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The ruins of Waverley

POD doesn’t nap much. Not since the bars of her cot came down. Toys have become a far more interesting alternative. As has her most recent hobby. Getting naked. You’ve got to love the life of a toddler.

Sometimes getting out of the house is the only way to encourage sleep. Aside from which I crave the fresh air the Surrey countryside brings. A stark contrast to the smog of South London.

POD and I were off to visit the 900 year old ruins of Waverley Abbey. Situated in a peaceful bend of the River Wey, they’re located two miles South East of Farnham.

I visited once before when POD was a few months old. It was a hot summer’s day and we had an enjoyable walk whilst basking in glorious sunshine. Today was no different in the area being still and quiet. POD was not amused when she was removed from the comfort of her nice warm car seat to a freezing cold buggy.

Our walk along the River Wey was pleasant though and we were lucky enough to see some ducks. We passed a woman with a really old Labrador on the way. But that was it. Just us.

The Waverley monastry was the first Cistercian house to be established in Britain. It was founded by William Gifford, the Bishop of Winchester, in 1128. There were 70 monks and 120 lay brothers in residence by 1178. Floods became commonplace in later years however and the abbey was rebuilt as a result during the 13th Century.

As we approached the ruins, the blue skies turned grey. Then it snowed. Horizontally. POD said “I don’t like it, I go car” but just as we about to turn back, the snow disappeared. So we briskly made our way over giant mole hills to the ruins.

Today only parts of the buildings remain standing although some of these are substantial. The most impressive is the lay brothers’ quarters. The long cellar has graceful columns supporting the vaulting above. Parts of the upper floor and the south wall are visible.

An end wall and parts of the side walls of the monks’ dormitory are visible up to the full height of the gable. Substantial remains of the chapter house and the south transept of the church, as well as traces of the north transept, are also visible. An isolated stretch of wall to the east of the church is part of the abbey’s infirmary chapel.

Having had a look around we followed the River Wey back to the car. Ironically the sun was now shining showing how glorious the ruins can look on a fine day. We even witnessed a heron fly past us. After a fabulous drive witnessing some stunning views, POD and I took to the shops where she took great pleasure in shouting “hello man” at everyone she passed.

The Waverley Abbey ruins are managed by English Heritage. They’re open from 13th March 2013 to 31st March 2014. Waverley Abbey, Waverley Lane, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 8EP.

Country Kids is about enjoying outdoor time with the kids, from play time, family adventures to fun in the local park. If you have a post you’d like to share, click on the link below or visit the Coombe Mill website.

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The Secret Pool

In the car we established dogs have tails and hair. As do monkeys. POD extended her counting skills to include eleven although she thinks she has “three or four” legs. Having said “hello” and “goodbye” to almost every car that passed us, all blue allegedly, we witnessed two horses galloping across a nearby field. Weirdly reminiscent of ‘Champion the Wonder Horse’ I thought.

Our destination was a spring-fed lake in the North Downs, located a few miles from Guildford in Surrey. A more adventurous trip had been planned the day prior but I’d failed to check opening times. A sign with the words ‘Come back in May’ had greeted us when we arrived.

The Secret Pool, known as Silent Pool, is managed, together with the nearby Newlands Corner, by the Surrey Wildlife Trust. It’s located within the privately owned Albury Estate and runs into Sherbourne Pond, an adjacent lake created in the mid-seventeenth century.

I’d seen a photograph of the pool and there was something intriguing about it. Not least because it’s considered to be a sacred site and steeped in history. It’s linked to a folklore tale that states King John, on his horse, abducted a woodcutter’s daughter who was forced into the deep water and drowned. According to the legend, the maiden can be seen at midnight.

Not only that, it was initially feared that Agatha Christie drowned in the pool in 1926 after her car was discovered at nearby Newlands Corner. She never revealed the truth about her 11 day disappearance.

The Silent Pool car park was on the A25 so we almost missed it. Expectations were high but with a lack of recent rainfall, I really had no idea what we would see. Or whether it was suitable terrain for a toddler in a buggy and a Mummy with a particularly dodgy arm. It could just be a few trees and a muddy bog.

But it wasn’t. Having walked through a wooded area and passed a vineyard, closed sadly, we spotted a lake. It wasn’t particularly stunning but you could see up ahead there was an open area and a second lake that even from a distance looked mysterious yet inviting. Gut instinct is a funny thing.

The Silent Pool was utterly breathtaking. A little eerie yes but spectacular all the same. Crystal clear water was surrounded by woodland and footpaths entangled with ivy. There was a viewing platform and a walkway encircled the pool. Reminiscent of an unspoiled secret garden, it was silent and beautiful. The only noise coming from a nearby waterfall to our right.

The purpose of visiting the Silent Pool was to tire POD out so she had a nap in advance of a swimming class. We’d enjoyed two hugely successful terms and had a few month’s break (literally – I broke my wrist). Having recently returned, POD finds swimming pools utterly terrifying. I failed in giving her the run around she needed at the Silent Pool in preference for her safety. Too much water for an overly enthusiastic toddler.

The path around the Silent Pool seemed wide enough for our 4×4 buggy so we set off with gusto to have a look. Marveling at a solitary duck, it quickly became apparent our wander would be short lived.

The path decreased in size and before us was an old wooden footbridge bridge that although sturdy and fabulous to look at, really wasn’t buggy terrain. Least of all my one armed buggy ambling. I didn’t fancy losing POD, or the sacred Mulberry I’d unintentionally brought with me.

Back at the main clearing, POD was let loose and able to explore the lake and admire some amazing tree roots. She was absolutely fascinated with a small waterfall and some nearby steps. We then enjoyed a walk together back to the car, meeting a couple of excitable dogs along the way.

There is something truly captivating about the Silent Pool. Perhaps it’s the secrecy that surrounds it. Or it’s tranquilly. The feeling of utter peace was broken by the journey home which consisted of cow spotting and shouting “hip hip hooray” over and over again. The Silent Pool can be found in Shere Road, Albury, Guildford GU5 9BW.

Country Kids is about enjoying outdoor time with the children whether family adventures or fun in the local park. Anything that involves fresh air and rosy cheeks! If you’d like to join in, click on the Coombe Mill badge below:

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The hunt for Big Billy

There were three reasons for launching this blog. To document family life, discover the delights of Surrey and showcase some photos.  It’s laughable I’ve lived in Surrey since 2010 and seen very little of it. I guess that’s what happens when you have a baby and damage your coccyx so badly you can’t drive. Only to break your wrist when your independence returns.

However, having re-gained mobility and addressed the work/life balance, now it’s the perfect time to explore what’s on our doorstep as a family. Whether it be Surrey Hills, the waterways, homes, gardens, animal attractions or theme parks. It’s amazing being back in the country after twenty years in London.

We’ve already fallen in love with Bocketts Farm and RHS Wisley. Visiting the latter for the first time last month, we vowed to return so POD could see the butterflies at the Glasshouse. A welcome change from the “girrels”, “backbirds” and “peegins” she sees in the garden.

We arrived at RHS Wisley on a beautifully sunny day. There was a queue at the Glasshouse but we joined it unperturbed, initially occupying POD with excitable butterfly speak. We were relieved to arrive at the entrance half an hour later. None more so than The POD Father who spent our wait chasing after a bored
toddler. To then be told “it’s an hour’s wait from here” was a stark reminder that we’d got our timings completely wrong. But it was midday on a Saturday so an epic fail on our part. We had no option but to cut our losses and leave. Butterflies were replaced with playground adventures, jumping in muddy puddles and chatting to ducks so a good time was still had by all.

A few days later we were back. Just shy of the 10am opening time, we hoped for a more leisurely visit. It was a another gorgeous day and RHS Wisley looked stunning. No dilly dallying around though, it was straight to the Glasshouse for us. The ten minute wait saw POD entertain herself by sitting on the floor and returning the butterfly guide we’d just purchased.

What a glorious sight met our eyes when we entered, it was like walking into a tropical paradise. A delicious feast for the eyeballs and a photographer’s dream. There were exotic butterflies everywhere. People stared with their mouths agog whilst simultaneously attempting to de-steam their cameras. It quickly became apparent attempting to take any photos before the camera had aclimatised was a fruitless task. I gave up trying.

POD wandered around pointing saying “buttfly” as if she couldn’t quite believe her eyes. It truly was a spectacular sight.

When the camera returned to life, there was no stopping my quest for the perfect butterfly shot. Their sheer speed made this a huge challenge. And just when you thought you had it, a fellow visitor would appear in the viewfinder. I was keen to get a picture of a huge Blue Morpho but it was too busy enjoying its own airborn party. And whilst I did see a red-bodied Big Billy, it was also too speedy for me.

But I took the most incredible photo of two Owl butterflies. If you’ve not seen it in the slideshow for this post, have a look. It’s stunning.

Once we’d left the hot confines of the Glasshouse, we basked in glorious sunshine, drank hot chocolate and ate cake. POD escaped at one point, sunglasses on head, to have a chat with some nearby ducks. Then we went for a leisurely wander around the gardens taking in everything RHS Wisley had to offer. It really is a wonderful place.

Butterflies at the Glasshouse is on at RHS Wisley until 24 February 2013 – open daily from 10am to 4pm.

 

Racing piggies

IMG_8075What is it about watching piggies race? Whatever the weather the prospect of witnessing them hurtle round competing against each other always generates a smile. Coupled with hearing POD shout “piiiiiigs” at the top of her two-year-old lungs.

Welcome to Bocketts Farm, the home of pig racing.

We discovered it initially when I was on maternity leave in 2011. Located near Leatherhead in Surrey it’s a working farm that enables you to get up close and personal with the animals. Having taken the obligatory antihistamines to ensure I didn’t feel like 84 cats had rampaged my nose, POD and I arrived at Bocketts Farm. Unusually there were just a few cars in the car park. POD looked at me as if she’d been sent to Iceland (the country not the supermarket). She quickly became accustomed to the freezing conditions by refusing to wear her monkey gloves or hat.

I’d brought POD here because some piglets had been born a couple of days earlier. POD hadn’t seen piglets before so I was looking forward to her face brimming with excitement when she saw them. She’d be thrilled.

POD shouted “I see ducks” (they were geese) near the entrance so she spent a few minutes saying “hello” and waving at them. Her knowledge of how to forge relationships with geese is somewhat limited. As is mine.

At the entrance we loaded ourselves up with some animal fodder. POD had previously been too afraid to feed the animals but she came close when we visited last time. Worse case scenario she could just watch them slobber all over mummy.

First we hit ‘Little Hoppington’ which is a small animal village and home to goat milking. It’s also where various rabbits and guinea pigs are located. Each has its own house so it’s reminiscent of an animal Monopoly board. This is where I re-live my childhood dream of wanting a lop eared rabbit.

The rabbit request came after the Wombles scaring. The lady that lived in the house my parents bought told me the Wombles lived in an oak tree in the garden. There was a huge hole at the bottom of the tree and I spent much time poking a stick in it calling for Orinoco. I was only five. I didn’t know Wombles weren’t real.

POD thought the “babbits” were amazing until they hopped at which point she kept her distance. Little Hoppington was also home to a number of other small animals like chickens and mice amongst others. We also saw some budgies. Utterly amazed, POD spent a few minutes shouting “chicken” and “bird” before staring at another unidentified animal racing around its cage.

It was a promising start. POD was out of her buggy and raring to go. Until she saw a horse which scared the living daylights out of her. We quickly scurried to The Big Animal Barn spotting more geese (ducks) on the way in. Here we were totally spoilt. There were sheep, lambs, donkeys, goats, kids (as in baby goats), cows, calves and alpacas. Not forgetting a huge mummy pig and all her gorgeous little piglets.

The conditions were close to arctic at this point. We had made progress, POD did have her hat on even if the monkey gloves weren’t getting a look in. Having not warmed to the animals initially, POD loved watching the alpacas, goats and sheep eat from mummy’s hand. She came close to giving the goats some food herself, just getting a bit spooked when she held out her hand. Having shown POD the cows and the donkeys as well we headed over to see the piggies.

Just as we were about to see the mummy pig and her piglets, the sheep starting bleeting. POD’s not heard sheep bleet before so the noise took her by surprise. Once over the shock, we spent some time looking at the mummy pig and the piglets that were all huddled together. After patiently waiting, one of the piglets finally left the group in the hunt for milk. It took a few minutes to find a teat he could get a grip on but when he did there was no stopping him. There was then this amazing scene like a piggy free for all whereby all the piglets were clambering over each other trying to get to a teat. Lots of peeing followed accompanied by POD’s commentary “pig boob” and “pig go wee wee”.

Aside from the wobble, POD had a great time in The Big Animal Barn despite it being incredibly chilly. It wasn’t the day for revisiting the play areas and adventure trails. We did get so see the pigs race albeit from a distance and POD greeted the all the ponies with “hello horse”.

Before  we left we paid a visit to the Old Barn Tearooms where we had some lunch and checked we still had all our toes. We had to make a move when POD started rocking back and forth in her highchair. The area is great in the summer as there’s a large outdoor space and wooden play area. Anywhere that allows POD to be free and show off her climbing skills gets our vote. Bocketts Farm is a truly wonderful place though whatever the weather. More information about what’s on there can be found here.

Bocketts Farm Park 
Young Street 
Fetcham 
Leatherhead 
Surrey KT22 9BS
01372  363764 
info@bockettsfarm.co.uk
www.bockettsfarm.co.uk

Sheepleas

Sheepleas (or Shere woods as my husband called it for thirty years) is where “The PODfather” used to walk with his grandparents and their dogs when he was little. This is the only reason we know it exists. He has lots of  fond memories, including watching the elderly patriarch Springer Spaniel slowly sniffing out a particularly good place to do his business, only to have his hyper active son bound over and pee on his head. Hilarious stuff to a 10 year old boy. The offending dog in question was called Brek, as he refused to eat anything but Ready Brek as a puppy. Brek later survived leaping over a barbed wire fence in pursuit of a rabbit, returning  empty handed and ready for the next chase, unaware that he’d practically disemboweled himself. Thankfully he lived to a ripe old age.

Managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust, the Sheepleas Nature Reserve lies on the chalk slopes of the North Downs within the Surrey Hills area of outstanding natural beauty. The area is a myriad of ancient and recent woodland and grassland, it’s beautiful.

The beech woodlands were widely accepted as one of the best woodland areas in the county before they were partly destroyed in the storms of 1987. It seems the years since have seen the spread of naturally regenerated ash in the place of beech and an increase in grassland areas. The mixture of habitats supports so much wildlife that Sheepleas has been designated a site of specific scientific interest.

For those of you without a toddler in tow, there are two different trails you can follow – one passing through the downland areas and one passing through the woodland. The Grassland Trail starts at Shere Road or St Mary’s car parks and provides easy walking with some gentle slopes, no kissing gates or stiles. It takes about 1.5 hours and the route is waymarked by green arrows.

Alternatively the Woodland Trail starts from Green Dene car park and provides easy walking with some slopes and narrow tracks, no kissing gates or stiles. This trail takes about 1 1/4 hours and is waymarked by white arrows.

I’m afraid following a trail is not something I seem to particularly excel at. It started in the eighties when I failed to follow a path of flour on a school trip at Cuffley Camp. Although me and my giggling counterpart were rescued when we got lost and darkness fell, the experience has stayed with me.

Fast forward to 2008 and we’re in New Zealand. A recommendation from a couple of indigenous friends was the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, described by our (fit) chums as a ‘nice walk’. It’s actually a World-renowned trek in-between three active (yes I did say active) volcanic peaks and ranked as one of the top ten single day treks in the World.

Had I known this I would have stayed in front of the fire with a nice cold lager rather than spending an entire day walking twenty kilometres with two broken toes. That said the views were simply incredible.

So back to Sheepleas. If you don’t fancy taking one of the trails at Sheepleas just do what we did, have a wander. It’s beautifully unspoiled, incredibly peaceful and, considering it’s in Surrey Hills, it’s not especially hilly.

Sheepleas (The)
Shere Road
West Horsley
Surrey 
KT24 6EP
 

Bye bye ducks, see you later

You’d think after two years living in Guildford we would have visited RHS Wisley on many occasions.  It’s the RHS flagship garden, only 15 minutes drive away and everyone raves about it. Shamefully, we’d not visited to see what all the fuss is about. It’s not that we didn’t want to go, we really did, we’d just hadn’t found time.

The Doves spent the entire festive period entertaining, over indulging and watching television. Once our visitors had left and we were a three person family again, we were definitely overdue a day out. Even though it had rained solidly for days. And yes it was STILL raining.

We looked at suitable places to take POD that offered some kind of shelter. Then it hit us. We’d still not visited RHS Wisley. And RHS Wisley had a glasshouse. We left the house with such enthusiasm that we forgot our wellies, hats and an umbrella but it really didn’t matter. We even saw a glimmer of brightness in-between the black grey clouds. In typical British fashion though the rain re-appeared when we got out of the car!

But the Doves were at RHS Wisley. For the very first time. Today was RHS Wisley day.

On arrival we were provided with a map and advised which route to take. At this point the rain was like a tropical monsoon so we speedily made our way to the confines of The Glasshouse.

The Glasshouse looked pretty impressive. Tranquility greeted us at the entrance and POD was duly released from her buggy. The Glasshouse has three climatic zones, recreating tropical, moist temperature and dry temperature habitats. It also features a special interactive Root Zone, the Clore Learning Centre and the Horticultural Theatre. It really had been built to the highest specification, using the most up-to-date technological advances with tempered glass allowing maximum light transmission, greater strength, wind resistance and thermal efficiency.

RHS Wisley describes The Glasshouse as ‘The World under Glass’. And it truly is a world tour of plants from every corner of the globe. Not only that it was fascinating and felt rather magical somehow. The Glasshouse definitely takes you on a journey of discovery while you pass rocky outcrops, waterfalls, still pools and sloping gradients.

Raised viewing platforms were also located at various points so you could experience what you were seeing from unusual vantage points. If you look closely in the waterfall photograph, you’ll see POD with Daddy behind the water.

The Dry temperature zone appears sparsely planted but it contains a rich diversity of tough, slowing growing and often prickly plants growing amongst the scree and rocks. This included desert cacti and succulents from
countries including Chile, South Africa, Madagascar and Australia.

The Moist temperature zone is kept humid and houses native plants of the forests from South America and Australasia as well as parts of Cornwall and Scotland. A groundcover of ferns  and other plants grows beneath the understorey of shrubs and epiphytes, which are in turn shaded by a canopy of trees and tree ferns.

The Tropical zone contained lush foliage and dramatic flowers that flourish in heat and humidity. The combination of heat and moisture promotes fast growth, immense leaf size and extravagant, brightly coloured flowers.

Look out for banana, bromeliads, palm trees and fast-growing climbers, as well as familiar houseplants growing here to their natural sizes, such as the Swiss cheese plant and giant Maidenhair fern. This was our favourite zone in The Glasshouse, not least because it reminded me of times gone by when I lived in Australia (albeit not in a rain forest).

Whilst in The Glasshouse, we also visited the UK’s first root zone. This is an interactive area where you can learn about the interrelation between plant, plant health and what takes place underground. POD thoroughly enjoyed pressing every available button.

On leaving The Glasshouse, we were delighted to find the rain had eased slightly. Although a shorter walk than we would have liked, we did get to see a bit more of what RHS Wisley had to offer. And POD absolutely loved the ducks. There was much excitement when she spotted them initially. When we said goodbye, POD waved at them and said ‘bye bye ducks, see you later’ in a way only a two-year-old can.

So ‘bye bye, see you later’ summed up our visit to RHS Wisley. It was utterly fabulous and we’ll be back very soon because we are now RHS members. And because we are desperate to see those butterflies in The Glasshouse.

 

 

 

 

A chip in a car park

 

As we’re usually accompanied by a small, but definitely seen and heard, diner, the chance to be a table for two for lunch was extremely appealing. It’s been a while.

On the recommendation of my husband’s hairdresser (he said barber, but they not only talked “where have you eaten recently, but the ubiquitous “where have you been on holiday?”) we headed for CAU, at the top of town in  Guildford.

Argentinian steakhouses are something of a favourite of ours. My husband and I met whilst working in Clapham, at the same company and on the same cluster! Clapham is well served by La Pampa Grill, with 2 venues minutes apart. The dining experience is rustic, think wooden tables with candles, the service authentic (well they have Spanish accents) and the steaks delicious and bountiful. We were frequent visitors.

CAU has taken a very different approach. That’s not to say it’s the wrong one. But, not the way I would have gone. I imagine when they briefed their interior designers there was a lot of ‘clean, simple, contemporary’ bandied around. White leatherette banquettes and postage stamp black wooden tables complete the look.

It was Tuesday afternoon, about 12.30 and there were 4 other people dining. Nonetheless on entry we were asked if we’d booked a table. They managed to squeeze us in and we were shown to the end of one banquette. It’s been almost 2 years since POD make her appearance and I’ve managed to get back down to a size 12. However the gap between the tables is proportionate to their size and I duly sent next doors salt and pepper grinders crashing to the floor, with my clearly still massive posterior.

Once seated I had a grand view of the empty restaurant, unfortunately a cursory glance to the left and my husband found he was sitting next to the door to the utility room. Or so the bin and dust pan and brush clearly visible through the open door would suggest. We’ve both long abandoned the ‘don’t make a fuss we’re English policy, so, politely asked that we relocate, which we were without incident.

The waitress was swift to take our order, and had an accent, all good. I plumped for the 8oz sirloin my husband the Ribeye, with skinny chips, buttered leeks and causlaw, their proprietary coleslaw. We didn’t have to wait long, during which we witnessed another ‘obese’ woman dash the condiments across a table as she manoeuvred her enormous frame onto the banquette. She was a size 10 at the most.

On arrival both steaks were cooked to perfection, medium and medium rare respectively. The skinny chips came in their very own mini frying basket and were equally as tasty, crisp on the outside fluffy in. The buttered leeks didn’t disappoint either. However, with a glass of Sav Blanc for me a fat coke for my husband (driving), a bottle of water and glasses, the table was now heaving. Luckily we were both ravenous and the adjoining table (almost literally) was unoccupied, so we were quickly able to dump our empty veg receptacles.

A fully cleared table, short break, as we watched the place fill up. It did get surprisingly busy. And we were ready for dessert. Well I was. Mr ‘I’ll just have a peppermint tea’ suddenly materialised in the place of the ‘I’ve eaten the whole tub of Vanilla Haagen Dazs’ I get at home. The chocolate fondant sounded too good to miss and although there was wait, for which I was not pre-warned , when it did come it was just what the doctor ordered. Once I’d breached the outer sponge I watched in awe as the warm chocolate centre cascaded onto the plate. The mint tea was apparently quite nice too.

All in all I would recommend a trip to CAU for any steak lovers. The food is delicious and reasonably priced.

However, the dining experience did make me think of a story I heard about the Business Development Manager of an experiential marketing agency and the Marketing Director of a leading oven chip brand.

The BDM was extolling the virtues of using experiential marketing – when brands create an opportunity for consumers to meet, try, taste, experience their products. At the time there had been several campaigns using the outside space at supermarkets for this very purpose. The Marketing Director’s response to this pitch was simply. ‘A chip in a car park…is a chip in a car park.’

Clearly he or she missed the point, as experiential can be a fantastic channel for brands. However, the point is, if the experience doesn’t deliver on all fronts then however great your product may be, what your customers will remember is not how delicious their steak was, but how you made them feel they have a massive arse.

CAU Restaurants
174 High Street 
Guildford 
Surrey 
GU1 3JL
01483 459 777
guildford@caurestaurants.com
 

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