Wincanton, England

As we near the end of each of our Sits we prepare mentally and physically to leave for the next destination. What will be our situation, would we have cats or dogs, how many, would we be in rural or urban setting, would we get to spend time with our hosts, if so where and when, and other such details. Barb reviewed the welcome packet provided by our host, Sara, in Wincanton . We would be caring for two terriers, sisters, Martha and Bella, and an outside cat named Mrs. Brown, a curious name. Wincanton is a small town with a population of 5,272 in South West England a couple of hours from London. The town was small and there was only a limited bus system so we’d have to settle for what was available or take a coach to Stonehenge, a 30 minute drive or visit some other attraction. We typically prefer bigger cities because there are more activities, restaurants and bars to frequent. Also, in the bigger cities we depend on mass transit to take us to places further away so we can do whatever we feel like since we don’t have access to a vehicle.

This Sit was going to be about a week and since it was a small town we assumed we would be able to get to a store for groceries and prepare our meals at the house. Barb went into Google maps and it did indicate a couple of restaurants and a bar so we were hopeful, but our grocery store plan would easily get us through the week. We did notice we would only be about a half hour from Stonehenge and there was a coach to take us to London so, we could get Martha and Bella set up for the day and we could pass the time by going to those places. In the welcome guide we also found out Steven, our host, would meet us at the train station. We would recognize him because he resembled Superman, his wife Sara said. I wasn’t sure if he would be in red and blue spandex with a long cape or lite colored business suit under a matching fedora. Sara, had graciously offered to take us to the grocery store so the bus service was no longer a concern. The next day we took the train for the short ride from Swindon to Westbury.

As we climbed out of the wagon I noticed a tall man with glasses who did in fact resemble a casually dressed Clark Kent, without either outfit I imagined. He introduced himself and his son Archie, and lead us to his car. The car quickly left the town of Westbury behind and we were treated to the view of an occasional house and beautiful scenic vistas for the 30 minute drive to Wincanton. Steven gave us a narrative of the views with information about their 450 year old home. For another Sit we stayed in a home built around 1650 and were amazed, we were on our way to a home predating it.

We entered Wincanton and a few seconds later drove into a church parking lot. As we stepped onto the sidewalk preparing to cross the street Steven pointed out the “Nog Inn” free house, Archie’s employer and immediately beside it was “Summer Palace”, a Chinese restaurant, our hosts living next to them. I thought having a couple of pints and going ordering some Chinese takeaway within 25 feet of our Sit was fantastic. He said “We’re going to number 6.” I saw the door with a big silver door knob in the middle with a picture window display flanking each side filled with inflated balloons with the words “Big Up The Party” in a fun font.

Martha

As soon as we put our things down inside we met Martha, a two tone brown and black small Terrier, and Bella, all black. Bella was on the couch in between a couple of pillows looking up at us. Martha was bouncing around seemingly very curious about the new arrivals.

Bella

Sara welcomed us with a big smile and we went on a tour of their home. We met their daughter Amelia and we walked through the house admiring the the coziness and style. Sara runs a business, Sara Kirkby Event Style. Sara does wonderful window displays, party planning and pop up dinners in her home. As we got a tour of her beautiful kitchen, Sara pointed out a loaf of bread she bought for us from the local baker and some banana bread type treats she and Amelia made, they were delicious!

Mrs. Brown

Outside the house was a narrow patio with a tall wall to the left, adjoining the “Summer Palace”, Chinese restaurant, decorated with beautiful plants and flowers. At the back of the patio area was another door which led to Mrs. Brown’s domain. Above the door was a tiny patio with a small opening into the Lilliputian size hide-away complete with a small opening inside and a balcony.

Sara and Steve explained the instructions for caring for Martha, Bella and Mrs. Brown then some of the places immediately outside their door and other attractions a coach ride away. It turns out that there is an Indian restaurant, with an all you can eat buffet on Sunday nights, two pubs, a Chinese restaurant one door down, a Kebab and Pizza place, a delicious bakery owned by Phil, a wine shop run by Jenny, and another restaurant with Cambodian cuisine on Thursdays and Vietnamese cuisine on another night. Later we talked about google map inadequacies. Although, it could be a plot from the townspeople of Wincanton to dissuade tourists from finding out about the attractiveness of this place, brilliant!

Our hosts were driving to France that evening but before they left Steve gave us a bottle of wine to enjoy. He suggested a cozy night in front of the fireplace with the bottle of wine. We decided that was a great idea and did just that. We exchanged well wishes and reassurances and they were on their way.

That evening before the wine, we ate at the Indian restaurant buffet and had a pleasant meeting with Mrs. Brown while she ate dinner. Each afternoon we walked to the park with the twins so Martha could run back and forth with a tennis ball in her mouth and Bella would participate in a proper exercise of fetch. There were always dogs and people in the park and each day we talked with someone. A couple of nights we went to Archie’s Pub, actually called the Nog Inn, for a couple of pints and ate dinner there once. We went to the Summer Palace twice and received a good neighbor discount because our hosts must be nice people. We had coffee and dessert or a savory item at the wonderful bakery several times. Sara and Steve’s good friend Maura invited us over for coffee and conversation. We all walked to the bakery after coffee to enjoy lunch together.

The week passed quickly and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and hoped our hosts would request some additional days for their trip. Unfortunately that didn’t happen but we did get to greet them on their return and hear about their trip and the next morning we enjoyed French croissants and coffee and talking to them one last time.

During one of our conversations with Sara and Steve they mentioned Wincanton was thought of as the least desirable of the three towns in the area, the other two being Bath and Somerset and the butt end of jokes. As Barb and I mentioned several times while we were there and since leaving, to have a tiny town of nice people, good pubs, unusually good restaurants and a picturesque downtown is a very rare treat. If I lived there I would create some of my own derogatory jokes about Wincanton to keep people out so it stays just the way it is.

Hereford England

Our fifth sit was in Hereford, England. Hereford is a town of about 70,000 people and our hosts lived a few miles or a quick bus ride from the center of town in a nice community of friendly people.

We cared for two dogs, Sye, a sweet old soul, and Ruby, a rambunctious puppy our hosts saved from a difficult situation and were working diligently to help her adjust to a normal life. The house was probably built in the 1800’s with a roomy master bedroom and bathroom.

Sye

Ruby

A nice gift!

Our host presented us with fresh cut flowers, local ciders and jam and also veggies from their garden. The garden, yard, was a cornucopia of foods and flowers with ample room for the dogs to play. Our favorite was the apple tree in the front garden. Katherine, our host, said it was the last of a grove of trees that once filled that area. I am not a fruit eater although I’ve had hopeful thoughts of eating healthier by consuming more fruit, but I have not been successful. I have eaten some very tasty apples especially in Western North Carolina that is home to groves of them. But the apples from this tree were the best I’ve ever eaten! They were crispy with a little sweetness and a tinge of sour. I had at least one a day and the tree was colored two-thirds by green leaves and the remaining third by those red apples.

I took the bus to downtown Hereford to get groceries, have my beard trimmed, have a couple of pints at the Kings Fee, a cup of coffee from a food truck and just to look around. Barb had injured her foot so she stayed “home” with the pups and watched her new best thing- Jamie Oliver on the tellie. While waiting on the bus there was a nice man there that explained the location of grocery stores and the particulars of the bus times, drop offs, routes and ticketing information. He was far more helpful than the internet. I told him I wanted to go to Lidl’s and he agreed that was the store to shop because they have the best prices but there was also a Morrison’s across the street. Within a short time the bus pulled up and we both got on. He sat in the first seat near the front of the bus and I took the next one next to a young guy with a headset on. The bus was almost filled and trip in took about 20 minutes with no stops until we were just about downtown. I was hoping to see a sign for Lidl’s but wasn’t have any luck but at one of the stops the man I spoke with stood up turned his head toward me and gave me a nod so I took my cue and got off. He waited for me and explained where I could pick up the bus for my return trip back and the times to be at the bus stop.

There were several restaurants with some diversity of ethnic foods, some pubs and a variety of places to browse. I found my way to Lidl’s behind the KFC and next to the bus station, across the street from the train station and their competitor Morrison’s. I bought all of my groceries and waited for the bus at the Kings Fee by having a couple of pints of Carling.

Crown and Anchor

While we enjoyed our stay in Hereford our favorite memory will have to be the people, our hosts and the patrons of the Crown and Anchor restaurant pub that was literally two doors from our sit. There was a “beer garden” in the front consisting of 10 picnic tables and free standing tables with benches with umbrellas over each one. The building looked to be built in the 1800’s painted brilliant white with the wood beams in black. Inside there was dining room of about 20 tables to the right, a small sitting area just inside the door, usually with men talking with pint in hand and just beside that was the bar with a smaller dining area. Each time in the people in the waiting area greeted us and usually talked to us about our stay in Hereford.

Beer Garden

Our first meal there was an absolutely delicious burger served to us by one of the owners. Our next visit in for a pint one of the men said, “You must be the Americans my wife spoke about waiting on the other day.” We told him we loved their place and the townspeople were very fortunate to have a place like this to visit. While we were enjoying our pint outside he brought us a small booklet on the history of Hereford during the second World War when it was used to make munitions for the allies. Our stay was only for a week and time passed quickly. The Crown and Anchor was one of the main highlights of our visit.

Cheers!
John