77. Wadhurst and Surrounding Villages - UK

Driving has made our lives infinitely easier.  In fact, there would be a lot we could not do given the limitations of public transport in these country areas. The surprising thing is that I find it more of a challenge to drive the country roads than through the streets of London, mainly because the narrowness of the streets in the villages makes passing another car quite daunting at times. I could feel myself breathe in and lean to the left every time a car approached us on one of these streets. Max pulls her shoulders in as roads become lanes and they're still two-way!

Having said that, nothing will deter me from driving these areas as the beauty can only be fully appreciated by being right there.

Wadhurst is a sleepy little village apart from the cars picking up and dropping off the kiddies at school times - and tradesmen. 

Then there's the semi-trailer trying to make its way down the street.  Footpaths are not safe for pedestrians!

England was commemorating Armistice Day on the weekend we walked into town.

The local church and cemetery are situated on a small hill in the middle of town and most of the shops, cafes and pubs are on the main street.

When I first visited the cemetery, it was misty and could only make out the outlines of the headstones. I then saw the outline of what I thought might have been someone visiting as it was the same size as an adult female. 

It was eerily still and standing on a pedestal at the head of a grave.  And I'm thinking , "Please be a statue..." It was a bit unnerving as the mist drifted in and out and visibility was limited. Upon approaching I was relieved to find it was a statue, but very life-like.  For those who know Dr Who, this could easily have been a Weeping Angel and I didn't blink. I returned another day and took a photo of the statue, dedicated to Edith Anne Hamilton.

Below are of some of the many beautiful homes and paths we have come across so far. 

Things one sees on a walk.  Brilliant!

When walking through farmland, there are always signs pointing the way.

I love coming across these!

The oak trees are plentiful and magnificent.

T'was a chilly morning.  

Oh Crumb. You ARE lovely.

One can casually walk on paths literally around the local farmhouses

 We went to Battle, a village not far from Hastings, where the 'Battle of Hastings' took place. 

An old abbey converted to a private school.

And the wee doorways.

Very English indeed.

A pub in Hastings, built in the 17th century.

A hotel called 'The Bell' up the road in Ticehurst

And in this pub, there is a very musical men's loo - Where 'Symphony No.1' is played!

(Crumble:  Something in my genes is telling me I need to chase these.)

Autumn is the best!

A community garden just behind the main street in Wadhurst

The entrance to 'Landgate' in Rye was built in 1329 and funded by Edward III.

A small trip up the road to Mayfield.

Our stay in Wadhurst was coming to an end. We were heading back to Daniel and Ellen's the next day to catch up and spend the night before heading to our next gig in Watford, in the north of London.

The previous evening before we were due to leave, we sat down with a glass of wine, dog on the lap, with a movie about to play, when Max got a text. The owner, Kate, had written, "We hope you enjoyed your stay and got away ok. We just got off the plane and are now heading home."

We looked at each other and started laughing. We hadn't started packing or cleaning! All hell broke loose and with a quick call to Daniel confirming it was fine to stay an extra night we went straight into autopilot.

We downed the wine and ran around the house going from room to room frantically cleaning, re-arranging, packing our stuff and trying to complete what normally takes four hours into one and a half.  And we did it!  That also included all the washing of sheets and Max making them a pot of potato and leek soup! 

All the while we were tearing around laughing, realising there'd been a change, texted weeks before, but completely forgotten. Oops! We laughed some more!

Just as we finished packing the car and sat down, there was a key in the door and in they came. They were happy to accommodate us for an extra night, however we were ready to go and left them to their lovely home.  Travel is always exhausting, especially with a toddler.