STOKE GOLDING
It was a very windy night last night. David
got up around 3:30 in the morning and said that the boat was constantly being
blown against the shore, and he sat for hours feeling the bumps and hearing the
thumps. I was blissfully asleep.
I was a bit out of sorts last night and
this morning. Maybe it was revenge of the Sticky Toffee Pudding! We decided to go easy today and just take a
short half hour cruise to Stoke Goulding. We found a great mooring at the Stoke
Goulding Visitor Moorage next to a road leading right into town.
Our mission was to find replacements for
the piling hooks (actual name of what I have been calling “C” hooks) which we
apparently left on some tow path somewhere. We found the marina and went into
their small shop. I spotted the hooks behind the counter, and then David found
the owner out working on a boat. I asked the gentleman if he had any work
gloves for sale, as well. He went out to ask someone and then went into the
back room and came out with a pair in his hands. “All of I have are these used
ones. I will sell them to you for 50 pence.”
Sold!
David chatted with a boater who was filling
the water tank on his very pristine vessel. He said he sold his first boat to a young
couple who were going to live in it. He said that narrow boats have become
popular with younger folk because the cost of housing is so high. They live on
them, fix them up, and save their money for a house. He said that he believed
there has to be at least 64,000 boats on the UK canals!
We walked to town following an elderly woman walking her dog. The dog had a mind of his own. She said that they were on their way home, and soon turned into a lovely property with an impressive mansion as home. Nice. The homes in this town are newer and bigger and upscale. Brick is the traditional building material everywhere.
I don’t think we have ever seen so many
people walking their dogs. Equipped with a leash and tiny blue bags, whether
rain or shine, young or old, they are out there enjoying the great outdoors
together. So many in Britain seem to
have a great bond with their four-legged companions.
We headed toward the church steeple which
we could see above the treetops. We found St. Margaret’s Church which was built
in the 13th century. We read that during the Battle of Bosworth
which I had previously mentioned, the villagers watched the battle from the
church tower. The victor, Henry Tudor, was crowned on nearby Crown Hill.
During WW ll the church spire was
dismantled due to the danger of planes hitting it as they flew to nearby
Nuneaton. There was a sign indicating that the church was open, but apparently
not to us. We could not budge those heavy ancient doors. That was a
disappointment.
I captured the reflection of the trees and the drainpipe!
This small village had three pubs, but we never saw a post office. We decided on The George and Dragon pub for lunch. When we first visited England together in the late 80’s, we lived on pub food (that hasn’t changed!) and our favorite dish was a ploughman’s lunch. We have been hoping to find it on our “pub crawl” and today we did. It was as marvelous as we remember it to be with cheeses, salad, pork pie, sausage roll and wonderful bread. Again, we asked for a local beer and sampled Church-End Grewery (not Brewery). I had what they called Goats Milk and really enjoyed it.
We are never without a book. There are used books available for the taking at pubs, marinas, small book exchange “kiosks” along sidewalks and of course, the iconic English red telephone booths. It does the heart good to see those famous red phone booths being repurposed instead of hauled away. We saw one today with the actual phone still in place. Should have tried it out…collect.
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