Catching up with old friends is always fun so heading south in a hire car for five days was a happy distraction from city life!
A one night stay in the centre of the New Forest at Lyndhurst was a treat meaning we could step out of our B&B into the forest for a lovely walk. The forest is populated by 'wild' ponies - New Forest Ponies - a breed of their own - the property of the Queen. They have free run of the forest and if you skittle one with your car you are in big trouble.
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| After moths of rain the forest was too wet too walk through but fine on the tracks
We were heading for New Milton to
visit a friend of my parents.
They had met many years ago. My
Dad and Mark Frost were in a German
POW camp during the WW2. They
reconnected in 1977 when my Mum
and Mark's with Margot hit it off. We've
kept in touch ever since. Sadly
Mark died several years ago.
After a wonderful visit and lots of
chatting we headed for Andover to
catch up with two other friends we had
met in 1975 when we worked in a pub
at North Waltham called the
Wheatsheaf Hotel. Ken and Wendy
were stalwart customers at the pub. We
shared similar interest, good wine,
ale and a wicked sense of humour.
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| A New Forest Pony quite relaxed at our presence |
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| Dear friends Trish Green with her mum, Margot Frost and Louise at New Milton on the south coast  Ken and Wendy at their Andover home |
The Wheatsheaf Hotel where we worked for four months in 1975!
Ken and Wendy's 'local' at the time
Stonehenge
A visit to Stonehenge in Wiltshire is always a must for us. This time it was a beautiful sunny day. Being on a plain it is common for very strong winds to whistle through. We've been when it's been snowing, raining and so windy we could barely stand up! This time we cracked it. Just a stunning day. The new information and interpretative centre is an eyesore from the outside but excellent inside. Looking from the outside you just have to ask why?!?
The riddle of stonehenge is breathtaking. How the enormous stones were transported and erected about 2700 BC is a mystery. More information about this amazing place can be found at https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge
The new information centre which detracts from the site but is excellent inside
A 10 minute shuttle bus takes us to the henge itself. You used to walk from the old centre to the stones.
Laurie stops for a moment to admire the incredible sight.
An audio tour with personal handset helps visitors to understand more about the stones
This heel stone looks more like a dolphin smiling
After enjoying the wonders of Stonehenge we headed for Turville - the Vicar of Dibley village - travelling through Henley-on-Thames, another lovely town.
The flooding in the south and west of England have meant the Thames is running really well and in many low-lying areas there is still a lot of water lying around.
The Thames as it runs through Henley-on-Thames
Turville - The Vicar of Dibley country
Turville - the little village used in the filming of the TV series, The Vicar of Dibley. It's not surprising it was chosen. It is just gorgeous with quaint cottages and a lovely church, St Mary's - not St Barnabas Church as it was in the series.
Old Beams Cottage - Turville or the Vicarage in the Vicar of Dibley
St Mary's Church Turville - we met the Vicar too. He was really nice and
pleased we purchased a couple of coffee cups
The beautiful interior of St Mary's
The pretty side entrance to the church.
The Bull and Butcher pub where we spent a lovely afternoon in the sun
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| The Cobstone Windmill overlooks Turville. It dates back to 1816 when it was used for grinding cereal. It hs been used in the movie, Chitty, Chitty, Bang Bang; Midsomer Murders, Day of the Triffids, Jonathan Creek and many others.
While we were exploring this hill we noticed lots of very large birds circling. There were at least 20 of them. We found out later they were a combination of Red Kites and Buzzards. They looked like eagles. Quite spectacular to watch them ducking and diving.
  
We stayed the second last night at a little pub called the Nag's Head at Weston Turville! An hour's drive to the east of Turville. Haven't worked out the geography of that place yet plus the spelling is a bit off! Anyway it's a very old pub built for little people. Check out the top of the door frame into the bathroom. There's a couple of Mind Your Head signs in the room!
Next we head north to the English midlands, Derby, Matlock, then way west to the coast of Wales for a treat at Aberdovey.
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