apple | Life in the English Cotswolds

The second half of 2016 went just as quickly, if not quicker than the first. No sooner have the nights drawn out than Midsummer Day is upon us and, gradually at first – and then rapidly – the nights close in on us. In England our really warm summer weather does not arrive before July and with luck extends well into October. In bad years it never really arrives at all. blewbury-manor-copyright

In July I travelled just about as far west as is possible in the UK for a few days holiday in Cornwall. Cornwall is a land of contrasts with picturesque, small fishing villages, spectacular cliff walks and golden, sandy beaches. Inland, the scenery is bleak moorland with granite outcrops and the houses appear to squat low in the landscape to shelter from the gales that sweep in off the Atlantic. Luckily, the evening we went to the Minack Theatre was warm with only the lightest of sea breezes. Lucky because the theatre is carved into the cliff face. The idea of Rowena Cade, in the 1930s she and her gardener spent a winter moving rocks and to create a stage and seating. This Herculean effort was more than worthwhile, it was… well, click here to see for yourself. 169 copyright 172 copyright

August saw me on the other side of Atlantic Ocean in the American State of Arizona visiting another cliff-face achievement, the Canyon de Chelly. The houses of the Anasazi people were carved out of the sheer rock face hundreds of years ago and can only be reached by precarious toeholds. Today it is the home of the Navajo. The canyon is unique amongst the National Parks of America for it is the only one that is… check this link to find out what. Canyon de Chelly (3) copyright Canyon de Chelly (5) copyright

There is nothing like a bit of bragging and September saw me unashamedly showing off about the small lake I created some years back. These days, it looks as if it has been there forever and is home to numerous wild duck, fish and small mammals. Originally a rubbish dump click here to see how it has been transformed. pond-build-3-copyright pond-2-copyright

I am always telling you how beautiful our Cotswold Hills are and how lucky I am to live in the middle of the secret valley, away from traffic and houses. In October, I took you all on a virtual tour of the valley. The crab-apple tree lined lane leads to the wonderfully winding river that features on the blog header. After a mile of visual treats the lane narrows even more as it passes our tiny, stone cottage. Occasionally, there is a traffic jam – but rarely by cars. To take the tour again click here. secret-valley-2-copyright cotswold-traffic-jam-copyright

In November we went treasure hunting – looking for fortune in the garden. We didn’t have to dig it all up, only walk around it for we were searching for plants originating in China and Japan. The little-known story of how Robert Fortune, a 19th century dour Scotsman travelled to the for side of the world to fight with pirates before smuggling out what has become one of our most popular drinks is told here. dicentra-spectabilis-copyright tea-plantation-copyright

Travels and ancient buildings in Sweden and the south of France, hidden Exmoor, and attracting butterflies to your garden all featured in December‘s review. If that all sounds too exhausting, take a slow, slow canal longboat ride through the stunning scenery that can be found within a few miles of the university city of Oxford (here). 133 copyright

2017 is seeing a lot of changes politically and culturally both here in Britain, in the USA and elsewhere in the world. Some can’t wait for what will happen and others are dreading it. Whichever ‘side’ you’re on, come and escape to Life in the English Cotswolds and the secret valley which will always be, hopefully, a little haven of peace. dorn-valley-copyright

Best wishes for 2017 and many thanks for your post -and future – support.

Ask people – both here at home or abroad – how they imagine Great Britain to be, the answer is often the same: an overcrowded island. We do, of course, have our fair share of big cities, motorways and densely populated housing estates but it often comes as a surprise just how much unspoilt, open countryside remains. A few of us are lucky enough to live in it.

The M40 motorway where it enters Oxfordshire

rollright-stones-9-copyright

Less than two hours drive from the centre of London, the secret valley, seems more like a million miles away rather than just the eighty odd miles that, in reality, it is. Tucked down an unclassified side road and not shown on a number of maps, only those ‘in the know’ tend to visit it. Time for a quick tour.

The Secret Valley

The approach to the secret valley gives little hint of what’s to come. Lined with crab apple trees, the lane gently descends between a fold in the hills where, on the steepest banks, wild thyme, orchids and other wild flowers grow.

secret-valley-2-copyright

A bend in the road conceals the valley’s crowning glory: the most perfect, easily jumpable river (as can be seen in the header image of this blog page). Twisting and turning as it passes through meadows, in its shallows watercress grows where both trout and crayfish hide. By its banks willow pollards, now elderly and bent, wear garlands of wild roses; they grow from the tree crowns courtesy of seed dropped by birds generations ago.

willow-and-wild-rose-copyright

The lane, crossing the river, passes our tiny stone cottage and climbs towards the village – a cluster of nine houses, a farm and little else. Our home sits alone, down by the river bank, with just one other as companion. Here, the lane – barely wide enough for a combine harvester to pass – once was busy with drovers taking their cattle and sheep to the markets in Oxford.

combine-harvester-copyright cotswold-traffic-jam-copyright

These days the drove road enters and leaves the secret valley by a different route, only its mid-section by our house is still in use. The ‘old road’, as it is known, can still be walked – its path clearly defined by the wild flowers and hedgerows that line it.

old-road-2-copyright

The river, too, has chosen a different route according to the earliest maps. Downstream from our house, it flows past wooded banks to widen into a small lake before passing through fields, these days marshy where the watermill’s sluice gates have decayed with age.

old-sluice-copyright

Further downstream still, where the sheep cannot graze, swathes of scented, moisture loving plants such as wild valerian – looking very different from the one grown in our gardens – provide nectar for insets and a hiding place for deer.

a forest of Valerian & Meadowsweet

On the higher ground of the secret valley, the fields are cultivated with wheat, barley and oilseed rape. Even here, in the favoured places, wild flowers and birds of many types can be found: the diminutive hay rattle, a relic from the old farming days to ravens, buzzards and red kites, all now common again after centuries of persecution.

yellow-rattle-copyright