To sleep in a real bed. Perchance to dream! To shower in a real bathroom. What luxury! We love our little bolthole!
Our reason for coming to Wiltshire was to visit Mike and Kate (Fenner), our son-in-law Matthew’s parents, who live in Chippenham. We had a lunchtime date with them at Yatton Keynell but had a few things to do first.
Castle Combe, reputedly ‘the prettiest town in England’, was spitting distance away from North Wraxall. Google Maps told us it was 3 miles away and would take us 10 minutes to drive. Single track laneways and lots of Sunday cyclists turned it into a 20-minute drive, but boy, it was pretty pretty along the way!
It was 10.00am on a Sunday, and Castle Combe was already awash with mobile camera finger clicking tourists. No parking unless you wanted to hike a mile to the carpark. We drove straight through and decided to return tomorrow. Earlier!
Heading towards our next destination of Malmesbury, we passed through a couple of cuties.
Why Malmesbury? Matthew lived there before he went on his round the world adventure (subsequently meeting Jane), and we wanted to see what he’d left behind to marry our daughter!
A lot!
Malmesbury is simply beautiful. It even has an Abbey!
With the 10.30am Holy Communion service on full swing, we had to be content with exploring around the outside of the Abbey and the township until the worshippers had gone home.
The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the Abbey looked glorious in the morning light. Situated on a hilltop, the Abbey dominates the town. And so it should. It survived the dissolution of the monasteries in Henry V111’s reign and is also the burial place of England’s first King Æthelstan.
From the Abbey, the High St leads down a gentle curve to the river.
In 2018, we were in Melbourne for a Swans game, and our hotel room had a picture of Malmesbury bridge on the wall! We thought at the time it was such a good omen, never thinking we’d actually get to see it!
Holy Communion over, we got to peek in the Abbey.
A bit underwhelmed! There were lounge chairs, a souvenir shop, kitchen(!) and toyroom/creche right in the body of the Abbey.
Ok, I admit I’m a traditionalist and purist when it comes to churches. I realise religion these days has to reinvent itself to appeal to more people, but I simply love the stained glass, wooden pews, and seeing the altar where it should be, at the top of the nave.
Not here.
I have to also admit, however, that there were at least 50 members of the congregation enjoying a cuppa after the service, so the powers that be must be doing something right!
And as beautiful as Malmesbury is, we’re glad Matt found Balmain more appealing!
We hightailed it back to Yatton Keynell and ‘The Bell Inn’ for our lunch date and Sunday roast.
Talkfest started and didn’t stop. 4 years of catching up to do!
Kate and Mike insisted we go back to 16 Maple Way for more drinks and snacks, and of course, to see Matt’s brother Nick, his partner Billie and her son Alfie. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to meet her daughter Brooke, who was on a half term break with her dad.
The talkfest continued, wine flowed, and best of all, Kate had made a batch of her famous cheese sticks, our favourites! Bless her!
We’d had a great day, and all agreed our kids had done a great job in picking us as parents!
Kanga And Wombats Adventures 