Close to home... Abbotsbury

-
Abbotsbury Swannery

As someone who tends to travel away at the weekends, I often miss opportunities to explore what is right on my doorstep. So a couple of weekends ago, me and a friend headed to the village next door for a little local adventure, and were met with a welcome surprise. Here are some of the delights the sleepy village of Abbotsbury has to offer:

Chesil Beach
Reaching from Portland down past Abbotsbury and onwards, Chesil beach is 29km of shingle, and a sight you’re unlikely to see anywhere else! Easily accessible from Abbotsbury, it is a prime fishing location, and thanks to the steep shoreline, home to some spectacular crashing waves that just encapsulate the vastness of the ocean.

 Swannery
Abbotsbury Swannery is home to hundreds of swans, all of whom have chosen to make the swannery their home. This beautiful sanctuary is designed for the swans to leave should they choose, and yet every year the population grows and grows, homage to the majesty this beautiful place holds. In addition, every spring the site becomes awash with nests full of fluffy baby cygnets, which the public are free to walk around and be face to face with these adorable little chicks! I personally feel this is definitely the highlight of Abbotsbury. 

Subtropical Gardens
In addition to the swannery, Abbotsbury is home to a beautiful subtropical garden. Its roots lie in the gardens of the now ruined Abbotsbury castle built for Elizabeth, 1st countess of Ilchester in 1765. Despite fires, storms and economic scarcity over the centuries, the garden has now grown into a tremendous spectacle with a stunning assortment of flora, and is home to a delightful little restaurant.

St Catherine's Chapel
Set high atop a hill on the edge of the village, St. Catherine's chapel is a stunning building that can be spotted from miles around. Built in the 1500's as a site of pilgrimage, it remains perfectly preserved set aside from the hustle of life. It is quite a trek up the hill, via a field often shared by a family of friendly sheep, but the view is completely worth it once you make it to the top. In addition, the chapel is currently home to a pair of beautiful white doves, a beautiful symbol of the peace attained in such a beautiful and isolated site. Also, for any collectors of national heritage sites, this is another you can check off the list!

Cafes
In the village itself there are a number of adorable tea shops and cafes, perfect for a spot of afternoon tea, or some fresh lemonade on a sunny afternoon.

Abbotsbury was a reminder for me that anywhere, no matter how close to home, can be an adventure worth exploring, and that some of  the most unexpected beauties can be found right on your doorstep.

Happy travelling,
Vicky


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A City of Culture... Liverpool

-
Image
Last week I went on a day trip to Liverpool, a city I had never visited before, a city of culture (as of 2008), and a city I am now very fond of. We hopped off the train (an easy £5 return journey from Manchester) to immediately be welcomed by the stunning st Georges Hall towering across the road, an unexpected glimpse into a Liverpool of the past. Unfortunately the hall was closed for Easter Sunday, however, without having to walk more than a few seconds from the station we were bombarded with enough delights that it was clear why Liverpool was crowned European Capital of Culture in 2008. We began our day wandering around the Walker Art Gallery, a classic art gallery full of works dating back to the 1300's, before heading next door to the Central Library. If you ever find yourself in Liverpool, make sure to put this high up on your to-do list, Central Library is one of the most magical buildings to grace this country. Once you wander up through the ultra modern entrance and on...
Read more

Trespass on Devils Mountain

-
Image
8 th May 1945. The second Great War comes to an end. Germany had just surrendered to the Allies and it would be only a matter of months before Japan would follow suit. It was time for the world to piece itself back together again. Soldiers would return home, governments would reform and economies would start to rebuild themselves. This would be no small task, particularly for Berlin, a city with 70% of its buildings in need of repair and a third destroyed completely. Consequently midnight on the 8 th May 1945 (aka Stunde Null) saw the beginning of the biggest clean-up operation the city had ever seen. Stunde Null (‘Zero Hour’ in English) was seen by many as the moment that Germany began to put the atrocities of the war behind them, the start of a new non-Nazi Germany. Overnight Soviet forces began to dismantle industry and transport across the city, removing any trace of the previous government occupation. Two months later the city would be formally divided between the...
Read more

Box Hill - Tales from the Home Counties

-
Image
Box Hill lends its name from Buxus sempervirens , or more commonly, the Boxwood tree, a species whose members shade the western slopes of this Surrey summit. When venturing up by car you climb these very slopes, taking the appropriately named ‘zig-zag road’ from base to peak, in a slalom of single-track hairpin bends cocooned by both the aforementioned Boxwoods, and numerous gnarled Yew trees, a common sight around the area. It was at the top of this twisted road that I found myself at lunch time on a sticky summer’s day. Upon leaving the carpark and picking up a (free!) map from the National Trust café, I made my way toward the first viewpoint, where I could fuel up on pac ked lunch before my adventure began.  I rounded the corner, and the hill dropped off ahead revealing the viewpoint as promised. It did not disappoint. What felt like the entirety of this beautiful home county was staring up at me, the river Mole flowing below, the railway line running alongside. As I ...
Read more