A lovely summer weekend

Just when we were resigned to not getting a summer this year (and to all those in Wellington, it may have felt like we didn’t get much of a summer but it certainly beat what we have been having here!), the warm weather has finally arrived.

We had planned to go to the movies on Saturday morning, but when the day dawned warm and pleasant we changed our plans fast.  We chose instead to get to know our local area a bit better, and went for a wonderful three-hour walk on and around the Northern Downs. 

The Silent Pool

We started at the Silent Pool, a beautiful clear pool of mineral water filtered through the chalky hills of the Downs.  From here there was a good uphill stretch, taking us to Newlands Corner which is a great sightseeing spot with gorgeous views out over the surrounding countryside.  We ignored the car park café and started back down again, passing the old chalk pit where Agatha Christie’s car was found the time she disappeared for a few days, before going back into woodland.  The day was a little overcast with occasional sunshine, but the shade was very pleasant anyway.

The view from Newlands Corner

The walk eventually took us into the village of Shere, via two beautiful old churches.  The Catholic Apostolic Church is now abandoned which is very sad, while the Old Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul is only used a few times a year.  Parts of this church are Saxon in origin so it was fascinating to visit.  We were a little amused by the sign asking us to keep the gate shut as they did not want the neighbouring sheep eating the wildflowers in the graveyard - said wildflowers are cow-parsley and thistle.  We think the sheep might improve things.

The Saxon Church

We stopped in Shere for a late lunch, and posters in the pub proclaimed that it had been used in the filming of “The Holiday”.  It is certainly a very picturesque place, and the little river that runs through it is the clearest we have seen so far in England.  Lunch was good too (apart from the baked goat’s cheese; Grant had to have that to himself and keep it as far from my nose and taste buds as possible!!).

We found after lunch that we were not terribly far from where we started, having done most of the figure eight loop before lunch. As it was nearly 3.30 by then, we were quite relieved really.  The only surprise was passing the Apostolic Church again - we hadn't realised how close to the Silent Pool it was! 

The abandoned Apostolic Church

On Sunday we had to do mundane things like grocery shopping.  Mark was coming over for dinner (Paula and the girls are out at a Guide camp for the week) so we wanted to make sure all our household-y stuff was done early enough for us to cook a roast.  Of course, we had planned the meal in advance, before the summer weather arrived so in retrospect the roast didn’t really suit the temperatures.  But that’s ok, it was very yummy and we cooled off with ice-cream for dessert.

All in all, it was a lovely summer weekend.