We chose Crowthorne for a visit with the caravan because it was close to Sue's sister and some friends in Godalming. The cycling in the Bracknell forest promised to be good, albeit they charge by the day. As it happened I was out of the forest before the centre that collected the money was open. Hence it was free.
The campsite was in a forest so walks and biking were possible without taking the car out. Here is a photo of the local lake.
What we hadn't realised that the most infamous place in Crowthorne is Broadmoor, home to many people you have read about in the paper. Broadmoor Hospital is a secure mental hospital. It is the best known of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth and Rampton. The complex houses 326 patients – of whom about 49 are women, although work is currently under way to expand capacity elsewhere so that women no longer need be admitted to Broadmoor.
We had made arrangements to meet Dot and Phil at The Chequers, Well. We were down to 20mph on the M4, heavy traffic, so we were a little late. It was a hot day so the dense shade in the back garden was very welcome. It was some time since we had seen D&P so there was lots of news to catch up on, especially as they had just returned from a holiday in Canada.
After Crowthorne we moved on to Ashwell, Herts. This is a very pretty village with many old buidings. The creation of present-day Ashwell was probably in the early tenth century. By 1086, when the Domesday Book was compiled, it was the most important settlement, being a borough, a market town, in the area. The market place would have dominated the town and brought the wealth that is reflected in the number of quality medieval buildings, including St Mary’s Church, that still exist today.
Here you can see the Lych Gate.
Before we went away we had heard a programme on 'pargeting'. This is where the lime plaster on the outside of the house has a pattern put into it. If you look hard enough you can see the pargeting on this white house.
This is the Guild House with a sculpted plasterwork frontage.
On the Saturday we visited Carol and Clare Pillinger, who we were with in Germany. Other visitors were Simon, Amanda and little Jack. Natalie (nee Morton) and toddling Finlay were visiting from Dubai, you don't just pop in from there.
Simon and Jack
Clare and Simon doing a great job on the BBQ. Natalie is in the foreground.
Aperitifs on the campsite with the Wordsworths.
The last few days of the holiday were spoilt by a prang in the Volvo. Fortunately no one was hurt. The door still closed and locked in that state. On the day it happened the Wordsworths arrived on site so they acted as chauffeurs for the rest of our stay, thanks! If you are thinking of using Saga for your car insurance - DON'T.
That's the last of our travels until September. We have painting to do, many visitors, rambles to lead and of course Sue's yoga and my badminton. I'll keep you informed about the painting and how dry it is.
