Day 29

We took a bus from London to Bristol and another bus (a smaller/town one) from Bristol to Wells. Wells is the biggest “city” in England. It gets to be called a city because it has a cathedral, and a church is a cathedral if it is designated the seat of a cardinal, which apparently happened whenever the inhabitants of an area were a sufficient tax base (it’s like the church was in charge when all this was founded).

In Wells we went to the grocery store because we were pretty unsure about the food/restaurant situation out in the countryside.  We left the bus station, walked to the grocery store, put our bags in the cart (which took up the whole cart) and enjoyed a “real” grocery store (TESCO!). In London we had only experienced express grocery stores.

After we had groceries, we needed to figure out how to get to the AirBnb. We tried the first cab company on the list and struck out. We called the second company and he was available. A short trip and pleasant conversation with our cabbie later, we arrived. Our airbnb is a cozy little cabin with just enough room for a bathroom, kitchen, and fold out couch. The rest of the day we settled into our new home.

Day 30

Our current AirBnb is in Cocklake which is 1.3 miles from Wedmore. There is rare public transportation (think buses that come every 4 hours or only twice a week). Thus getting to Wedmore meant walking there, below is the route described by our airbnb host. This was an adventure. It was a 20-25 minute walk in pastures, over stiles/fences, and through gates. The perils of this journey included cow pie landmines,  the cows themselves if they got curious/ornery, and the brambly vegetation.

 

In Wedmore we went to the Pumpkin for lunch. Katie got the Ploughman’s lunch which turned out to be kind of a deconstructed sandwich. Cheese, ham, bread, balsamic onions, and mango chutney. Ploughmen were eating well!

After lunch we headed down the road to see the church that Katie’s Great(x4) Grandparents were married in. We looked around the cemetery in the church yard but didn’t see any headstones with surnames that matched Katie’s family tree.

After visiting the church we explored more of Wedmore. With having successfully braved the wild to get to town we were ready for more adventure. When Katie saw the path below we decided to see where it led.

The path went up a steep incline and into a field with sheep grazing adjacent. Past the field was…but of course… Mutton Lane,  a road on the south side of the town with some fairly spectacular views, which we enjoyed while catching our breath before heading back into town.

We stopped at the local watering hole, the Swan, for a pint. It was a curious experience ordering beer from the teenager working the bar. He couldn’t have been more than 16. The bar was all locals from Wedmore but not too busy.

Along with the walking directions, our Airbnb host also left a menu for Table 8, the only Indian food restaurant in Wedmore (and probably the only one for 50 miles). We decided to give it a try. Oooh my goodness yes. This was some of the finest Indian food we have ever had. Bar none.

On the walk home we retraced our steps over the stiles, through fences and then came to the 3rd from the last pasture that we were suppose to walk through. It had been empty earlier but now it was full of cows. They were completely unconcerned with us and after looking up went back to chewing their cud.

Day  31

Having the entire AirBnb to ourselves is wonderful. We’re able to make breakfast for the first time on the trip because we have a kitchen. After a leisurely morning at the AirBnb we decided to adventure to Meare, where there is a church Katie wanted to visit.

We talked to our hosts yesterday and they offered to let us use their bicycles. We were not super sure about this idea, but after we called two different taxi companies with no luck (we got the impression that the taxi corp around here is a few guys who are on duty when they feel like it and expect you to book any travel needs days in advance), we took it as a sign that we were meant to bike it.

We looked up biking directions, got our helmets on, and headed off for the open-ish road (two lanes of travel on roads not that much wider than one car). Then we came to the first big hill. You see, Wedmore was once called the Isle of Wedmore because it was the high ground above the Somerset Levels which were wetlands. So the bike ride to Wedmore was a lot of up hill. And then (we found this bit out later) we took the steepest hill around to get through Wedmore and headed to our destination.

By the time we were done with our second huge hill Katie was ready to quit and turn back. After we stopped and rested (read: died) for a bit, we were off again. A little ways down the road was another huge hill. No one was ready for this adventure but we conquered it. At the top of that hill (after more dying) some important googling happened that led us on a path to a cider farm (very close by) rather than our original destination of (still very far away) Meare.

We met some wonderful characters at the Cider Farm, truly salt of the earth people. They gave us more backstory on the area. They were interested in the ancestry piece and asked what surnames we were looking for in the area. A few gentleman joined later and one of them actually knew someone with matching surnames! We chatted with them for a while and shared stories with other travelers who came in. Also, farm fresh cloudy cider, which comes in sweet or dry, from giant (person sized) barrels, was an interesting experience. (The barrels had been sitting in those same spots for so many years that cider dripped from the spigots had worn channels in the concrete.)

On the way back Cam’s chain came off and Katie got a flat tire. Luckily, since we had had to fight through the uphills on the way there, this direction was almost all downhills!

The flat tire happened when we were closer to the AirBnb but not close enough (probably still 1-2 miles away). We started walking with the bikes. We met another biker and asked if he had an air pump (we had one but it was broken) but he said, “No, sorry.” We continued (slowly) on towards the house. We saw a second biker. No again.

At this point we are about a mile away but the rest of the route had nowhere to walk the bikes other than in the road (remember, these are tiny English roads with no shoulder).

We are both thinking, “this is not going to be a fun walk.” But then we see another biker. We almost didn’t ask because we had struck out twice but gave it a try. He said, “No, sorry. But my friend lives right down there and he can go get his pump.” This very kind gentleman rode his bike (back down a hill we had just watched him climb) to his house to get his air pump and then pumped up the tire. There were almost tears because of how much appreciation we felt. We also enjoyed that, rather than re-ride the hill to return the pump, our savior chucked it into a bush at the edge of the property to get later.

We rode home and swore off any more bike riding in the countryside. Katie googled and we figured out how to do the bus…we thought.

Day 32

Today we tried to take the bus to Cheddar. The key word being “tried”. We figured out the bus stop and times and went up to the top of the hill to wait at the “stop”. By stop they just mean area where the bus should and/or could stop. There was no covered bench, nor signs. We were early so we wait for about 10 minutes. A few other cars drove past and then we saw our bus…drive past us right on down the road. After standing there in disbelief for a moment we headed back to the AirBnb.

After the bike adventures yesterday and the non-bus adventures today, we decided we probably deserved a day off. We flipped through local TV and found some good stuff, including what seems like their version of Judge Judy.

We scanned through the DVDs and picked Avatar and Sherlock Holmes. We watched Sherlock first. Then we ordered pizza from Magic Pizza and watched Avatar. Ironically this pizza place is in the town we were trying to go to by bus. (‘Hi, yea, we’d like a medium pepperoni and to ride back to town with your delivery guy.’)

We also called and made taxi plans for tomorrow. All together it was a good day doing nothing.

Day 33

The taxi drove past us too. But then it circled back and picked us up. It turned out Ian was our taxi driver. He was such a nice guy and a character for example, “Did you know that goats are so good at climbing and standing on steep hills because their legs on one side are shorter than the other? Ha, I’m just pulling yer leg kid.” So we ended up setting up more rides with him. Ian took us to Cheddar to see St. Andrew’s Parish Church.

After we arrived and looked around the church a bit Katie realized this was a different St. Andrew’s than she had thought we were visiting. There is another St. Andrew’s in Banwell (nearby) where Katie’s 3rd Great Grandpa was baptized and she got them confused. But this church is where Katie’s 4th Great Grandma was baptized back in 1790.

After the church we walked around Cheddar, including up to see the Gorge and all through the town. There were a lot of great views but the town is definitely a tourist trap because of the gorge and the caves. We tried pasties for the first time for lunch. Yum!

We went to the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company, which boasts that it is the only cheddar cheese maker left in the village of Cheddar (from whence this kind of queso came). We watched them make…you guessed it…cheddar cheese. We tasted most of the different varieties that they make, including one that they mature for a year in an actual cave near town. We bought a couple to take back to the AirBnb and are looking forward to a nice cheese board later tonight. We also bought chutney from Rosehill Farm that is delicious.

Day 34

Today we went to Meare to see the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and All Saints Church of England, where Silas Gerratt was buried in 1851. This church was consecrated in 1323. After Silas died, his wife, Love Willis, came to America to join their children, one of which was Hannah Gill, who is Katie’s Great Great Great Grandma.

Meare is on the way to Glastonbury so after looking at the church and the gravestones we headed that way. We had lunch at the Lazy Gecko Cafe. (We almost went to Excaliber Cafe but it was busy. There is lots of King Arthur history/lore around here)

Glastonbury is best known for its hippie/mystic culture, myths/legends surrounding the Tor, legends of King Arthur, and legends surrounding this being the site where Jesus visited Europe in his younger years. After lunch we headed towards the Tor.

We are definitely getting more exercise out in the countryside than we did in the city. After a light (read: mildly strenuous) climb we made it to the top.

Some people believe that the Holy Grail is buried under the Tor. #historicalconspiracy

Day 35

Today was our last day out in the country. We took one last walk through the fields and cow pastures to Wedmore to have tea and enjoy the town.

We had Tea at Nanny Ida’s. They have a lovely outdoor area that we had all to ourselves because of the “heat wave” that they think 80 degrees is.

We went to the Swan for a drink and learned some new information about their money. Check out how the different pence coins put together makes the coat of arms.

Walking through the field on the way home was exciting. Check out the time lapse below of us meeting some more cows as we walked through the fields!

Our last night in the countryside ended with a beautiful sunset. We have enjoyed our time in the country (even with some added struggles with transportation) but we’re excited for a new country. Tomorrow we have a long trip to the Netherlands.

Wedmore, England