awoke we found that the weather was wet so we decided to visit the Royal Signals Museum. The museum is situated within Blandford Forum military camp meaning we had to sign in and show photo ID. I was signed in by a former Gurkha who gave me precise details for getting to the museum and about what to do with the temporary passes when we left. He then helpfully advised that photography was allowed inside the museum (but not outside) without me having to ask.

The museum is excellent. It tells the story of military communications from semaphore to cyber. We had a cup of NAAFI tea before leaving the museum and depositing our temporary passes in the designated place.

As we headed into Blandford for lunch at The Georgian Tea Rooms the weather improved. I chose Dorset Apple Cake for lunch because I had not seen it available anywhere we had previously eaten. Afterwards Mr C visited a nearby second hand bookshop. Whilst he was browsing I noticed a book; “The RSPB Guide to Birdsong With CD” which I couldn’t resist buying. I have been enjoying the birdsong in my garden recently and have not been able to identify the birds from their songs so the CD will help (I hope). Mr C came away with another two military books to add to his collection.

Next port of call was an English Heritage property called Fiddleford Manor. It was very interesting but rather brief so we had time on our hands.

We opted to visit Sherborne Old Castle which had a lovely atmosphere and is an idyllic setting above the New Castle. As we were leaving, we got chatting to the member of staff manning the kiosk and he told us of other English Heritage properties nearby, one of which was Farley Hungerford Castle. I mentioned that, when we had visited there many years ago, I had felt a presence (not unpleasant) as I walked down into the chapel. To which he replied ‘yes there is’ and proceeded to tell me of (orb activity) that he had witnessed over the tombs when he worked there. Going on to say that the orbs acted differently, sometimes more animated depending on the visitor (captured on CCTV). He also advised that several people had witnessed a ghost dressed in black. Things that make you go “Hmmm”…

We returned to the hotel but, before chilling out, I went for a brief walk into town which upped my step count for the day. We dined in The Green for a second time and found it rather quiet for a Friday evening. The waiter advised that we should visit the Cross Keys for a drink as it had re-opened that day after being closed for a while. I thought it had a nice atmosphere but Mr C wasn’t so keen he would rather have been in a traditional pub.

The weather was hot and sunny so instead of our planned visit to Dorchester, and after stopping to photograph the Cerne Abbas Giant, we headed to Lulworth Cove. We climbed to see the view of the cove and the Stair Hole rock formation from above.

After elevenses, we drove to Durdle Door where we walked down to see the view of the rock formations. We regretted not taking a picnic with us which would have been enjoyable on the beach if we had carried on down the steps to the cove. The wind was quite wild, blowing the chalk everywhere, and at one stage setting me off sneezing.

Following the bracing walk we set off in the direction of Dorchester looking for a suitable place for lunch. We stopped Craigs Farm, Osmington which has delightful farm shop with a tea room that serves sandwiches and cakes. I opted for coconut and lime cake which was delicious. At this point we decided that perhaps there was not enough time to get the best out of a visit to Dorchester and flexed the plan again. We thought that a stately home would fit in nicely with our morning’s activities.

We looked to see what was nearby and settled on Athelhampton House and Gardens. It is a delightful property which we both thoroughly enjoyed. The gardens were relaxing after Mr C had needed to take a phone call regarding arrangements for my aunt’s funeral.

Returning to our hotel room, I was surprised to find champagne and chocolates waiting. Mr C had organised them because it was our anniversary. We sat and enjoyed a glass of bubbly and one or two chocolates before it was time for me to wash the chalk dust out of my hair.

We dined in the hotel opting for the Tasting Menu accompanied by a flight of different wines to compliment each of the dishes. The food was delicious and so was the wine. Our only complaint was that we were rushed through the courses. As we had finished one course and were savouring the last of the accompanying wine, a new glass of wine arrived followed by the next course. We did point out that we would like to slow down a little but still the courses kept coming meaning that we did not have enough time to savour the wine and fully appreciate the splendour of the dishes.

One of the things that Mr C particularly wanted to see was the Tiger Tank Exhibition in Bovington Tank museum. After breakfast we drove to Bovington along leafy lanes in beautiful sunshine. After looking at some of the exhibits it was time for a morning cup of tea.

Unfortunately the small cafe that was nearest to us was for some reason had stopped serving food or drink. We made our way to the new restaurant area where, unexpectedly, Mr C bumped into someone he knew and much to the other person’s surprise. They got chatting and, before we knew it, it was almost time for lunch. We decided to have lunch before before continuing with our museum visit. The museum had changed a lot since our previous visits and was much improved.

After our museum visit we drove to Morton Village to visit St. Nicholas Church and its beautiful glass windows engraved by the late Sir Laurence Whistler. The theme of the windows is light and they are replacements for windows that were destroyed by a German bomb in WWII.

The church is also of interest because the funeral of T E Lawrence took place there. Before returning to the hotel we visited his grave which is located in the graveyard near to the church.

Back in the hotel we chilled out before visiting the hotel bar for an aperitif. We dined in a Thai restaurant where the food was delicious and the service excellent. Comfortably replete, we stepped out further into town, to the George, Sherborne’s oldest pub for a nightcap. It had a lovely atmosphere with gentle music playing in the background.

After two days of travelling, we decided to give the car a rest. In the morning we walked around Sherborne looking at its interesting architecture along the way. We visited the Abbey, which is a fabulous building. As we entered we were warmly welcomed by one of the Abbey greeters, she was very knowledgeable and informative. After our visit Mr C was drawn into a second hand bookshop where we also enjoyed a cup of tea.

Next we visited the museum and a cook shop before enjoying lunch in Oliver’s Coffee House.

After lunch we walked to Sherborne New Castle taking in Paddock Gardens along the way. It was an unusual and slightly strange experience walking to, rather than driving to, a stately home. As we arrived it started to drizzle so we decided to visit the house first. This was a good call because by the time we had finished the tour of the house we emerged into brilliant sunshine allowing us to enjoy our walk around the estate.

We chilled out in the hotel before dining in ‘The Green’. The food was delicious and the staff were polite and friendly. Once again we stopped of at The Half Moon before returning to the hotel.