Sunday 7 October 2012

Rambles in the countryside (and a small rant)

De zomer zit in het slop ... is possibly my favourite Dutch expression; 'summer is in the doldrums' is not nearly as expressive or alliterative. It applies pretty well to most days of the British summer, but now that we've progressed from mere slop to fully bewolkt en koud, I feel it's the perfect time to pull on one's hiking boots and venture into the English countryside.


A change in my working life has enabled me to finally join a hiking group whose inviting emails describing country trails have been entering my inbox for a couple of years.


This one started and ended in Hedgerley - a village and ancient parish tucked away in a tangle of fields and copses in south Buckinghamshire - not far, as you can see from the map pin, from Wooburn and the slightly frightening sounding Cookham & Burnham. You've got to love quirky English place names (how about Ugglebarnby, Crinkley Bottom, Steeple Bumpstead or Giggleswick).


But I'm also learning the clues they give to who lived where and when: 'ley' is an old Anglo-Saxon word for a clearing in a wood, and so Hedgerley was originally Hycga's clearing (though no-one seems to know anymore who Hycga was). This little settlement, like the whole county of Buckinghamshire, was once part of the kingdom of Mercia, in the Anglo-Saxon heptarchy. 



There's a village street of red brick cottages, some of which have not changed much since the 16th century. In Roman times, Hedgerley was an important centre for pottery, and later on it became famous for brick-making - in kilns supplied by nearby clay pits.

Today, it's possibly better known for multiple grisly murders, as one of the locations for Midsomer Murders, from which we have learned that quaint English villages invariably harbour dark secrets and serial killers.

In awe of those who seemed to know their way through woods and open fields, I followed the  band of walkers and progressively dirtier dogs ...


Gaiters and hiking boots were the way to go for some, wellies for the English traditionalists - whatever gets you through the mud and over the stiles.


The fields in this area are called 'sea fields', because in spring they're covered with bluebells and look like a sea when the wind blows across them.

A few hours later we'd returned full circle to Hedgerley for a look round the parish church of St Mary the Virgin that tops the village ...


poking around graveyards being a favourite thing of mine to do 


before lunch called, at the village pub ...


and look, there was Postman Pat - 

As a footnote: for those who don't know him, slightly simple-minded but adorable Postman Pat, delivering mail come rain, snow or sunshine in his dinky little red van to the residents of Greendale, was a loved character for a generation of tiny tots (including my own) and the Royal Mail's best advertisement ... until 2000 that is, when they dumped their sponsorship of the show, saying that Postman Pat "no longer fitted in with their corporate image"! Shame on the Royal Mail! 
I believe in his new life our favourite postman now works for some fictional, anodyne 'Special Delivery Service' and has a fleet of vehicles including a helicopter, but I cannot verify this personally, as I'm too outraged by the notion to go and check it out :) Here's the original, from 1981 ...


12 comments:

  1. The landscape is magnificent. I am an avid hiker -trekker and must follow this path one of these days. In early summer I hiked with my friend in Southern Ireland and absolutely fell in love with the country. In the past I have enjoyed high altitude treks in the Himalayan mountains and in Africa. At home, i try to hike on week ends. You do live in a beautiful part of England!

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  2. Much Diddling and Little Diddling used to keep my son in stitches. I still have a copy of 'The Meaning of Liff', a witty little book which uses English place-names to describe experiences which lack one. In its own way it reaches perfection.

    You have no idea how much I miss rambles ending in the local pub, now that I am in California.

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  3. It does all look so beautiful captured in your lovely photographs. My son Paul grew up on Postman Pat, living in South Africa at the time it seemed to portray a wonderful, pared down so quintessentially English scene. I can still sing that catchy theme tune to this day, conjuring up memories of Paul's childhood and a quirky portrayal of English country life!

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  4. The very apotheosis of Englishness!
    I'm green with envy.
    Such beautiful photos too.
    The American post office's uniforms are quite depressingly 'moderne'!

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  5. Isn't it wonderful to get out into the countryside? I am so envious as I can barely walk the length of myself right now being crippled with an acute episode of Sciatica! Hill walking used to be my thing, bagged a couple of Munros, but alas, no more.

    Whenever I am walking in the countryside here in Scotland, I stop, take in a deep lung full of the fresh air, marvel at the beautiful surroundings/vistas, and utter "and all of this is free, gratis, and for nothing"! How fortunate we are!

    Enjoy!

    We have some odd place names too. Two that spring to mind are - Auchtermuchty and Auchenshuggle!

    I love your photographs, particularly the one reflecting the red brick cottage.

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  6. Karen, your hiking day in beautiful green countryside looks like so much fun. I am guessing that you might eventually be sharing photos of future hikes?

    The old bricks in those buildings have wonderful colors. The variety of greens provides a visual feast. Perhaps you all also saw interesting birds along the way?

    xo

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  7. PS: I don't mind if our posties' uniforms are made of bumbee tartan! (Tartans designed with a complete lack of taste, no sense of history, and ...). As long as we continue to have mail hand delivered by them!

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  8. Breath-taking views of the English countryside...
    The perfect antidote to most worries.
    And to heck with Paris!
    I do miss not seeing your pub lunch - what do they call it?
    That grilled cheese + lager combo?
    YUM

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  10. PLOUGHMAN'S LUNCH!!
    PLOUGHMAN'S LUNCH!!
    did you ever see the movie?
    Cheers so hungry now

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  11. "Pat feels he's a really happy man" --- can't imagine anyone working for the US Postal Service, or perhaps for the English also, being a "really happy man" or woman these days! So there goes the show, and the image --
    But your photos here are beautiful, why England is still a nation of walkers. Such civilized country to be hiking through --- and lucky you, to be able to join in.
    (Cookham and Burnham, still laughing!)

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  12. Ooooo la la cherie
    Alle-oop
    en e va?
    tout va bien?
    Plus SVP plus plus!

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