Glebe Farm Gardens - Lillingstone Lovell

An afternoon off and a trip just over the Buckinghamshire border to the beautiful village of Lillingstone Lovell. The Silverstone circuit is just a couple of miles away. It is one of those picturesque villages that you can only dream of. The church of  the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates back to the 13th Century,but was rebuilt in the 14th century.    

This large cottage garden has been developed from scratch over the last 28 years by an ingenious engineer owner, David Hilliard with support and ideas from his wife and children. 

New projects and developing places and planting create a garden that is constantly changing.

 There’s an exuberance of colourful planting and winding gravel paths, that weave through lawns and herbaceous borders on two levels.

  

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s a small walled garden and an old tractor, its rusty chassis softened by wildflower planting.

The two ponds provide calming reflections and places for wildlife while the vegetable beds, and knot garden developed from cuttings add structure and form.

 

 

Everything combines to make a beautiful garden full of surprises.

The Shakespeare's Avon Way - Hampton Lucy(13)

A much more picturesque starting point for the latest    leg of The Shakespeare's Avon Way. We haven't even parked up but the view across the Buttercup Meadow towards the Church is too good to miss. 

 When we do park up it is handily close to the Boar's Head Pub in Hampton Lucy. We are 4 mile North-East of Stratford Upon Avon.

 The name derives from the Lucy family, to whom Queen Mary granted the manor. Nearby is Charlecote Park, ancestral home of the Lucy family.

 It looks like we are all set and will be walking in a clockwise direction. Getting the road stretch out of the way first, which is also The SAW path .The weather too is set fair and the shorts are back on , with the long trousers in the rucksack, just in case.

A poor Pheasant has been hit by a car, the body is still warm. My companion puts it somewhere safe in the shade for collection later on. We leave the road and pick up a beautiful footpath , a little overgrown in places but not too bad. To the right there is an occasional house in a perfect setting. Perched high over the Vale of Avon, The Cotswolds in the far distance. Best of all the River Avon flowing down below. There were some long and winding steps leading all the way down too. I nearly made the mistake of touching a Giant Hogweed. Chemicals in the sap can cause photodermatitis, blistering, burns and permanent scarring. Given my sensitivity to nettles I give it a very wide berth. It's great to see the River Avon again, not something that always happens on these routes..

Whats that sound? It's only a Cuckoo in the distance! Soon to be followed by another one. It is good to hear them because they are getting rarer sadly. The slopes get steeper as we reach Welcombe Hills and Clopton Park. A nature reserve for walking and taking in the views across the landscape with flower-rich grassland, woods and ponds. Shakespeare may even have taken inspiration here for his 'Ophelia'. The most striking feature though is the Obelisk. Erected in 1876 by Robert Needham Philips to honour his brother Mark Philips, this obelisk on the hill above the Welcombe Hotel is visible for miles up and down the vale of the Avon. Mark Philips was also notable as Manchester’s first Member of Parliament.

It's a lovely area, with great views towards The Cotswolds.

Once again we join the Monarchs Way footpath. We continue across Ingon Manor Golf Course.Out of nowhere a Fallow Deer breaks covers and charge across the fairway. It is a wonderful sight and looks very healthy. The golfers stop play and watch as the majestic animal disappears once again. Normal service quickly resumes! In the next field a large marquee has been set up for a wedding later in the day. It looks very 'Olde World' and makes me think of times past when life was a lot simpler. Like something from a Thomas Hardy novel perhaps? 

There are a few fruit farms around Snitterfield, where we are now. The largest being 'The Farm'. Once home to hundreds of apple, pear, plum and cherry trees, which produced for the likes of Waitrose and Mr Kipling. After becoming derelict a re-development in 2017took place. It is now a family run business that offers a unique food and a well-being destination that showcases local Artisan produce and promotes ethical, wholesome and sustainable food. They also have pigs!

Some of the properties are superb, as is the surrounding countryside of course.

The footpath across a field of Barley hasn't been cut... Thankfully it wasn't too itchy.

It doesn't seem that long ago that we left the Obelisk behind. Already it has become just a speck on the horizon. It is amazing how much ground you can cover walking.

We get one final view of the River Avon as we arrive back in Hampton Lucy. There is also time to have a wander around the Church of St Peter ad Vincula. St Peter is a large church with the scale of a cathedral scale but is situated in a small village. 

Construction in the 1820s was paid for by the Lucy family, of nearby Charlecote Park. One of the family was rector at the church for nearly 60 years.
The East window shows the life of St Peter and was restored after an American aircraft crashed nearby in the Second World War.

 It has been a beautiful leg of the walk in very warm weather. Nothing else to do but call into The Boar's Head for a refreshing pint of Wye Vale Brewery 'Bitter'. 3.7% in strength and went down well as you might expect. 

The walk in total came in at 11.5 miles and was more elevated (709ft) than many of the other legs.
 

 

The Shakespeare's Avon Way - Sherbourne(12)

 

Bit of an inauspicious start today. We are setting off from  a 'pull in' at the side of the extremely busy A46 Warwick Road dual carriageway. Somewhat hampered today, with a very swollen knee from overdoing it a bit lately. A quick dash across 4 lanes of fast moving traffic is not ideal really.

We are already running late due to numerous road hold ups along the way. I'm quietly relieved the the proposed walk today is cut short. 'Hampton Lucy ( a place and not a person) will have to wait until another time.  

We have a small circuit to complete around 'Snow Hill' and up to 'Ardenhill' Spinney so as not to miss any of 'The Shakespeares Avon Way'. Of course we then have to come back across the dual carriageway. Either side of the road there is however beautiful open fields and woods to explore. Not to mention moats! Although previous experience tells me that there is rarely any water to be seen sadly. 

 

We manage to safely negotiate the most rickety of footbridges and stiles too. More punishment for my poor old knee, perhaps this is a walk too far? Only time will tell. Already I am regretting putting the old shorts on today. Not only does the 'fly' refuse to 'do up' which is embarrassing enough. I have also got my first nettle stings of the year too. I am very sensitive to those, and know they will be tingling for the rest of the day.  

Looking back there are some smashing views towards Warwick with the spires in the distance. About halfway along Fulbrook Lane between Sherbourne and Hampton Lucy is Hampton Wood. Lots of cars are parked up as visitors view the Bluebells Celandine. We only trail the edge, but over the hedge it looks a rich carpet of wild flowers in their Spring time prime. 

Hidden and rotting away in the bushes is an old wooden railway carriage. Probably well over a hundred years old I would imagine. Makes you wonder how things end up where they are sometimes? Amazing what you can come across sometimes. 

We cross a field of very inquisitive cows. I'm quite please that there is an electric fence between us. Particularly as a huge Bull is amongst them. I must apologise for the awful photo, nut you get the gist at least.They were moving fast in my defence. The bull is the big one at the back!  

We move into a beautiful lush green meadow, lots of wildflowers too. There are also a few other surprises too as we progress further.

 All to be revealed soon.....

From a distance it looked as though a very pale figure was watching us.... Closer inspection revealed it was a mannequin, or at least the torso of a mannequin. Can it still be a torso if the head is attached? Also there appeared to be an arm missing too.There were no bullet holes so it was being used for target practise either. A bit further on there were more of them!  One appeared to be sunbathing! This time they were inside a 'Pheasant release Pen'. Obviously they must be some form of Scarecrow to keep other birds or predators away. 

 We also saw some fence-post signs for the 'Via Beata' long distance path. I had only seen these before around Little Harrowden in Northamptonshire. The pilgrimage path that crosses the country from Lowestoft to St Davids in Wales.   

It is with some relief that we complete the walk! My knee is worsening with every step and is very swollen.Even cutting short the route we have covered a distance of 9.2 miles.It has been enjoyable even though there were not really any obvious buildings or points of interest. We look forward to venturing to Hampton Lucy next time out.

Kingdom of Madness - The Stables, Wavendon MK

We are back at The Stables, Wavendon MK once again. This particularly gig has been on and off,cancelled and re-booked I'm actually amazed we are here and it is happening. 

Learning from the 'car park hell' of the last visit, yes that is a big exaggeration. Although it was busy, and being first in, it took some considerable time to get away when we saw Fairport Convention here. This time we parked as far away from the venue as possible, despite being there early. Reverse psychology you might call that , clever eh?

Inside I enjoy a very pleasant pint of Phipps IPA, although at £5 a pint it flipping well should be. The barman showed a complete lack of interest when I informed him it was £3.40 back home. 

We sat and enjoyed our drinks amongst a group which included a man with a false leg, and a man from Kettering with the strongest New York American accent you've ever heard.  

Very occasionally at seated gigs I have been able to get on the front row. Never have I had the entire front row to myself though. These were the seats on the side of the stage, within touching distance of Richard Bailey. Even so, half of the front row facing the stage was still empty. (Thanks to Sue Peters from the KOM Facebook Group for the stage shots of the band). I'm far to close to risk the wrath of the feisty stewards to even think of taking a photo at this stage. We've moved seats three times already to ascertain the prime viewing spot.  
It does seem that the 400 odd capacity is only going to be about half full though. I had seen Mark on the trawl in from leaving the car and he said that ticketing was a problem with all the uncertainty.

Since we last saw KOM, just like with Magnum there have been some band line up changes. Brian Badhams (Bernie Marsden, Climax Blues Band) is on Bass. Alan Bell is on Lead Guitar and Mark Pascall (Cats in Space, Departed) has taken over vocals. Otherwise the band is the same with Micky Barker on drums, Richard Bailey keyboard/Flute, Mo Birch vocals/percussion  and Mark Stanway Keyboards. All ex-members of Magnum of course. We are all set for an evening of Magnum classic Rock songs from the celebrated 1978 - 1994 period. 

The set gets off to a flying start with 'Back to Earth' from 1982. 'Just Like an Arrow' is followed by my favourite 'Wild Swan'. I remember  a while back putting forward the next song 'The Prize' as a suggestion for inclusion. Maybe they thought it was a good idea and went with it?  I'm impressed with Mark Pascall on vocals. His voice is strong and he fits in perfectly. Doing justice to great songs such as 'Les Morts Dansant' The first set ends with the all out rocker 'Rockin' Chair, by far the favourite of Mrs A. During a short interview we are promised that Raffle tickets will be available to win memorabilia. Unfortunately cash only....

Following a short, but seemingly lengthy interlude play resumes with 'Changes' and an excellent version of 'Soldier of the Line'. 

Mark has often cited 'The Tall Ships' from the much  overlooked 'Rock Art' album as being his favourite song. He is also quick to pay tribute to the exceptional writing talent of Mr Tony Clarkin. One of my favourites comes next from the 1992 'Sleepwalking' album we have 'Only in America'. It was a period of time between 1985 and 1992 when I saw Magnum a lot, and they were probably at the peak of their power.

No set would be complete without the next two songs; 'On a Storytellers Night' and of course 'Kingdom of Madness'. With now the expected traditional flute intro from Richard. As you would expect they get a great ovation from the audience. . 

It is a strange atmosphere in a way, often the case in all seated venues. Even more so with only being 50% of capacity and spread out

The band leave the stage returning for an encore of 'Lights Burned Out' and the haunting 'Sacred Hour'. 

There have been one or two technical errors, but they have taken nothing away from the performance. A band who always look as though they are really enjoying what they do. 

It has been a great night and we wait afterwards in the auditorium for a set list. However, there is still more to come. A Roadie takes the stage, with a Goldfish bowl partially occupied with raffle tickets.Unfortunately the vast majority of the audience have now left. The first few tickets pulled all meet with blank looks from the few still gathered. 'Is it too late to buy a ticket'? Some 'wag' from the sidelines shouted out (OK that was me). The next ticket is drawn and the lady next to me is only one number away from claiming a prize. I manage her disappointment quite well. Telling her that I don't think it will be long before she enters the 'winners enclosure'. 

Sure enough the next ticket is drawn and she gleefully waves her winning ticket in the air. A signed 'Mirador' picture disc is soon safely pouched. Another prize was soon to follow, I'm really regretting not having the cash to have purchased a ticket now, the odds of winning would have been really good. 

At last the ant-climatic raffle ends and I claim my own prize of the set-list which is reward enough. It has been a really good night, but as often with the seating venues the atmosphere isn't  as rocking as the standing ones. 

We leave the Stables across a deserted car park making the long walk back to where we had left the car. Sometimes my good ideas don't always go quite as planned !