80. Itchenor and Surrounding Villages - UK

Once settled with Ned, we ventured out and about the area. I must admit that most seaside areas are not as attractive as they are in Australia. In a lot of cases, it is mud rather than sand that meets the water and high tide makes for a prettier picture. Having said that, the boats and the harbours have their own special magic and the history of the area allowed me to imagine what it would have been like to see the Saxon boats sailing past.

This area has some beautiful properties with some having been built or rebuilt in recent times. These pics were taken of places in the street we are in.

The place we are staying.



The view from the back garden

The view from our room. The harbour is in the distance.


A house across the road


Other homes in our lane





This was taken in West Wittering - A village closeby


I am fascinated at how many thatched rooves are still being maintained rather than replaced. A lot has to do with heritage listings and having no choice but to keep the type of material, but to see the craftsmanship alive and well is fantastic! For those interested, here is a closeup of the roof of the above house. I was able to get close as the bottom of the left-hand side roof was at my head height. You can see the chicken wire used to keep it all together - How it keeps the water out amazes me.


And a view from underneath


Bosham Village - Beautiful example of thatched roof design and cobbled walls.




Royal Oak Hotel - Hooksway. 


As mentioned in the previous post, we accidentally came across this as we were looking for the burial mounds. As we approached the road leading up to the mound we realised we couldn't drive on the track as it was full of potholes. The hotel was right there and, it was close to lunchtime. I don't usually remember meals eaten out however the mushroom and chestnut pie was delicious. We stopped there.  Ned and I then walked up to the Treyford burial mounds which they call the 'Devil's Jumps'. 

According to the local story, the god Thor used to sit on Treyford Hill. One day the devil saw the five barrows and started to jump from one to the next in order to amuse himself. This enraged Thor, who threw a stone at the devil, causing him to flee.



The five barrows


On one of the days the weather cleared, we drove to Winchester, which is famous for its magnificent cathedral. To be honest, the pic doesn't do the cathedral any justice.


Coming up to the winter solstice, the Christmas stalls have sprung up in town with many treats and trinkets. We normally peruse, sample and leave but this day we walked away with elderflower gin liqueur and a selection of unusual cheeses for Christmas day.



The cheese man


A local distillery


Mulled Wine



The 'Buttercross' was built in the 15th century, and features 12 statues of the Virgin Mary, other saints and historical figures.


We had one day where we hadn't organised a sit so we stayed at an Air BnB just outside Salisbury. We chose there as we wanted to see the city and go to Stonehenge on our way through to our next sit in Farnham.

These three little piggies were not off to market, but on the property next door to our accommodation. They stood about 30cm tall and were so friendly!


The Star of Salisbury!


The Poultry Cross is explained on the plaque below



Can't get enough of these buildings. Note the organic shapes of the timbers.


Another magnificent cathedral. And we're supposed to believe these structures were built with horses and carts, picks, shovels and chisels?


Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 18, 2023 at 8:28 AM

    Absolutely amazing buildings......in total awe of the magnificence

    ReplyDelete
  2. GabiDecember 18, 2023 at 8:35 PM

    The cheese and elderberry gin liqueur look delicious!!! Amazing buildings! Have a warm and wonderful Christmas you two!! Big hugs! xxxxxxx

    ReplyDelete

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