UK - The Cricketers’ Arms & Berwick Church

One of the first questions everyone asks me in Corsica when they realise that I’m English, is ‘is England really like it is on Midsomer Murders?’ and on days like today when I have been sitting in the garden on the Cricketers’ Arms, I can honest say that it is (with perhaps slightly fewer deaths!).



The Cricketers’ Arms is the English country pub of most people’s imaginations. The pub itself is a traditional flint stone cottage pub close to the South Downs. The gardens are particularly pretty; Buddleias attracting butterflies, cherry blossom trees and all sorts of spring flowers.



We sat in the garden with glasses of chilled cider mulling over the menu, and in the end we plumped for two of their speciality platters. We took a cheese platter with mature cheddar, stilton and brie, served with real ale chutney and a Spanish platter with Serrano ham, Gran Vera chorizo, Salchichon sausage, Manchego cheese, olives and sun-blushed tomatoes which we shared.



They were absolutely delicious, so after lunch we decided to be good again and walk up to the church. I didn’t know there was a church close to the pub as they are a little way out of the main part of the village, but it was great as we got to see beautiful thatched houses and an amazing clematis clinging to an old wall



We wandered through the graveyard which sounds a bit morbid, but with wild flowers all over the place, you couldn’t help but feel uplifted.





The church is small but perfectly formed as the saying goes, and Kerry’s dad who had visited before gave us a top tip because otherwise we’d never have known that you can light up the inside to illuminate the colourful 20th century frescos, some of which were painted by the Bloomsbury group.



Kerry sat for ages reading all about them, but I have to confess that I was more interested in the stone windows as architecture is more my thing, and the view was just beautiful…

UK - Herstmonceux Castle and grounds

Herstmonceux castle is tucked away in the leafy lanes close to the village of the same name, but even though I lived in the area for yonks, I have somehow never visited. So, as I had a couple of spare hours, today was the day!



The first surprise was the Canadian lady at the gate and it reminded me of the war memorial at Vimy which is actually Canadian soil in France – very weird set up. Anyway, it turns out that the castle is privately owned and today is a working university.



It was a bit strange to see all the students milling about and sitting on walls that must have seen bloody battles over the years, and it’s a great shame that there isn’t much of note inside – as the lady on the gate said, antique furniture and students just don’t mix! - but the best thing about Herstmonceux is that because it’s privately owned, you can wander wherever you want through the grounds.





The first thing I noticed was the walled garden behind the castle, with ancient brick built archways and little gates leading to further themed gardens. I particularly liked the Shakespeare garden where all the plants have featured in the work of the Bard, and there are quotations from his various works.



It was here that I managed to corner one of the peacocks that roam freely through the grounds. I have never heard such a racket in my life and a couple of peacocks in your garden would be much more effective that a burglar alarm I am sure!



I was actually trying to step on the very end of his tail to bag myself one of their gorgeous feathers, but he obviously rumbled me, as he ran off at quite a pace, but it was whilst chasing him that I happened across the Elizabethan garden by accident, and was thrilled to discover an exhibition of sculptures dotted amongst the flower beds.



Beyond these structured gardens are huge fields of what must have previously been boggy marshland (mind your ankles), leading to some enormous Rhododendron bushes and super pretty apple blossoms. At the end of this field is the 1930’s folly with little garden of its own and another short woodland walk by the side of the stream.





At this time of year, one of the main attractions of the castle and grounds are the bluebells. They were absolutely everywhere and the density of flowers made them look more purple than blue. There are miles and miles of trails through the woods and as usual I was so busy taking photos that it wasn’t long before I realized that I didn’t know where I was!



I knew that sooner or later I would end up back at the castle, so I kept going and came across a clearing with information panels telling me about ‘Herst Henge’. Apparently, this is a ring of tree stumps into which various symbols have been carved. I suppose it’s the same idea as Stonehenge, but on a much smaller scale.



So, after a lovely woodland walk I found myself back at the castle gardens and an area that has been planted with impressive red maples – not surprising when you consider that the castle is Canadian owned! Below these trees, a stumpery has been created.



I’d never heard of a stumpery, but they are similar to rockeries but made from parts of dead trees instead of rocks. This can take the form of whole stumps, logs, pieces of bark or even worked timber such as railway sleepers or floorboards. The pieces are arranged artistically and plants, typically ferns, mosses and lichens are encouraged to grow around or on them.



I spotted another gate almost hidden behind the purple Magnolia, so I wandered in and found some amazing rhododendrons and azaleas in all shades from bright yellows, fiery oranges and deep reds and pinks.



Tucked away in a corner was an Asian style area with a budda statue and round the corner a really peaceful/tranquil area when you can sit and meditate in front of the fountain. Of course, I hadn’t read the blurb that the lady at the gate gave me, otherwise I would have known all this was here, but it was quite nice to discover it all as a surprise!



So, how did Herstmonceux Castle become a Canadian University? Well, in the 12th century a saxon lady, Idonea de Herst married a Norman nobleman, Ingelram de Monceux, to give the place it's name. The name of the owners changed through marriage to Fiennes, and the family increased in wealth and power. James Fiennes distinguished himself fighting for King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt and later became sheriff of Surrey and Sussex.



The family fortunes are interesting and varied, but by 1700 the last Lord Dacre, Earl of Sussex, was forced to sell Herstmonceux Castle. Over the years the castle saw good times and bad times, first falling into ruin before being bought in the 1900’s by Lt. Col. Claude Lowther who started the renovations that would continue for many decades to come.



In 1993 Herstmonceux Castle was acquired by Queen's University of Canada through the generosity of Drs Alfred and Isabel Bader, and is now an International Study Centre attracting students from around the world.

UK - Bluebell Walk and Farm Trail, Sussex

When I woke up this morning and saw the gorgeous blue skies, I knew that a bit of fresh air and exercise would help to assuage my guilt at all the naughty things I have eaten recently! So the only question was where to go.



Fortunately, my lovely friend Kerry had the situation firmly in hand, and had planned a whole day of excitement starting with a stroll along the bluebell walk and farm trail, lunch at a fabulous country pub and then a visit to the unusual church at Berwick.



The bluebell walk is only open for a few weeks each year, obviously when the bluebells are out, so we were very lucky really that the spring has been quite late this year because otherwise we would have missed them.



Entry is £4 which all goes to charity, and included in that are all sorts of extras such as a small petting zoo, farmers market stall, book stall, plants for sale and even a café selling homemade scrummy cakes and lunches.



The trails cover several different routes that can be done individually or joined together to make a huge trail even passing through the working area of the farm. They have a herd of Fresian dairy cows that are absolutely HUGE but I wasn’t quite so scared of them as I am of the Corsican cows as they don’t have horns. Phew!



There are also areas of wild garlic that smelt divine, so it was lucky we were almost at the end of the trail as our thoughts were turning to a yum pub lunch. I’m not sure that we managed to work off as much as we ate to reward ourselves afterwards, but who cares!