After breakfast we checked out of our hotel and drove to Stourhead House & Gardens in glorious sunshine. We signed in at the National Trust reception area before heading through to the house and gardens. It was around 20 years since our previous visit and it was our first visit to the house, which contains some interesting items. After our tour of the house we entered the gardens and found its colours to be spectacular. Before continuing on our journey to Cirencester, we lunched in the National Trust Cafe where to our pleasant surprise, we found the food options more varied than we have come to expect from a National Trust tea room.

Outside our hotel in Cirencester we parked in the drop off area as advised by the hotel. Mr C was harassed and told to move his car, by an angry van driver that happened to arrive a few moments after us. Mr C moved to a nearby space whilst we checked in to the hotel. We were given a lovely welcome pack which included local points of interest and a walking tour of Cirencester. After unloading we moved the car to a local pay & display car park, freshened up for dinner and made our way to the hotel bar.

I ordered a dry sherry, which the bar tender, after offering cider, eventually found with the help of Mr C.  I was then asked if I would like a 125, 175 or a 250 ml glass. At this point I gave up and said don’t bother whilst thinking that if you have got the drink in your chiller so you should know how to serve it. Mr C asked how we should pay the bill (his G&T) and the young man who was serving us hadn’t got a clue.

The restaurant turned out to be not quite our thing. The menu blended from starters to main courses with some options being either. We chose fishcakes which we thought would be a main course. It turned out to be starter size for Mr C and not even big enough for a main course for me with my small appetite. Although the meal was brief it was delicious. During our meal we got chatting to a couple on the table next to us and found that they had got married the Saturday before. She was struggling with her arm in a sling, having tripped up some steps and broken it on the Bank Holiday weekend just before the wedding.

When we had finished chatting, we stepped out of the chaos that was the hotel’s bar and dining arrangements into the calm of the street. We crossed the road to the Fleece Inn where we soaked up an enjoyable relaxing atmosphere.

Our destination for the day of our anniversary was Forde Abbey, a place that we had not visited before. Our journey there was quirky – there were many sudden junctions and eroded markings and, for some reason, the SatNav has changed the way it navigates saying bear left/right when the junction is a left/right turn and when it states turn left/right it should say bear left/right. I upgraded to the latest map a couple of days before we travelled, before this the bear/turn directions seemed more accurate.

The gardens are wonderful and the architecture of the house and former Abbey interesting. A lovely herd of Ruby Red Devon cows were in a field just outside the boundary fence. The spectacular Centenary Fountain is the tallest powered fountain in England. We enjoyed lunch in the walled garden, sitting outside the undercroft. I chose cherry cake; it just had to be done. The staff were so happy to have recently opened and enjoying the visitors’ return.

On our way back to the hotel we detoured to Cerne Abbas to see the newly chalked giant on the hillside. We then visited the village to find the Holy Well and the Preaching Cross that are located within the burial grounds. The Holy Well was lovely and peaceful, although another couple followed us into the space so we left them to it. I had hoped to return after they had gone but that was not to be because, as we retraced our steps past the Holy Well on our way to find the Preaching Cross, the couple were still there and, to my dismay, clambering over the well. We visited the garden of St. Mary’s church but sadly did not have chance to visit the church as time was getting on.

When we arrived back at our hotel room we found that the pre-ordered champagne and box of chocolates had not arrived. Mr C had to chase it up and when our order arrived it wasn’t exactly presented in an elegant way. The box of chocolates turned out to be four chocolates served on a bed of small pebbles. Not exactly what we had in mind.

We dined in the hotel, choosing the tasting menu option. The speed of delivery was much better than our previous occasion when we were rushed through the meal before we had chance to savour the wine that accompanied the dishes. However the final dessert course failed to be delivered until the wine waiter came back to check if we had enjoyed our experience and noticed our untouched wine glass, spare cutlery and the absence of a dessert plate.

We awoke to glorious sunshine and made our way down to the breakfast room. I was pleasantly surprised to find that some items were available to select from the buffet rather than to order. This included a fresh fruit salad served in a sealed Kilner jar. The fresh fruit option is one of my favourite breakfast choices when I am on holiday. A full cooked breakfast was available to order but, as usual, I only selected a few items from the menu.

Suitably replete, we set off towards the Fleet Air Arm Museum for which had booked a ticket and timeslot as required by current Covid-19 restrictions. We had time to kill so we drove past the museum ending up in the delightful village of Huish Episcopi. Mr C parked to allow me a photo opportunity of the church. Whilst deciding on the best angle to photograph the church, I noticed the war memorial and and a sign that indicated we were only a few miles away from Muchelney Abbey, a place  we enjoyed on our previous stay in Sherborne.

After taking advantage of my photo opportunity we returned to Fleet Air Arm Museum where we spent over three hours. My favourite items in the museum were; the Short ST17 with its flimsy wings and rattan bucket seat (a crazy prospect for flying) and a Concorde prototype which we were able to board and observe how tiny the cabin compartment is.

We had lunch in the museum before heading towards Glastonbury with a view to walking up to the Tor or perhaps visit the Chalice Well Garden. We quickly changed our mind when we saw how busy both Glastonbury and the Tor were. There was a queue to visit the well and a swarm of people looking like ants on Glastonbury Tor.

We had a rethink and drove to Burrow Mump where we climbed to see the ruins of St Michael’s church and the spectacular views from the top of the mound. After this adventure it was time to return to our hotel and freshen up before our evening meal in The Grange Hotel at Oborne. It was a fine dining experience; I chose Duck Leg with fondant potato and spicy red cabbage, followed by Chocolate Torte with Orange and Berries. There was a slight hiccup with the wine not arriving at the table but when we pointed this out the wine arrived within moments. We loved the place so much that we would like to stay there when we next visit the area.

We returned to the Eastbury where we got chatting to a couple about life, lockdown and that they were staying in the Eastbury due to winning a prize that including a stay in the other hotels in the Peter de Savary collection. From our conversation it seems that everyone has experienced the same trials and tribulations that working from home entails and the same losses and isolations due to Covid-19.

We set off on our journey in glorious sunshine; planning to have lunch on the way. The SatNav was advising  an hour’s delay on the motorway so we decided to take a detour which led us to a lovely café that we have previously visited, The Café Craycombe at Fladbury in the Vale of Evesham.

We enjoyed our lunch sitting outside soaking up the rays.  I chose a tuna and sweetcorn baguette which was delicious.

After lunch the motorway delay seemed to have subsided so we rejoined it, stopping off at Gloucester services for a drink. Inside the services was hectic so I found the perfect seat overlooking the outside pool and the wildlife area. Back on the road the SatNav detoured us off the motorway onto delightful country roads although towards the end of our journey we got stuck behind a tractor on a narrow lane with no chance of overtaking.

We eventually arrived in Sherborne and, after a slight confusion with parking, we checked in to the Eastbury Hotel. We were taken to our lovely room overlooking the garden. After unpacking our bags we took advantage of the complimentary Sloe Gin that was conveniently waiting for us.

We freshened up before walking to The Green restaurant for dinner. The food and service was as good as we remembered it from our previous visits in 2019. I chose skate wing followed by meadow fresh nougat. We returned to the hotel for a nightcap where I sampled the local Sherborne Castle rose wine. I wasn’t disappointed.

The name “Sherborne Castle” was then applied to the new house, though today the term Sherborne New Castle is generally used to refer to it, in the same manner as “Sherborne Old Castle” is used for the ruins.

Through the early and mid-18th century William, 5th Lord Digby,^[7] who laid out the grounds praised by Alexander Pope, and his heirs Edward, 6th Lord Digby, who inherited in 1752, and Henry, 7th Lord, created Earl Digby, laid out the present castle gardens. Features include the 1753 lake designed by Capability Brown, which separates the old and new castles.^[8] The ruins of the old castle are part of the gardens, being conspicuous amongst the trees across the lake. King George III visited the house and gardens in 1789, shortly before awarding Henry Digby with a peerage. When Edward, 2nd and last Earl Digby, died in 1856 the house was passed to the Wingfield Digby family, who still own the house. The house was modernised by the architect Philip Charles Hardwick.

In the First World War the house was used by the Red Cross as a hospital and in the Second World War as the headquarters for the commandos involved in the D-Day landings.

Sherborne Old Castle is a romantic 12th-century ruin set in beautiful grounds next to New Sherborne Castle.

After withstanding two sieges during the Civil War, only the Southwest Gatehouse and parts of the castle, including the Great Tower and the North Range, now survive. Loved by Sir Walter Ralegh, he leased the castle but when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London for marrying one of Queen Elizabeth I’s maids of honour without her permission, it was then leased out but remained a favourite home of the famous explorer.

The castle grounds are a haven for wildlife and birds and it is an ideal spot for a picnic where you can take in the beautiful views across the surrounding countryside. Keep an eye out for ‘Lady Betty’s Pinks’ during July and August, named after Sir Walter Ralegh’s wife, Elizabeth, flowering throughout the grounds.

Jules Renard

Horace