Monday April 21, 2008

Face to face

We saw this sculpture when on a long weekend in the Stamford area. The sculpture is in the grounds of Burghley a stately home where much filming has been done over the years. It also has a surprise garden with many water features some which if you are not careful will soak you to the skin. On the way to Stamford we did a six mile walk starting at Stilton famous for its cheese although none of it is made there but at several authorised locations nearby. There was a cold Easterly wind blowing and a lot of the countryside in this area comprises of large open fields which do not offer any protection from the wind. We saw lots of spring lambs playing in the fields and also passed by the now deserted village of Washingley which was left after a lot of lots locals died out during the Black Death Plague. Apart from uneven fields where the houses were you would not know a village had been there. We also saw the site of a Motte and Bailey 12th castle all that is left of that was a slight earth mound.

Back to Washingley many of the survivors moved to the village of Folksworth which we then entered having a drink at its pub being the only customers in the pub! No wonder so many pubs are closing. We finally returned to Stilton and had lunch at the Bell an old coaching Inn which would have been on the A1 before the bypass was built. We stopped overnight at the Fox and Hounds at Exton which was nice but we decided to move on and stay overnight at the Crown hotel In Stamford itself.

After a disturbed nights sleep thanks to a rowdy pub next door on the Sunday morning as it was raining we decided to cut our losses and head home. Apart from two nights bad sleep a nice weekend.