Trip Report – London, Devon and Somerset
Nov 3rd, 2008, 03:00 AM
#61
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Hi Anna,
I think you're right about where Compton Castle appears in the movie. I'm going to try and watch it this week because we visited Saltram next and it was also in the movie.
Our day trips were no more than 1 1/2 hrs. each way, although we'd only do that once in the 7 days. Most destination were within an hour.
Our method of picking where to rent is simple. We start by looking at the map that comes with the Great British Heritage Pass, zero in on the greatest amount of properties we want to visit in the area, then do some research on other things to see. Then I draw a circle around all those places on a regular AA map, and look for a town in the middle. I put the name of that town into google +"self catering" or +"cottage rental" and go from there.
As I mentioned earlier, I always prefer to book with an individual owner, but once in awhile, when we find a cottage we like, we go through an agency.
There was a post a litte while back where someone asked for cottage agencies that people would recommend. I will try and find it and post it for you.
Take care.
I think you're right about where Compton Castle appears in the movie. I'm going to try and watch it this week because we visited Saltram next and it was also in the movie.
Our day trips were no more than 1 1/2 hrs. each way, although we'd only do that once in the 7 days. Most destination were within an hour.
Our method of picking where to rent is simple. We start by looking at the map that comes with the Great British Heritage Pass, zero in on the greatest amount of properties we want to visit in the area, then do some research on other things to see. Then I draw a circle around all those places on a regular AA map, and look for a town in the middle. I put the name of that town into google +"self catering" or +"cottage rental" and go from there.
As I mentioned earlier, I always prefer to book with an individual owner, but once in awhile, when we find a cottage we like, we go through an agency.
There was a post a litte while back where someone asked for cottage agencies that people would recommend. I will try and find it and post it for you.
Take care.
Nov 3rd, 2008, 08:53 AM
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Great trip report, Rickmav. Even though I live in England, it gives me a great insight into what visitors think of our country. Regarding washing machines, I only ever use two of the cycles on mine-there's a choice of 12! There's usually an automatic cycle which washes and spins a general load.
Nov 3rd, 2008, 10:50 AM
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Hi Anna - here is the link re: cottage suggestions:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35159514
Hello Bellini - I'm always fascinated at what people think of Canada - even when it's not flattering, so I understand what you mean. Thanks for your comments.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35159514
Hello Bellini - I'm always fascinated at what people think of Canada - even when it's not flattering, so I understand what you mean. Thanks for your comments.
Nov 3rd, 2008, 11:52 AM
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<b>Our First Rainy Day, Saltram House and Between the Waves at Bigbury</b>
A rainy, drizzly kind of day so we have a bit of lie-in. We're missing a B&B kind of breakfast, so we have a traditional, stick-to-the-walls-of-your-bowlels fry-up. It's very good, although we feel a bit loaded down with all the extra cholesterol. We watch the morning news and decorating shows, then when the rain lets up, decide to drive into <b>Dartmouth</b> and explore it further.
Check our <b>emails</b> at the <b>local library</b>, just down the street from the Information Centre. As a visitor, you get the first ½ hr. free, then £1.50 for every ½ hour after that. We also find Internet service at Cafe Alf Resco (yup, I spelled that right) on Lower St. – also called Alf's – for £1 a ½ hour. (They also rent out a flat and B&B rooms http://www.cafealfresco.co.uk/.)
There are pockets of blue sky just staring to poke out amongst the clouds, so we decide to walk the mile to <b>Dartmouth Castle</b> (http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/s...show=nav.15498). When we ask a young man for directions, he suggests that because the path might be a bit muddy with the rain, we could take a local foot ferry that will drop us off near the entrance.
Once we have a look at the foot ferry (http://www.dartharbour.org/harbour-river-guide/ferries/ - about half-way down the page under 'Castle Passenger Ferry'), nothing more than a big canoe, we decide we'll try the path and if it's too muddy, we'll turn around. As we start out, we encounter an elderly lady walking with her dog who says if we stick to the road, and don't take the shortcut through the woods, we'll be fine, so that's what we do.
I'd read beforehand that the castle isn't much to see, but the views are magnificent and that's pretty well true, although there are some interesting displays. It costs £4 each, but is covered under the GBH Pass. It was built in the 14th c. to protect Dartmouth merchants (the gun battery was still in use during World War I and II) and there are wonderful views over the Dart estuary. Across the river is <b>Kingswear Castle</b>, which isn't open to the public but is rented out by the Landmark Trust as a holiday let. At one point, to repel invaders, they put a huge chain across the river, from Dartmouth to Kingswear Castle.
The man who built the fort was supposed to be in the inspiration for Chaucer's 'Shipman' in the <b>Canterbury Tales</b>. It reminds me a bit of looking across from St. Mawes Castle to Falmouth in Cornwall.
The site is quite deserted, we only run into one other couple and a family of three. We sit for a bit in <b>St. Petroc's Church</b>, which from some views almost overpowers the views of the castle, but it's very damp inside, so we head back to Dartmouth. I think it would be a great place to take kids who want to let off a bit of steam - going by ferry/canoe on the way there, then walking back.
We decide we've walked off breakfast, so deserve a pint at <b>The Cherub</b> (I have Doom Bar Ale – what a great name). A very old-fashioned pub, quite small, with settles on the side of the fireplace. Full of dark timbers and a mixture of elderly couples, and a table of characters who eye us suspiciously as we enter. I think the entire place could seat 30 people – and that would be crammed. The pub dates from the 14th c. and is supposed to be the oldest timber-framed house in England.
The landlord is friendly and asks where we are from. When we say Canada, of course he has a relative there (a cousin and her husband). He tells us that Dartmouth was made rich by the fish off Newfoundland. Glad we could help. He also says that at one time, with all the fishing boats and merchant ships about, Dartmouth had a thriving red light district. He looks a bit disheartened that the ladies have, apparently, moved on.
Check out the shops after our pint, we are looking for a gift for our granddaughter. Discover a lot of interesting little restaurants, bakeries, boutiques etc. around every corner. Decide we really like this place and if we end up back in England for Christmas next year (that's our plan unless the economy continues to ruin everything), we might come here. I don't know how cold it would be near the water in December. Anyone have any experience?
It starts to rain again, so we head home. Chicken Kiev for dinner – my favourite – and Coronation Street and The Bill. How much better can life get?
The next day we head for <b>Saltram House</b> (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-saltram), near Plymouth. It's a bit of a drive, but I'm excited about seeing the house that also (Anna!) appears in <b>'Sense and Sensibility'</b>. (It's Norland Park, the home of the Dashwoods.) Some of the 'A' roads – which next to the 'M' roads are main highways –are unbelievably narrow. I estimate it takes us about 3-4 minutes to go one mile, as opposed to 1 mile/minute in Canada. (Good news today – gas has dropped to 99p/litre.)
Saltram (cost: £8 each) is one of the National Trust's main properties in Devon. One of the room stewards tells us that there are 90 rooms in the house, although the public is only allowed to see 13. Wouldn't it be fun to open a few doors and see what's behind? The name of the house comes from the salt that was harvested from a nearby marsh (salt, according to another steward, was important as a food preservative). The house has been in the Parker family since 1712 and what is remarkable is how much of the original furniture still remains. We've visited a lot of these places, and it's rare to see this.
<b>Robert Adam</b> designed/improved much of the house and it is loaded with <b>Chippendale</b> furniture. Many of the rooms are also painted in those pastel colours you associate with Adams, complete with white plasterwork ceilings and beautiful rugs. There are four rooms in the house decorated with Chinese wallpaper, popular in the mid to late 1700s, and they are beautiful. And everywhere there are bowls of potpourri with lavender and rose buds. In the Velvet Drawing Room (that's what it's called), there's a card table with a trompe l'oeil card game and the steward told us someone had recently taken a penknife to the table to try to dig a card out!
The Great Kitchen is amazing. There are over 600 copper pots, moulds, etc. around the walls. There is also a room where they would bring the meat, cut it, salt it and hang it. The steward told us they would also keep eggs here over the winter, immersed in some kind of lime concoction. There's also a huge doll's house upstairs, and a Victorian boudoir.
The Parkers were great friends of <b>Sir Joshua Reynolds</b>, the famous portrait painter, and many of his works hang on the walls. There are also 12 paintings by Reynolds' good friend, <b>Angelica Kauffman</b>, who in the 1700s was one of the few women making her living from painting.
Another <b>Jane Austen</b> link to the property – a later Lady Morley (one of the Parker's titles) corresponded with the author (Austen's brother was the family chaplain) and was one of 12 people at the time who received an early copy of <b>'Emma'</b> to review. You can see the correspondence on display in the house.
During WWII, <b>the American army</b> set up in the woods (there are all kinds of pictures in a family album you can look through) and the 4th Earl and his brother kept fire watch on the roof. According to a room steward, it was a miracle the house was never bombed because it is only five miles from Plymouth, which was heavily damaged. The property was turned over to the National Trust in 1957 in lieu of death taxes.
On the way to <b>Bigbury on Sea</b>, we stop at the <b>Riverford Farm Shop</b> (http://www.riverfordfarmshop.co.uk/r...ps/kitley.html) near Yealmpton for lunch (thanks Bellini for the original suggestion). Oh my goodness, what a wonderful place. If we lived here, I'd shop here all the time. It's like an Aladdin Cave of great-smelling, looking, tasting, organic bread, vegetables, wine, sausages, olives, cheese, etc. We want to get to Bigbury before the tide cuts off <b>Burgh Island</b>, so walk through the place quickly, picking up some home-made soap as gifts, then a beef and stilton pasty for Rick and a cheese and bacon tart for me. We share a slice of ginger cake that is so good I can still taste it. (Total cost for food: £4.50.)
Then on to Bigbury (another thanks to Bellini). The wind has picked up and the waves are crashing and lovely. We park (£1.20), then walk across to Burgh Island. We stop to watch the para-sailers – oh, I would love to do that. It will have to be in my next lifetime, assuming I don't come back as a cockroach. It's such an amazing view, with the ocean crashing in from both sides as you walk across this hard sand in between. We have a pint at the <b>Pilchard Inn</b>, a tiny pub where the public are only allowed to sit in the small front room. The back area is reserved for those people staying at the <b>Burgh Island hotel</b> (http://www.burghisland.com/). (You aren't allowed any further on the island than the pub; the hotel and the walks around the island are for hotel residents only.)
Part of the reason I wanted to come here is because I am a great fan of <b>Agatha Christie's</b> and she stayed at the hotel (they have a room named after her) and used the island as her inspiration when she wrote 'And Then There Were None' (which I saw performed in London many years ago with Koo Stark – Prince Andrew's girlfriend) and 'Evil Under the Sun'. Some of Christie's stories have also been filmed here. As we are drinking our pint in a little porch attached to a side of the pub, so we can see the waves better, an English man stops a young woman who is climbing the hill to the hotel. He asks her how much it would cost to stay here and she says £364. He says, "A week?" And she answers, "No, a night" and keeps on walking up the hill. The fellow turns to us and says, "Is she serious?" And I tell him that I think she is.
We start chatting and, of course, he has the requisite relative in Kingston, Ontario. As he's leaving, he advises us to get a move on because the tide is coming in and if we get caught we will have to go by sea tractor through the waves (it costs about £1.50 per person). Although that appeals to me, it doesn't to Rick (remember I was a sailor in another life), so we down our drinks and make our way back. A long drive home, but we have a lot to talk about and it seems once you've been on a particular route once, the return trip isn't quite as scary.
On the news tonight, Madonna and Guy Ritchie are getting divorced. No one seems surprised in England. The coverage on the television is quite restrained - Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood at home are probably having a field day. I don't read the English tabloids, so don't know what they are saying. Also on the news, a town in Gloucestershire (Coleford) has put up their Christmas decorations today. Yikes!
<b>Next: A Boat Trip on the Dart, Getting Lost at Greenway, Cream Tea at the Spinning Wheel</b>
A rainy, drizzly kind of day so we have a bit of lie-in. We're missing a B&B kind of breakfast, so we have a traditional, stick-to-the-walls-of-your-bowlels fry-up. It's very good, although we feel a bit loaded down with all the extra cholesterol. We watch the morning news and decorating shows, then when the rain lets up, decide to drive into <b>Dartmouth</b> and explore it further.
Check our <b>emails</b> at the <b>local library</b>, just down the street from the Information Centre. As a visitor, you get the first ½ hr. free, then £1.50 for every ½ hour after that. We also find Internet service at Cafe Alf Resco (yup, I spelled that right) on Lower St. – also called Alf's – for £1 a ½ hour. (They also rent out a flat and B&B rooms http://www.cafealfresco.co.uk/.)
There are pockets of blue sky just staring to poke out amongst the clouds, so we decide to walk the mile to <b>Dartmouth Castle</b> (http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/s...show=nav.15498). When we ask a young man for directions, he suggests that because the path might be a bit muddy with the rain, we could take a local foot ferry that will drop us off near the entrance.
Once we have a look at the foot ferry (http://www.dartharbour.org/harbour-river-guide/ferries/ - about half-way down the page under 'Castle Passenger Ferry'), nothing more than a big canoe, we decide we'll try the path and if it's too muddy, we'll turn around. As we start out, we encounter an elderly lady walking with her dog who says if we stick to the road, and don't take the shortcut through the woods, we'll be fine, so that's what we do.
I'd read beforehand that the castle isn't much to see, but the views are magnificent and that's pretty well true, although there are some interesting displays. It costs £4 each, but is covered under the GBH Pass. It was built in the 14th c. to protect Dartmouth merchants (the gun battery was still in use during World War I and II) and there are wonderful views over the Dart estuary. Across the river is <b>Kingswear Castle</b>, which isn't open to the public but is rented out by the Landmark Trust as a holiday let. At one point, to repel invaders, they put a huge chain across the river, from Dartmouth to Kingswear Castle.
The man who built the fort was supposed to be in the inspiration for Chaucer's 'Shipman' in the <b>Canterbury Tales</b>. It reminds me a bit of looking across from St. Mawes Castle to Falmouth in Cornwall.
The site is quite deserted, we only run into one other couple and a family of three. We sit for a bit in <b>St. Petroc's Church</b>, which from some views almost overpowers the views of the castle, but it's very damp inside, so we head back to Dartmouth. I think it would be a great place to take kids who want to let off a bit of steam - going by ferry/canoe on the way there, then walking back.
We decide we've walked off breakfast, so deserve a pint at <b>The Cherub</b> (I have Doom Bar Ale – what a great name). A very old-fashioned pub, quite small, with settles on the side of the fireplace. Full of dark timbers and a mixture of elderly couples, and a table of characters who eye us suspiciously as we enter. I think the entire place could seat 30 people – and that would be crammed. The pub dates from the 14th c. and is supposed to be the oldest timber-framed house in England.
The landlord is friendly and asks where we are from. When we say Canada, of course he has a relative there (a cousin and her husband). He tells us that Dartmouth was made rich by the fish off Newfoundland. Glad we could help. He also says that at one time, with all the fishing boats and merchant ships about, Dartmouth had a thriving red light district. He looks a bit disheartened that the ladies have, apparently, moved on.
Check out the shops after our pint, we are looking for a gift for our granddaughter. Discover a lot of interesting little restaurants, bakeries, boutiques etc. around every corner. Decide we really like this place and if we end up back in England for Christmas next year (that's our plan unless the economy continues to ruin everything), we might come here. I don't know how cold it would be near the water in December. Anyone have any experience?
It starts to rain again, so we head home. Chicken Kiev for dinner – my favourite – and Coronation Street and The Bill. How much better can life get?
The next day we head for <b>Saltram House</b> (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-saltram), near Plymouth. It's a bit of a drive, but I'm excited about seeing the house that also (Anna!) appears in <b>'Sense and Sensibility'</b>. (It's Norland Park, the home of the Dashwoods.) Some of the 'A' roads – which next to the 'M' roads are main highways –are unbelievably narrow. I estimate it takes us about 3-4 minutes to go one mile, as opposed to 1 mile/minute in Canada. (Good news today – gas has dropped to 99p/litre.)
Saltram (cost: £8 each) is one of the National Trust's main properties in Devon. One of the room stewards tells us that there are 90 rooms in the house, although the public is only allowed to see 13. Wouldn't it be fun to open a few doors and see what's behind? The name of the house comes from the salt that was harvested from a nearby marsh (salt, according to another steward, was important as a food preservative). The house has been in the Parker family since 1712 and what is remarkable is how much of the original furniture still remains. We've visited a lot of these places, and it's rare to see this.
<b>Robert Adam</b> designed/improved much of the house and it is loaded with <b>Chippendale</b> furniture. Many of the rooms are also painted in those pastel colours you associate with Adams, complete with white plasterwork ceilings and beautiful rugs. There are four rooms in the house decorated with Chinese wallpaper, popular in the mid to late 1700s, and they are beautiful. And everywhere there are bowls of potpourri with lavender and rose buds. In the Velvet Drawing Room (that's what it's called), there's a card table with a trompe l'oeil card game and the steward told us someone had recently taken a penknife to the table to try to dig a card out!
The Great Kitchen is amazing. There are over 600 copper pots, moulds, etc. around the walls. There is also a room where they would bring the meat, cut it, salt it and hang it. The steward told us they would also keep eggs here over the winter, immersed in some kind of lime concoction. There's also a huge doll's house upstairs, and a Victorian boudoir.
The Parkers were great friends of <b>Sir Joshua Reynolds</b>, the famous portrait painter, and many of his works hang on the walls. There are also 12 paintings by Reynolds' good friend, <b>Angelica Kauffman</b>, who in the 1700s was one of the few women making her living from painting.
Another <b>Jane Austen</b> link to the property – a later Lady Morley (one of the Parker's titles) corresponded with the author (Austen's brother was the family chaplain) and was one of 12 people at the time who received an early copy of <b>'Emma'</b> to review. You can see the correspondence on display in the house.
During WWII, <b>the American army</b> set up in the woods (there are all kinds of pictures in a family album you can look through) and the 4th Earl and his brother kept fire watch on the roof. According to a room steward, it was a miracle the house was never bombed because it is only five miles from Plymouth, which was heavily damaged. The property was turned over to the National Trust in 1957 in lieu of death taxes.
On the way to <b>Bigbury on Sea</b>, we stop at the <b>Riverford Farm Shop</b> (http://www.riverfordfarmshop.co.uk/r...ps/kitley.html) near Yealmpton for lunch (thanks Bellini for the original suggestion). Oh my goodness, what a wonderful place. If we lived here, I'd shop here all the time. It's like an Aladdin Cave of great-smelling, looking, tasting, organic bread, vegetables, wine, sausages, olives, cheese, etc. We want to get to Bigbury before the tide cuts off <b>Burgh Island</b>, so walk through the place quickly, picking up some home-made soap as gifts, then a beef and stilton pasty for Rick and a cheese and bacon tart for me. We share a slice of ginger cake that is so good I can still taste it. (Total cost for food: £4.50.)
Then on to Bigbury (another thanks to Bellini). The wind has picked up and the waves are crashing and lovely. We park (£1.20), then walk across to Burgh Island. We stop to watch the para-sailers – oh, I would love to do that. It will have to be in my next lifetime, assuming I don't come back as a cockroach. It's such an amazing view, with the ocean crashing in from both sides as you walk across this hard sand in between. We have a pint at the <b>Pilchard Inn</b>, a tiny pub where the public are only allowed to sit in the small front room. The back area is reserved for those people staying at the <b>Burgh Island hotel</b> (http://www.burghisland.com/). (You aren't allowed any further on the island than the pub; the hotel and the walks around the island are for hotel residents only.)
Part of the reason I wanted to come here is because I am a great fan of <b>Agatha Christie's</b> and she stayed at the hotel (they have a room named after her) and used the island as her inspiration when she wrote 'And Then There Were None' (which I saw performed in London many years ago with Koo Stark – Prince Andrew's girlfriend) and 'Evil Under the Sun'. Some of Christie's stories have also been filmed here. As we are drinking our pint in a little porch attached to a side of the pub, so we can see the waves better, an English man stops a young woman who is climbing the hill to the hotel. He asks her how much it would cost to stay here and she says £364. He says, "A week?" And she answers, "No, a night" and keeps on walking up the hill. The fellow turns to us and says, "Is she serious?" And I tell him that I think she is.
We start chatting and, of course, he has the requisite relative in Kingston, Ontario. As he's leaving, he advises us to get a move on because the tide is coming in and if we get caught we will have to go by sea tractor through the waves (it costs about £1.50 per person). Although that appeals to me, it doesn't to Rick (remember I was a sailor in another life), so we down our drinks and make our way back. A long drive home, but we have a lot to talk about and it seems once you've been on a particular route once, the return trip isn't quite as scary.
On the news tonight, Madonna and Guy Ritchie are getting divorced. No one seems surprised in England. The coverage on the television is quite restrained - Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood at home are probably having a field day. I don't read the English tabloids, so don't know what they are saying. Also on the news, a town in Gloucestershire (Coleford) has put up their Christmas decorations today. Yikes!
<b>Next: A Boat Trip on the Dart, Getting Lost at Greenway, Cream Tea at the Spinning Wheel</b>
Nov 3rd, 2008, 06:01 PM
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rickmav,
Thanks for the link you provided and help in answering all my questions. You way of picking cottages is not only simple, but logical.
Was this your first time driving around England? You mentioned that the routes get easier after you have done them once, so you are definitely better about getting around than I was!
When you put up the link for Saltram, I have to say, I had no idea what house it was used as in the film...and I consider myself at being quite proficient with things in Austen adaptations! Is it just me or does it seem really, really white? Perhaps it was cleaned since the movie?
Isn't it fun to see buildings that were in films! I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to things like that, and last year we were able to visit Lyme Park, which was Mr. Darcy's house in the 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice. My friend and I were nearly giggling with delight, while my much more sensible sister tried to bring some decorum to our party.
So did Agatha Christie live on Burgh Island? Loved your descriptions of the food and the farm house - can't believe your entire lunch(plus dessert) was only 4.50 pounds! Quite a steal!
People always seem to look at us weird when we tell them one of the best things about traveling to England is watching what's on the tv - so glad to find a kindred spirit! Isn't watching all the tv shows, including the morning shows which are far superior to ours, great?
By the way, you are right - all the news shows couldn't shut up about Madonna getting divorced here. I'm surprised it wasn't bigger in England.
Thanks for the link you provided and help in answering all my questions. You way of picking cottages is not only simple, but logical.
Was this your first time driving around England? You mentioned that the routes get easier after you have done them once, so you are definitely better about getting around than I was!
When you put up the link for Saltram, I have to say, I had no idea what house it was used as in the film...and I consider myself at being quite proficient with things in Austen adaptations! Is it just me or does it seem really, really white? Perhaps it was cleaned since the movie?
Isn't it fun to see buildings that were in films! I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to things like that, and last year we were able to visit Lyme Park, which was Mr. Darcy's house in the 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice. My friend and I were nearly giggling with delight, while my much more sensible sister tried to bring some decorum to our party.
So did Agatha Christie live on Burgh Island? Loved your descriptions of the food and the farm house - can't believe your entire lunch(plus dessert) was only 4.50 pounds! Quite a steal!
People always seem to look at us weird when we tell them one of the best things about traveling to England is watching what's on the tv - so glad to find a kindred spirit! Isn't watching all the tv shows, including the morning shows which are far superior to ours, great?
By the way, you are right - all the news shows couldn't shut up about Madonna getting divorced here. I'm surprised it wasn't bigger in England.
Nov 3rd, 2008, 07:49 PM
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Hi Anna. No, we've driven in England many times, but never through that part of Devon until this year. Saltram House is fairly white, particularly if the sun is shining on it, although it may have been recently cleaned. I don't believe Agatha Christie ever lived on Burgh Island, although she stayed there while writing sometimes. Her Devon home was at Greenway, near Dartmouth, which we visit in my next report.
Nov 4th, 2008, 10:45 AM
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Oh Riverford! I've not been to their farm, but every week I get a wonderful veggie box from them, delivered to my door! Have just eaten some delicious cavolo nero from last Thursday's box.
Burgh Island and Bigbury-on-Sea conjure some great memories for me - for many summers we stayed in Thurlestone near Salcombe and Kingsbridge and always spent some time on the beach-between-two-seas. I have lovely photos of my children as little more than babies on the beach because the sand was the best for digging and sandcastles, at the Pilchard (I don't remember any segregation between the hotel guests and the visiting public back then!), the sea-tractor (totally safe, just a very high railed platform with a motor to carry you through the waves!). I didn't know you couldn't walk over the island any more - one year we met Whoopi Goldberg and her beau (I think this was after Ted Danson, and he was a theatre producer) up there, and we had a short conversation without us ever mentioning we knew who she was!
The hotel has featured on Poirot several times, and was the inspiration for the location of that Agatha Christie thriller, the title of which was changed to And Then There Were None. Agatha Christie only ever visited there, and it is still a perfect example of Art Deco architecture, style and design.
To my regret I never got to Saltram in all those years I went there, so it is lovely to read your report about it. Please continue with this wonderful report.
Nov 4th, 2008, 10:58 AM
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Have just eaten some delicious cavolo nero from last Thursday's box.>>>>>
Everything you ever needed to know about the Cotswolds summed up in a sentence.....
(WTF is Cavolo nero? is it a poncy lettuce? No really, what on God's good earth is it?)
Everything you ever needed to know about the Cotswolds summed up in a sentence.....
(WTF is Cavolo nero? is it a poncy lettuce? No really, what on God's good earth is it?)
Nov 4th, 2008, 11:38 AM
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Hello David, might have known you'd put in your tuppence worth LOL!
Cavolo Nero is a poncy cabbage, of Italian origin. Often used in minestrone soup. And now commonly grown in English fields, and widely available in supermarkets like Waitrose, though I have seen it in Sainsbuggers as well.
I use Riverford for my veggie box because I consider it way better value and contents wise than the local option of Prince Charles' Duchy box. I tested both a couple of years back, and Riverford came out tops. Anyway I can buy Duchy farm stuff if I can be bothered to drive a few miles to Tetbury, which I usually don't.
Actually, re the Cavolo Nero, I cooked it this evening briefly in boiling water, drained it then soused it in olive oil and lots of black pepper and chili flakes a la Jamie Oliver and lo and behold my teenage boys ate it alongside their fish'n'chips!
So not that much wrong with it except you haven't heard of it, eh?
Cavolo Nero is a poncy cabbage, of Italian origin. Often used in minestrone soup. And now commonly grown in English fields, and widely available in supermarkets like Waitrose, though I have seen it in Sainsbuggers as well.
I use Riverford for my veggie box because I consider it way better value and contents wise than the local option of Prince Charles' Duchy box. I tested both a couple of years back, and Riverford came out tops. Anyway I can buy Duchy farm stuff if I can be bothered to drive a few miles to Tetbury, which I usually don't.
Actually, re the Cavolo Nero, I cooked it this evening briefly in boiling water, drained it then soused it in olive oil and lots of black pepper and chili flakes a la Jamie Oliver and lo and behold my teenage boys ate it alongside their fish'n'chips!
So not that much wrong with it except you haven't heard of it, eh?
Nov 4th, 2008, 11:46 AM
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So not that much wrong with it except you haven't heard of it, eh?>>>
i've heard of cabbage.
I went to public school.
Me and cabbage go back a LONG way.
I don't care if cabbage scrubs itself behind the ears and adopts an exotic name. It will always remind me of five mile runs and mad geography teachers.
It's the smell......
CW - who was 25 before he found out that carrots aren't in nature soggy orange discs.
i've heard of cabbage.
I went to public school.
Me and cabbage go back a LONG way.
I don't care if cabbage scrubs itself behind the ears and adopts an exotic name. It will always remind me of five mile runs and mad geography teachers.
It's the smell......
CW - who was 25 before he found out that carrots aren't in nature soggy orange discs.
Nov 4th, 2008, 12:04 PM
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CW... I too went to the equivalent of a girls public school. I remember overboiled cabbage, along with spam and beetroot, and many worse inedible offerings we were forced to eat.
OK, so you were 25 when you discovered carrots were ok to eat.
So maybe when you are 45 you will discover that when properly cooked, cabbage is not so bad, nor is properly cooked beetroot. As for spam, the less said the better, that definitely does NOT improve with decent cooking or the age of the eater.
PS to avoid the smell of cabbage - any sort, and also broccoli and cauliflower, add a bayleaf to the pan, and it neutralises the smell.
Rickmav, sorry to hijack your thread, I will try not to respond to any more from CW, but I had to put him right on cavolo nero and Cotswold eating habits LOL...
OK, so you were 25 when you discovered carrots were ok to eat.
So maybe when you are 45 you will discover that when properly cooked, cabbage is not so bad, nor is properly cooked beetroot. As for spam, the less said the better, that definitely does NOT improve with decent cooking or the age of the eater.
PS to avoid the smell of cabbage - any sort, and also broccoli and cauliflower, add a bayleaf to the pan, and it neutralises the smell.
Rickmav, sorry to hijack your thread, I will try not to respond to any more from CW, but I had to put him right on cavolo nero and Cotswold eating habits LOL...
Nov 4th, 2008, 12:14 PM
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PS to avoid the smell of cabbage - any sort, and also broccoli and cauliflower, add a bayleaf to the pan, and it neutralises the smell.>>>
Alternatively, don't let the bloody stuff in your house in the first place.
You do know that mustard gas is made from cabbage don't you (CHOLMONDLEYTRUFACT)?
Alternatively, don't let the bloody stuff in your house in the first place.
You do know that mustard gas is made from cabbage don't you (CHOLMONDLEYTRUFACT)?
Nov 4th, 2008, 05:29 PM
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<b>A Boat Trip on the Dart, Getting Lost at Greenway, Cream Tea at the Spinning Wheel</b>
A lovely day today. We head for <b>Greenway</b> (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...ce/w-greenway/), the home of Agatha Christie, now belonging to the National Trust. On the Trust website, it advises visitors to take the ferry from Dartmouth as the road is very narrow, so we do just that. We buy tickets for the Dartmouth Belle from a little kiosk on the quay and then walk to the place opposite the Harbour Office to wait for it. (It costs £14 for the two of us, return.)
There are so many big ferries around that we're shocked when our little boat comes chugging along. It reminds me of <b>Humphrey's Bogart's 'African Queen'</b>. We climb down some steep steps to the water and are helped on board – some more gracefully than others – by a nice-looking, young man. The back part of the boat is covered over, which gives you some protection from the wind, but most people want to sit at the front or along the sides. It takes about 25-30 minutes to get to Greenway Quay, and there are wonderful things to see as we go. Some interesting yachts, a boat builder, and isolated houses on the hills.
Greenway Quay is right across from the small village of <b>Dittisham</b>. There's a small, small boat going back and forth from it to Greenway; for someone who wanted a shorter ride on the river that might be an option. There is quite a steep climb to the reception area and I am embarrassed to say that elderly English people, some with two canes, frequently pass me. They must have the healthiest lungs and hearts.
The house itself isn't open, which is a disappointment, although we knew that ahead of time. It was supposed to be open to the public in the fall of 2008, now they are saying sometime in 2009 (renovations are costing £5.4 million). The second floor of the house is to be let as a holiday apartment – wouldn't that be a treat? On one of the walking trails, you pass quite close to the house and there is a lot of construction going on. It is quite a large, built of a lemony-white stone and at one point on the trip upriver you can see it quite clearly - but only for a moment.
The house is first mentioned in 1493; the Gilberts (remember <b>Compton Castle</b
lived here in the 16th c. Agatha Christie and her archaeologist husband, Max Mallowan, bought the property in 1938 because she was born in Torquay, was a very private person, and they both loved to garden. During the war, the house was a home for <b>child evacuees</b>, but with increasing enemy flights over the Channel, the children were moved further inland (for a great interview with one of the evacuees see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/a..._feature.shtml).
In 1943, the house was taken over the <b>U.S. Admiralty</b> and it became the Officers' Mess for the <b>10th U.S. Patrol Boat Flotilla</b>.
In 1959, Agatha Christie gave the house to her daughter and retired to her home near Wallingford in Oxfordshire. Rosalind and her husband, Anthony Hicks, ran a commercial nursery at Greenway, buying up nearby farmland. The estate was given to the National Trust in 2000 by Rosalind, and Agatha's grandson, Mathew Prichard.
The garden is huge, over 36 acres with hundreds of acres of farmland surrounding it. There are different routes to take, and there were times when we feel lost because it is so lush and there are so few people about. I think it would probably be prettier in the summer, when many of the flowers would be blooming, but it's still a great place to explore on a sunny day in October. According to the guidebook, Greenway is described as "a charming, secret garden held on the edge of wilderness."
There's a Tennis Court, a Walled Garden, Putting Green and a variety of statues and fountains. But my favourite place is Raleigh's Boathouse, named after Sir Walter, who used to visit his half-brother here. It appears in <b>Dead Man's Folly</b> as the place where one of the characters is strangled, and there is a small saloon with a balcony and two fireplaces that seems right out of the 1930s.
The return boat trip is a bit nippier (the young assistant, who virtually lifts me on board, tells us that the Belle makes seven trips a day), but once we land at Dartmouth the sun comes out again. We decide to have afternoon tea at the <b>Spinning Wheel</b> (£4.95 each for two pots of tea, two scones each with homemade jam and Devonshire cream) and it is very good. The cream is different from what we've had in the Cotswolds, for example, (denser) but just as yummy. The shop has some delicious looking desserts on display, as well.
Then we window-shop, enjoying the October sunshine and I buy some Christmas cards at the National Trust store. We go home and pack up - tomorrow we leave for Norton-sub-Hamdon in Somerset. We have really enjoyed our holiday in Devon and will definitely come back. There are so many things we didn't see that were on our list, but we wanted to savour what we saw and not rush from place to place. I think we've done exactly that.
We have our final dinner at <b>The Laughing Monk</b> in Strete. Wonderful, wonderful place. We're not foodies, but I think if you were, this would be one of those 'must eat' places. We are able to take advantage of the Early Bird special (6:30-7:30 p.m.) which is £15 each for two courses. I have the roasted vine tomato soup with basil pesto, and pan-roasted chicken breast with potato gnocchi and figs (I've never had a fig before!), and Rick has citrus flavoured salmon with a cucumber and orange salad, and a local caught sea bass with sweet and sour peppers and a potato rosti. We share a selection of vegetables. We order a bottle of white wine, and although the desserts look scrumptious, we are absolutely stuffed. What a nice way to end our holiday in Devon.
<b>Next: Exquisite Montacute, Garden Cottage and Dinner With Lord Nelson</b>
A lovely day today. We head for <b>Greenway</b> (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...ce/w-greenway/), the home of Agatha Christie, now belonging to the National Trust. On the Trust website, it advises visitors to take the ferry from Dartmouth as the road is very narrow, so we do just that. We buy tickets for the Dartmouth Belle from a little kiosk on the quay and then walk to the place opposite the Harbour Office to wait for it. (It costs £14 for the two of us, return.)
There are so many big ferries around that we're shocked when our little boat comes chugging along. It reminds me of <b>Humphrey's Bogart's 'African Queen'</b>. We climb down some steep steps to the water and are helped on board – some more gracefully than others – by a nice-looking, young man. The back part of the boat is covered over, which gives you some protection from the wind, but most people want to sit at the front or along the sides. It takes about 25-30 minutes to get to Greenway Quay, and there are wonderful things to see as we go. Some interesting yachts, a boat builder, and isolated houses on the hills.
Greenway Quay is right across from the small village of <b>Dittisham</b>. There's a small, small boat going back and forth from it to Greenway; for someone who wanted a shorter ride on the river that might be an option. There is quite a steep climb to the reception area and I am embarrassed to say that elderly English people, some with two canes, frequently pass me. They must have the healthiest lungs and hearts.
The house itself isn't open, which is a disappointment, although we knew that ahead of time. It was supposed to be open to the public in the fall of 2008, now they are saying sometime in 2009 (renovations are costing £5.4 million). The second floor of the house is to be let as a holiday apartment – wouldn't that be a treat? On one of the walking trails, you pass quite close to the house and there is a lot of construction going on. It is quite a large, built of a lemony-white stone and at one point on the trip upriver you can see it quite clearly - but only for a moment.
The house is first mentioned in 1493; the Gilberts (remember <b>Compton Castle</b
lived here in the 16th c. Agatha Christie and her archaeologist husband, Max Mallowan, bought the property in 1938 because she was born in Torquay, was a very private person, and they both loved to garden. During the war, the house was a home for <b>child evacuees</b>, but with increasing enemy flights over the Channel, the children were moved further inland (for a great interview with one of the evacuees see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/a..._feature.shtml).In 1943, the house was taken over the <b>U.S. Admiralty</b> and it became the Officers' Mess for the <b>10th U.S. Patrol Boat Flotilla</b>.
In 1959, Agatha Christie gave the house to her daughter and retired to her home near Wallingford in Oxfordshire. Rosalind and her husband, Anthony Hicks, ran a commercial nursery at Greenway, buying up nearby farmland. The estate was given to the National Trust in 2000 by Rosalind, and Agatha's grandson, Mathew Prichard.
The garden is huge, over 36 acres with hundreds of acres of farmland surrounding it. There are different routes to take, and there were times when we feel lost because it is so lush and there are so few people about. I think it would probably be prettier in the summer, when many of the flowers would be blooming, but it's still a great place to explore on a sunny day in October. According to the guidebook, Greenway is described as "a charming, secret garden held on the edge of wilderness."
There's a Tennis Court, a Walled Garden, Putting Green and a variety of statues and fountains. But my favourite place is Raleigh's Boathouse, named after Sir Walter, who used to visit his half-brother here. It appears in <b>Dead Man's Folly</b> as the place where one of the characters is strangled, and there is a small saloon with a balcony and two fireplaces that seems right out of the 1930s.
The return boat trip is a bit nippier (the young assistant, who virtually lifts me on board, tells us that the Belle makes seven trips a day), but once we land at Dartmouth the sun comes out again. We decide to have afternoon tea at the <b>Spinning Wheel</b> (£4.95 each for two pots of tea, two scones each with homemade jam and Devonshire cream) and it is very good. The cream is different from what we've had in the Cotswolds, for example, (denser) but just as yummy. The shop has some delicious looking desserts on display, as well.
Then we window-shop, enjoying the October sunshine and I buy some Christmas cards at the National Trust store. We go home and pack up - tomorrow we leave for Norton-sub-Hamdon in Somerset. We have really enjoyed our holiday in Devon and will definitely come back. There are so many things we didn't see that were on our list, but we wanted to savour what we saw and not rush from place to place. I think we've done exactly that.
We have our final dinner at <b>The Laughing Monk</b> in Strete. Wonderful, wonderful place. We're not foodies, but I think if you were, this would be one of those 'must eat' places. We are able to take advantage of the Early Bird special (6:30-7:30 p.m.) which is £15 each for two courses. I have the roasted vine tomato soup with basil pesto, and pan-roasted chicken breast with potato gnocchi and figs (I've never had a fig before!), and Rick has citrus flavoured salmon with a cucumber and orange salad, and a local caught sea bass with sweet and sour peppers and a potato rosti. We share a selection of vegetables. We order a bottle of white wine, and although the desserts look scrumptious, we are absolutely stuffed. What a nice way to end our holiday in Devon.
<b>Next: Exquisite Montacute, Garden Cottage and Dinner With Lord Nelson</b>
Nov 5th, 2008, 07:57 PM
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rickmav,
Enjoyed all the historical fact about Greenway - never realized AC loved gardening. Why is it that the National Trust sites hardly have pictures of the estates? That always frustrates me...were you planning to put up some pictures for your trip report?
Your cream tea sounded very good - I have to actually go to Devon one day so I can have real devonshire cream!
Was "The Laughing Monk" a gastro-pub? The name just sort of reminds me of the crazy, kooky names pubs have Your meal did sound very good, and an incredible deal - too bad you didn't have room for dessert!
Enjoyed all the historical fact about Greenway - never realized AC loved gardening. Why is it that the National Trust sites hardly have pictures of the estates? That always frustrates me...were you planning to put up some pictures for your trip report?
Your cream tea sounded very good - I have to actually go to Devon one day so I can have real devonshire cream!
Was "The Laughing Monk" a gastro-pub? The name just sort of reminds me of the crazy, kooky names pubs have
Your meal did sound very good, and an incredible deal - too bad you didn't have room for dessert!
Nov 6th, 2008, 10:19 AM
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<b>Exquisite Montacute, Garden Cottage and Dinner With Lord Nelson</b>
Today we are up early to finish tidying up the cottage and get on the road to <b>Somerset</b>. Get bogged down a bit in traffic outside Paignton, but once we get on the M5 we really make time.
Our plan is to go Lytes Cary first, then <b>Montacute House</b> (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-montacute), then check into our cottage. But when we get to Lytes, it's closed. I check the GBH Pass catalogue and it says it's open on Fridays, but for some reason it isn't today. So, on to Montacute. What at amazing place. (We used our GBH Pass again, saving £17.)It reminds me of <b>Hardwick</b> Hall (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-hardwickhall) in Derbyshire. <b>(Note: Anna – Montacute was also used in the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility.)</b>
Sir Edward Phelips, Master of the Rolls to <b>Queen Elizabeth I</b>, built the house in the late 1500s. It has been described as "the most beautiful Elizabethan house in England." Unfortunately, the house was repeatedly stripped of its contents – usually to pay death duties or gambling debts – so what you see inside has been brought from somewhere else. The house was last lived in by the Phelips in 1911, they leased it out to those with enough cash to keep it up.
One leaseholder was <b>Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India</b>, who lived here with his mistress, Elinor Glyn – a writer I'd never heard of. (There's a stack of her books in one of the bedrooms). From the titles, they look like steamy romance novels.) According to one of the room stewards, Glyn coined the word 'It' referring to a woman's sex appeal. She was also a Hollywood screenwriter – after Curzon dumped her – and made <b>Mark Twain</b> blush with her frank discussion of sex. (Glyn apparently read about Curzon's engagement to someone else in the Times. She moved out of the house and never saw, or spoke to him, again.)
<b>Thomas Cook's</b> grandson bought the house in 1931 when it was going to be demolished, restored it and handed it over to the organization that preceded the National Trust. In 1975, it became affiliated with the <b>National Portrait Gallery</b> in London and the Long Gallery at the top of the house displays much of the museum's collection of Elizabethan portraits. It was perfect seeing pictures of the very people who may have walked these halls.
There are also portraits of many of the Kings of England and their consorts and I never realized before how unattractive <b>Henry VIII's wives</b> were. They all look somewhat cranky. Of course, being married to Henry would probably put you in a bad mood. Saw a portrait of Stephen I, whom I've read about in <b>Ellis Peters' Cadfael mysteries</b>. He looks almost cross-eyed. John I was no Tom Cruise either. There's also a great portrait of <b>Bess of Hardwick</b>, looking determined, intelligent and wise. It must have been a time of very strong women.
One of the volunteers who came here after the war to get the house in shape so it could be opened to the public was <b>Vita Sackville-West</b>, the owner of Sissinghurst in Kent. She apparently helped with the planting. If you like <b>samplers</b>, there's also a rare collection of here from the 17th c., donated by a Dr. Goodhart (what a great name for a doctor!).
Followed owner Jacky Fisher's instructions to <b>Garden Cottage</b> (http://www.stilwell.co.uk/affiliates...ailId=soa036/1)
in the very small village of <b>Norton-sub-Hamdon</b> (not to be confused with Stoke-sub-Hamdon, just down the road). It's perfect for two people with a great bedroom on the second floor that's open to the rafters, 1½ baths and beautiful views over Jacky and John's garden. They have two very friendly dogs, Izzy and Polly. Taking a walk around the garden, I can't believe the size of the dahlias. They are enormous. When I ask John what his secret is, he says he doesn't take them out for the winter, but cuts them down and covers them with ash from the wood stove.
We unpack, get settled in, then at 7 p.m. walk to the local pub, <b>The Lord Nelson</b>. John warns us that there are new owners and he's heard it's noisy, but we think it's great. Very friendly, nicely decorated and the food is good. I have the spinach and ricotta tagliatelle with plum tomatoes and pine nuts, and Rick has the steak, ale and mushroom pie. Mine comes with a side salad and Rick's with potatoes and a variety of vegetables. With a pint each it comes to £25.
Have a stroll around the village before we return to our cottage; we can pretend that we live here. It's very quiet, full of stone houses and a little brook that runs along the road just across from our cottage. You can see some photographs of the village at: http://www.nortonsubhamdon.org.uk/villviews.htm.
Watch an inane but hilarious show called <b>Celebrity Ding-Dong</b> with Alan Carr. A team from <b>I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and Strictly Come Dancing</b> compete for charity and one of the questions the audience has to vote on is which of the team members they think is the most unhygienic. <b>David Gest – Liza Minelli's ex</b> – 'wins' and he looks like he's going to cry. I can't believe he's still in Britain (we watched him on I'm A Celebrity when we were here in 2006). Maybe he just won't leave.
Then we watch <b>Jonathan Ross</b> (who, according to the BBC website, is in a lot of trouble for a prank call he made) interview <b>Ricky Gervais and Gordon Ramsey</b>. They are all extremely rude to each other and it's very funny. Ross teases Gervais about his fang-like teeth and actually brings his own dentist on stage for a consult.
The next morning we go to <b>Sherborne</b> (just down the road but technically in Dorset) to check out the farmer's market. Load up on fresh produce and cheese, dishcloths that I always buy in England, and a few other odds and ends. Lovely town, with lots of shops and medieval architecture. Has a nice feel about it. We follow the signs to a <b>book fair</b>. Oh my goodness. I could have bought the lot. Rick reminds me of our limited suitcase capabilities, so I only buy three.
Next, we explore the <b>Abbey</b> (http://www.sherborneabbey.com/misc/panorama.shtml). There has been a church here since 705 A.D. (dates like this always blow my mind. Canada hasn't even been a country for 150 years.) Lovely ceilings, stained glass and alter. Very atmospheric. Sir Walter Raleigh used to worship here (that guy got around). There's also a famous public school in Sherborne, our landlord's son was a pupil (as was Jeremy Irons and John le Carre). Goodbye Mr. Chips was filmed here.
Have a quick sandwich, then off to visit the castle Raleigh built on the edge of town called, of course, <b>Sherborne Castle</b> (http://www.sherbornecastle.com/). There's an old castle, in ruins, across the lake. The Wingfield Digbys moved into Sherborne Castle (also covered by the GBH Pass – savings £18), in 1617. (According to one of the room stewards, the family can no longer afford to live here.) You can rent Sherborne Castle for weddings, and during WWII, the house was Commando HQ for the D-Day landings.
I start a conversation with one of the room stewards and it turns into an interesting discussion/debate as English tourists join in. The topic is the economy and, as I plead to Rick later, I didn't even start it. The room steward begins muttering about death duties and the lousy government and I ask a simple question – and we're off. The gist of the discussion is that the Labour government is responsible for the financial mess the country is in – even though Gordon Brown acts as if he is some sort of hero for rescuing England, Europe, and the World. There seems to be a consensus that there will soon be (protest) marching in the streets.
From there, the discussion goes on to the government taking away the Queen's sovereignty – I didn't follow this part, but I was too scared to ask a question – and Brown knew he was doing something wrong because he visited her at night and made her sign some piece of paper. At this point, there is a rallying cry to support the Queen and then everyone either looks embarrassed or resolute, and leaves to continue touring the house. Rick drags me away before I asked another question. Livens up the day.
The Green Drawing Room is spectacular and I don't know why I'm always fascinated by the kitchens in these places. It's not a room I inhabit that regularly at home. I guess I keep imagining a Tudor banquet, or a Gosford Park weekend – and marvel at how the heck they fed everyone.
The Castle overlooks a lake and gardens created by <b>Capability Brown</b> (another guy who got around). The lake covers 50 acres, the grounds another 40. The gardens are supposed to be beautiful in the spring; we wander along the lakeshore, appreciating another lovely day in England.
One of my other recurring medical ailments decides to take over at this point (Rick has forbidden me to write any more about the sciatica in this trip report, he said it's just plain boring), so we decide to head home and enjoy the garden at our cottage. The owners are about and we have a nice chat – I don't know why so many people in England seem to think that the French and English in Canada are at constant war. We're just not that exciting.
<b>Next: A Call to Julia_t, No Room at Stourhead and Croquet at Lytes Cary</b>
Today we are up early to finish tidying up the cottage and get on the road to <b>Somerset</b>. Get bogged down a bit in traffic outside Paignton, but once we get on the M5 we really make time.
Our plan is to go Lytes Cary first, then <b>Montacute House</b> (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-montacute), then check into our cottage. But when we get to Lytes, it's closed. I check the GBH Pass catalogue and it says it's open on Fridays, but for some reason it isn't today. So, on to Montacute. What at amazing place. (We used our GBH Pass again, saving £17.)It reminds me of <b>Hardwick</b> Hall (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-hardwickhall) in Derbyshire. <b>(Note: Anna – Montacute was also used in the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility.)</b>
Sir Edward Phelips, Master of the Rolls to <b>Queen Elizabeth I</b>, built the house in the late 1500s. It has been described as "the most beautiful Elizabethan house in England." Unfortunately, the house was repeatedly stripped of its contents – usually to pay death duties or gambling debts – so what you see inside has been brought from somewhere else. The house was last lived in by the Phelips in 1911, they leased it out to those with enough cash to keep it up.
One leaseholder was <b>Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India</b>, who lived here with his mistress, Elinor Glyn – a writer I'd never heard of. (There's a stack of her books in one of the bedrooms). From the titles, they look like steamy romance novels.) According to one of the room stewards, Glyn coined the word 'It' referring to a woman's sex appeal. She was also a Hollywood screenwriter – after Curzon dumped her – and made <b>Mark Twain</b> blush with her frank discussion of sex. (Glyn apparently read about Curzon's engagement to someone else in the Times. She moved out of the house and never saw, or spoke to him, again.)
<b>Thomas Cook's</b> grandson bought the house in 1931 when it was going to be demolished, restored it and handed it over to the organization that preceded the National Trust. In 1975, it became affiliated with the <b>National Portrait Gallery</b> in London and the Long Gallery at the top of the house displays much of the museum's collection of Elizabethan portraits. It was perfect seeing pictures of the very people who may have walked these halls.
There are also portraits of many of the Kings of England and their consorts and I never realized before how unattractive <b>Henry VIII's wives</b> were. They all look somewhat cranky. Of course, being married to Henry would probably put you in a bad mood. Saw a portrait of Stephen I, whom I've read about in <b>Ellis Peters' Cadfael mysteries</b>. He looks almost cross-eyed. John I was no Tom Cruise either. There's also a great portrait of <b>Bess of Hardwick</b>, looking determined, intelligent and wise. It must have been a time of very strong women.
One of the volunteers who came here after the war to get the house in shape so it could be opened to the public was <b>Vita Sackville-West</b>, the owner of Sissinghurst in Kent. She apparently helped with the planting. If you like <b>samplers</b>, there's also a rare collection of here from the 17th c., donated by a Dr. Goodhart (what a great name for a doctor!).
Followed owner Jacky Fisher's instructions to <b>Garden Cottage</b> (http://www.stilwell.co.uk/affiliates...ailId=soa036/1)
in the very small village of <b>Norton-sub-Hamdon</b> (not to be confused with Stoke-sub-Hamdon, just down the road). It's perfect for two people with a great bedroom on the second floor that's open to the rafters, 1½ baths and beautiful views over Jacky and John's garden. They have two very friendly dogs, Izzy and Polly. Taking a walk around the garden, I can't believe the size of the dahlias. They are enormous. When I ask John what his secret is, he says he doesn't take them out for the winter, but cuts them down and covers them with ash from the wood stove.
We unpack, get settled in, then at 7 p.m. walk to the local pub, <b>The Lord Nelson</b>. John warns us that there are new owners and he's heard it's noisy, but we think it's great. Very friendly, nicely decorated and the food is good. I have the spinach and ricotta tagliatelle with plum tomatoes and pine nuts, and Rick has the steak, ale and mushroom pie. Mine comes with a side salad and Rick's with potatoes and a variety of vegetables. With a pint each it comes to £25.
Have a stroll around the village before we return to our cottage; we can pretend that we live here. It's very quiet, full of stone houses and a little brook that runs along the road just across from our cottage. You can see some photographs of the village at: http://www.nortonsubhamdon.org.uk/villviews.htm.
Watch an inane but hilarious show called <b>Celebrity Ding-Dong</b> with Alan Carr. A team from <b>I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and Strictly Come Dancing</b> compete for charity and one of the questions the audience has to vote on is which of the team members they think is the most unhygienic. <b>David Gest – Liza Minelli's ex</b> – 'wins' and he looks like he's going to cry. I can't believe he's still in Britain (we watched him on I'm A Celebrity when we were here in 2006). Maybe he just won't leave.
Then we watch <b>Jonathan Ross</b> (who, according to the BBC website, is in a lot of trouble for a prank call he made) interview <b>Ricky Gervais and Gordon Ramsey</b>. They are all extremely rude to each other and it's very funny. Ross teases Gervais about his fang-like teeth and actually brings his own dentist on stage for a consult.
The next morning we go to <b>Sherborne</b> (just down the road but technically in Dorset) to check out the farmer's market. Load up on fresh produce and cheese, dishcloths that I always buy in England, and a few other odds and ends. Lovely town, with lots of shops and medieval architecture. Has a nice feel about it. We follow the signs to a <b>book fair</b>. Oh my goodness. I could have bought the lot. Rick reminds me of our limited suitcase capabilities, so I only buy three.
Next, we explore the <b>Abbey</b> (http://www.sherborneabbey.com/misc/panorama.shtml). There has been a church here since 705 A.D. (dates like this always blow my mind. Canada hasn't even been a country for 150 years.) Lovely ceilings, stained glass and alter. Very atmospheric. Sir Walter Raleigh used to worship here (that guy got around). There's also a famous public school in Sherborne, our landlord's son was a pupil (as was Jeremy Irons and John le Carre). Goodbye Mr. Chips was filmed here.
Have a quick sandwich, then off to visit the castle Raleigh built on the edge of town called, of course, <b>Sherborne Castle</b> (http://www.sherbornecastle.com/). There's an old castle, in ruins, across the lake. The Wingfield Digbys moved into Sherborne Castle (also covered by the GBH Pass – savings £18), in 1617. (According to one of the room stewards, the family can no longer afford to live here.) You can rent Sherborne Castle for weddings, and during WWII, the house was Commando HQ for the D-Day landings.
I start a conversation with one of the room stewards and it turns into an interesting discussion/debate as English tourists join in. The topic is the economy and, as I plead to Rick later, I didn't even start it. The room steward begins muttering about death duties and the lousy government and I ask a simple question – and we're off. The gist of the discussion is that the Labour government is responsible for the financial mess the country is in – even though Gordon Brown acts as if he is some sort of hero for rescuing England, Europe, and the World. There seems to be a consensus that there will soon be (protest) marching in the streets.
From there, the discussion goes on to the government taking away the Queen's sovereignty – I didn't follow this part, but I was too scared to ask a question – and Brown knew he was doing something wrong because he visited her at night and made her sign some piece of paper. At this point, there is a rallying cry to support the Queen and then everyone either looks embarrassed or resolute, and leaves to continue touring the house. Rick drags me away before I asked another question. Livens up the day.
The Green Drawing Room is spectacular and I don't know why I'm always fascinated by the kitchens in these places. It's not a room I inhabit that regularly at home. I guess I keep imagining a Tudor banquet, or a Gosford Park weekend – and marvel at how the heck they fed everyone.
The Castle overlooks a lake and gardens created by <b>Capability Brown</b> (another guy who got around). The lake covers 50 acres, the grounds another 40. The gardens are supposed to be beautiful in the spring; we wander along the lakeshore, appreciating another lovely day in England.
One of my other recurring medical ailments decides to take over at this point (Rick has forbidden me to write any more about the sciatica in this trip report, he said it's just plain boring), so we decide to head home and enjoy the garden at our cottage. The owners are about and we have a nice chat – I don't know why so many people in England seem to think that the French and English in Canada are at constant war. We're just not that exciting.
<b>Next: A Call to Julia_t, No Room at Stourhead and Croquet at Lytes Cary</b>
