The last days in England April 30 to May 2
April 30 Little Kingshill
Malcolm drove me into High Wycombe, where I collected a rental car and took a photo of The Bell, where I had a beer a few days ago but didn’t take an outside shot.
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Mission accomplished, I drove 25 minutes up the road to Thame. It is a pretty town with old buildings, cobbled streets and interesting shops.I had a late breakfast/early elevenses and then wandered around the town centre. I visited the museum last year so didn't feel the necessity to repeat the visit this time. |
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As I drove along the lanes North, it started spotting with rain. Under the circumstances, a visit to the huge Bicester Village outlet centre seemed justified. Unfortunately, whilst it is very smart with lots of pretty flowers, I wouldn't have wanted most of the stuff on offer if it had been given away. There was a Le Creuset shop, with lots of wonderful things, but carrying cast iron pots on an aeroplane didn't seem a sensible idea.
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With the rain now falling more heavily, I ventured into Bicester town centre, did a couple of laps of the one way system, just to get my bearings, and found a car park. To begin with, I went into the Market Square, lined with interesting buildings, but not very exciting.
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Then, quite by accident, I discovered the main street, which was busy, had lots of shops and a café, in which I had a mug of tea and some shelter from the rain.
The rain didn't stop, so I found my way back to the car and drove a few miles to Islip, a village I had passed through several times but at which I had never stopped. The Red Lion served a good bowl of thick vegetable soup and I chatted to the barman. His Father was a recently retired army man who had taken over the pub and the son had decided that being in the bar and chatting to the customers suited him well.
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The village has some old buildings and a large church. Its main claim to fame is as the birthplace of Edward the Confessor but this seems only to be commemorated by an information board.
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I headed back towards the Chilterns and the weather started to brighten. At West Wycombe, I climbed up the side of the steep hill, paused at the Dashwood family mausoleum, and then completed the climb to St Lawrence's Church at the top. From there, I took lots of photos of the views and of West Wycombe House, which featured in the "Importance of Being Earnest" film.Left: Not just the skies were brightening |
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All this time, I was listening to a deeply emotional radio play on my MP3 player about the relationship between King George VI and his speech therapist in the hours before his first radio broadcast following the coronation. I had to wait outside the caves for the play to finish and then had to let me eyes clear before I ventured inside.
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The caves date back to the 1750's when they were excavated to provide chalk for the construction of the road from West to High Wycombe. The caves are most famous for the occasions on which they hosted the famed Hall Fire Club. The walk took about 20 minutes, almost all on a very good surface but with the headroom occasionally dropping below 6 feet so that I had to stoop. It was fun and I had meant to do it for ages. Whether it really justified the entry fee of £5 I'm not sure but it must cost a huge amount to maintain the caves to such a high standard.
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I returned to Malcolm & Janet's intending to do some work but felt very tired & collapsed in an armchair to await their return from work. We had dinner at home and a quiet evening in.