A surprise palace

When Commando said he fancied taking a different route home from a visit to his sister’s house on 8 March, my first thought was that I was glad I’d charged my phone. His shortcuts and alternative routes often end up with me frantically looking at Google Maps and trying to give him directions. When he asked me if I knew where we were, I had no idea, but I could tell by the look on his face that he had something up his sleeve. It was clear we were on one of his magical mystery tours, but knowing this didn’t make me any the wiser. When I saw the ancient ruins, I was still clueless.
‘You must know where we are now,’ he said as we stood looking at a crumbling tower and moat.’ It’s Bishop’s Waltham Palace.’

Continue reading A surprise palace

The secret of the curious gateway

image

5 January 2016

According to the weatherman Tuesday was going to be the best day of the week. In fact it looked like it would be the only dry day. Obviously a walk of some kind was in order and I had a place in mind. For a long time now I’ve been wondering about a curious gateway along Abbey Hill at Netley, not far from the abbey. Countless times I’ve passed it on the way to somewhere else and wondered where the path leads but I’ve never had the time to check it out. Today was the day I did. Continue reading The secret of the curious gateway