At the end of last week once MOH had finished work we jumped into our already loaded up car for a few nights away, heading to a small village just outside of Melton Mowbray. The check in instructions were quite precise, check in closed at 7pm and there were no exceptions. Eek.
If only someone had told the London traffic. We arrived with fifteen minutes to spare in the end, but the traffic put a few spokes in our plans along the way - with delays on the M11 which we were able to route around, and then on the M1 which we weren’t able to. And it wasn’t even Friday night, when the traffic out of London is notoriously bad.
Our plan was to explore around Melton Mowbray, potentially visit Pie Fest (spoiler: we didn’t get there in the end - but what a place to hold such an event!), and explore we did. Here I’ll share some of what we got up to in and around Melton, the countryside around and our discoveries along the way.
DECORATIVE BRICKWORK AND AN ORNATE GARAGE IN MELTON MOWBRAY
A TRADITIONAL MOSAIC TILED SHOP DOORWAY IN MELTON MOWBRAY
Melton Mowbray had a nice feel to it, and we obviously stopped to buy a pork pie and also some local cheese. I mean if you can’t buy a pork pie in Melton Mowbray, then where can’t you buy one! We wandered around, stopped for lunch and found ourselves at the cattle market but too early for the brewery I’d heard about to be open.
We also took a look around Bingham, East Bridgford and Whatton - all of differing sizes, with Bingham being the largest which again had a nice feel to it and a market square with an interiors shop that had plenty of lovely things, all of which I resisted.
Another of our discoveries and another place we stopped for lunch was Southwell, which I was surprised to learn had a cathedral, or rather a Minster. It’s a small place so having a cathedral was unusual, until we learnt that it also had an Archbishop’s Palace alongside it. It was a lovely spot and had been undergoing a programme of restoration, with an exhibition in the newly completed Chapter House. The photographic exhibition was of cathedrals around the UK, many of which we’d visited on previous trips and many which we hadn’t visited at all.
THE MINSTER AT SOUTHWELL
THE EXHIBITION IN THE CHAPTER HOUSE
There were a set of modern sculptures by Jonathan Clarke depicting the Stations of the Cross - interestingly people were encouraged to interact with the sculptures, touching them (gently) as well as admiring them. I really liked these in a way I hadn’t expected, and it was great to be able to fully explore and admire these.
ONE OF THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS BY SCULPTOR JONATHAN CLARKE
In the Archbishop’s Palace it was the decorative ceiling that really caught my eye, that is until we came out and I saw the decorative detail around the Minster’s doors.
THE DECORATIVE CEILING IN THE ARCHBISHOP’S PALACE, SOUTHWELL
ORNATE STONEWORK AT THE MINSTER IN SOUTHWELL
We’d heard about a large garden centre close to East Bridgford and decided to take a look around there too hoping to get a cake there too. And it was so much more than a garden centre - it was one of those giant ones, with everything. This artwork, which we were also to spot another version of during our stay, caught both of our eyes - it’s the type of artwork that every time you looked at it, you’d see something new.
We had our cake - for me a home made supersized battenburg and for MOH a squidgy chocolate creation. Remembering we were heading back to the car for an unknown amount of time I sought out the loos, well you knew I would right? The loos themselves were perfectly functional and clean, but it was the ‘Ladies’ that really stood out. Very Audrey Hepburn-esque, don’t you think?
After plenty of food and cups of teas we decided to explore our surroundings on foot. Parking in one village, we set out on a circular walk taking in the next village along. On the way out of Elston on our way to East Stoke we took an off road path and then bridleway, and it was everything you’d expect a country walk to be. The route back was more along the bigger road, which while cars were considerate wasn’t quite so tranquil as on the way there. Though we did walk past a wooden sculpture than probably most driving past would miss.
BLACKBERRIES, NOT QUITE SO LUSCIOUS THIS YEAR
WALKING ALONG A COUNTRY PATH BETWEEN ELSTON AND EAST STOKE
WALKING TOWARDS THE RIVER TRENT
We wandered through the village of East Stoke, which while small has plenty of history hosting a battleground from the War of the Roses. Not that you’d know it from the quiet country lanes which were amazingly still quite green.
FERNS AND A BRICK WALL
And here’s that sculpture I mentioned before - it’s quite unusual:
AN UNUSUAL CARVED SCULPTURE OUTSIDE ONE OF THE HOUSES WE WALKED PAST
On our last day we headed over to a cycling cafe - Caffe Velo Verde - for lunch and a look around. It was well equipped for passing cyclists and for those on four wheels - and the food was tasty too. For cyclists there were locks and places to clean cleats, as well as a charging point. We ate cheese toasties and shared a spicy sausage roll, and I’m pretty sure MOH has this earmarked for future visits as a place to stop.
As we were close to Belvoir Castle and its Engine Yard, we stopped there for a quick wander around the shops. It’s a place we’ve been too a couple of times before and it never fails to disappoint. This time we went into a shop we’d not been into before, and I discovered a new artist to look out for. The pouches and mugs by Katie Cardew were great, loved the colours and loved the designs.
And how many different coloured guggle jugs? One of these is definitely on my list, I just don’t know which colour yet.
Back at our holiday accommodation, we had another surprise when this peacock stopped by for a visit. We saw him once, but heard him more often at first mistaking his call for a rather loud cat. Given how the hosts and their dog went about their business, unlike MOH and I who were in awe of the bird, we take it that it was affiliated with them in some way.
I was surprised by the size of his claws, and was very happy to keep my distance. When I next looked out and he was wandering between the parked cars, I took that as my cue to come back inside. He was still about, but out in the lane, when we went out for dinner and we both laughed as he wiggled and waddled at speed away from us (but mostly because we were in the car and not on foot!)
We packed a lot into a few days, but it was oh so good to have a change of scenery.
