Moreton in Marsh

 22 - 24 October

Autumn Almanac

After the abruptly curtailed trip to Devon (for medical reasons) we were determined to get our days away in the ‘van this year to more than the current fantastic total of 11!  But the shorter days and less predictable weather made us decide on a very short and local trip, just to have a change of scenery.  So here we are in Moreton-in-Marsh, just twenty miles from home.  We know the town a little; in fact, we did consider it as a place to live when we moved from Cambridgeshire.  It has a long high street, with many individual shops, cafes and hotels, plus the Redesdale Market Hall. It still has a busy market on a Tuesday.  There is also a fantastic, independent toy shop, aptly named “The Toy Shop” which comprises many inter-connected small rooms and where you can lose yourself for hours.

We arrived on site as soon as the doors had opened, just after noon, along with many other caravanners and motorhomers.  We drove around the site, procrastinating on which pitch to take, only to find that, due to the one-way system, we would have to exit the site and re-enter.  The wardens chuckled and enquired “did you get lost?” before allowing us entry for the second time. 

After a quick lunch outside the van in the sunshine we put on our walking boots and made our way to the town centre (just a ten minute walk away) to follow a three and a half mile circular route across fields and along a country lane.  I had found this on the website www.cotswoldaonb.org.uk, which looked to be a very useful resource.  The route took us beside Batsford Deer Park and then suggests you might see birds of prey being exercised from the Falconry Centre (we didn't).  In the distance we could see Batsford House, a Victorian building, where the Mitford girls grew up.  At one point you are walking the watershed, where raindrops turn left for the Bristol Channel (via the Stour, Avon and Severn} or right for the North Sea (via the Evenlode and Thames).  Although the walk was not spectacular, it was very pleasant to be in the open air with the sun shining down on us.

Next day we had booked tickets at Batsford Arboretum, but not until 1 pm.  So there was plenty of time to walk into town in the morning and face the difficult decision of which coffee shop to choose.  The Cacao Bean at the far end of the High Street won us over and we had great coffee with a home-made scone.  The owner was very friendly towards us and it became obvious that many local people used her café as she was on first name terms with several of her customers.

After a quick lunch in the motorcaravan we drove the short distance to the arboretum.  The weather forecast for the afternoon had not been brilliant, but against the odds, the sun came out which really enhanced the beauty of the autumn colours.  The acers were particularly striking.  

Despite the restricted number of visitors, it was still fairly busy and I took the opportunity of practising “street photography”, grabbing shots of children kicking in the leaves and of unsuspecting adults.  

From the arboretum you get a much closer view of Batsford House from the other side.

We arrived back on site in time to freshen up before walking into town for the second time that day for a delicious meal at The White Hart.  Their Covid compliance made us feel at ease.

It would have been nice to have finished our break with a leisurely morning over the newspapers, but the forecast had deteriorated so we decided to beat a hasty retreat and get home before the worst of the rain.