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| At Nunney Castle |
Having thoroughly enjoyed our time at Penny's Mill (although we forgot to turn the radiator down and so got way too hot during the night), we set out around 10:00 a.m. to look at Nunney Castle in the village. The castle was ruined during the English Civil War, but it is still substantial and sits surrounded by a pretty little moat. We provisioned at the village shop but wished we had taken more water or other drinks for our walk to Stourhead as it was sunny and warm. The walk was not too long at about 8.5 miles, but we encountered some more barely-trodden paths which necessitated a slight detour onto a lane as well as a farm track that was tricky to negotiate given the substantial rain on previous days. Finally, a fairly sizeable hill and four miles of road walking in full sun ensured that were quite thirsty and footsore by the time we reached Stourhead.
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| Stourhead House, East Front |
Upon arrival we toured the manor house at Stourhead, knowing that we would tour the main attraction, the gardens, the next day. The house was packed full of art treasures collected by the Hoare family over the centuries, with a large number of fascinating portraits. I would say what I found most outstanding was a portrait of a wife of one of the family scions that made her look very thoughtful and beautiful from the inside. The library was also good, with a semicircular stained glass window providing a unique architectural feature at one end. Ken also liked the house, though he was very thirsty since he had drunk all his water and was consequently very leg-weary, taking full advantage of the seats provided in most of the rooms. (The docents were very helpful in giving information about the house and the family, by the way.) After touring the house we went to the garden cafe where they sold Pepsi as Coca Cola, which I found interesting. After a drink and a chance to get off his feet awhile, Ken felt much better.
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| Stourhead House Library |
Our walk south from Stourhead to the pub and then our B & B in Bourton meant that we were dipping our toes just into Dorset—but Ken finds Hardy really depressing so that would be it for Dorset on this walk! Rather than being depressing, shortly after leaving Stourhead the walk was more than a bit nettling—literally. We both got some stings on our legs fighting through an overgrown field boundary on a "path" that was obviously almost never used. Things improved after that, with some timely directions provided by a helpful woman who had just arrived at her home as we passed by looking rather confused. It was great to arrive at the White Horse Inn with a nice candlelit table reserved for us by our kind B & B host, Vivienne. I decided to try pork belly, which seems to be a specialty for this area. Well, I can say I tried it, but it wasn't my favorite meal of the trip so far. Ken did enjoy his chicken, chorizo and rice dinner and there were nice vegetables for both of us as well. Most enjoyable of all was sharing Eton Mess for dessert: crushed meringue, cream, and strawberries with ice cream as well! [We later learned that pork is a regional specialty, particularly in Wiltshire, which was less than a mile away. Also, the Eton Mess was absolutely fabulous!!!—Ken] After a short walk to our B & B we ended the day having a nice chat with Vivienne in her conservatory.
33,062 steps, 24.797 km, 1,015 cal
OS getamap measured distance: 12.02 mi (19.34 km)
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