Bad Timing

 Fitting a pre-Christmas visit to Parkham proved problematic with  a number of activities in Cheshire in our diaries including the grandchildren's Christmas plays and other concerts and parties.   We did however manage to arrive on the 5th for a few days, but missed out on most of the village Christmas activities.

It was very good to be back in the village after a busy time in Knutsford where we have had long period of house renovations going right back to September.   The last project was the replacement of the roof on our house.  Whilst not leaking,  it definitely was coming to the end of its life and we decided that we might as well get the benefit of the new roof sooner rather than later. It was a longer job than anticipated with the first scaffolding going up in the middle of October, work was on-going when we were in Parkham in November but it was not until the end of the month that the last of the scaffolding was removed.  It was at that point that our home felt our own again after many weeks of clambering around scaffolding to get in and out of the house.

We arrived in the village at the end of a spell of very cold weather and despite the central heating being on a low temperature throughout, there was a definite winter chill about The Granary on our arrival.  It takes some time for the thick stone walls to warm up again and the rooms lose heat again very quickly when there is no fire.

We had not planned to do a lot on this visit and in the main our time was spent catching up with friends as well as taking the dog for walks.   Even  on dull winter's days we still enjoyed walking along the beach and when the low sun did come out we definitely benefited from just a little warmth in the rays. 

The weather did become much warmer during our stay but, with the warmth came more rain and winds.  

We were able to visit the Christmas Tree festival at St James' Church where there were trees representing a range of village organisations  ranging from the WI to the Pickleball Club. For the uninitiated pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two or four players hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball  over a net.  It was good to see the creativity in a number of the displays and I particularly liked the shuttlecock decorations on the Badminton Club tree,

We returned home after only 6 days in the village calling in on the way to see our old neighbours in Stourbridge.  

We wish everyone in Parkham a Happy Christmas and may 2024 bring you peace, joy and happiness.  We look forward to seeing you again in the New Year.

Wet November

When I look at my recent blog posts the weather seems to be a major feature.  I suppose this is because since July we have had an awful lot of rain.  I am now writing this latest piece after another week of mostly showery and sometimes rainy days in Parkham.  On a positive note it is good that with the latest smart phone apps, forecasts can be carefully monitored, including the position and direction of rain clouds.  This means that we were able to get out and walk for about an hour each day without getting wet. Before  I get complaints about the unreliability of forecasts, we have in the past been caught out, particularly in the village where drizzle from low cloud appears to avoid the weather forecasting radar.

On this occasion we did not travel far and most of our walks were along the lanes around Bocombe.  We grabbed a couple of hours of sunshine and headed out to Greysands one morning and on another afternoon we walked along the front and coast path at Westward Ho!.  We avoid Westward Ho! in the summer months but on this occasion, there were few people around we enjoyed watching the waves breaking on the rocks at high tide.

For the two weeks prior to our visit, The Granary had been occupied by our son and daughter and their respective families.  This meant that we had anticipated some clearing up when we arrived, however all was in good order, although the fridge was covered with small stickers, a gift to granny from our three year old granddaughter.

We spent time with several of our friends from the village, with the wet and cold weather we were drinking  tea with  hot crumpets rather that the scones and clotted cream of only a few months ago.  There were also a couple of visits to The Bell where it was good to catch up with more friends but no meal on this occasion.

With the poor weather, I took the opportunity to visit the builders merchants to buy components to secure our gas bottles to the wall with a chain. This is now a safety requirement and was commented on when the gas boiler was serviced,

We drove home on a lovely sunny day and it remained so for the whole of our journey.  Traffic was good and we now realise there are benefits to travelling at weekends, outside of school holidays, with far fewer heavy vehicles on the road.  

In our absence, work on our new roof has progressed however, this progress has been limited by poor weather in Cheshire.  We now have a Met Office warning of Storm Debi approaching, which will bring strong and disruptive winds to the region next week!

Showery September/October

We set off for Parkham towards the end of September and, as we passed the 'Welcome to Devon' sign on the M5, spots of rain appeared on the windscreen.  It was a sign of things to come as showers were a major feature during our time in North Devon.  We did still have a couple of sunny days and  plenty of opportunities to get out and about. 

As we walked the lanes we were delighted to find just a few blackberries remaining in the hedgerows, enough to provide a topping on our morning cereal.  We were also surprised to see a few swallows and house martins around the village on 3rd October. However, this ties in well with a report here in  Knutsford  that a substantial movement of swallows was seen flying over Tatton Park on the 29th September, bearing in mind that they fly around 200 miles in a day when migrating.

We enjoyed several walks along the coast and on the beach and this always gives us a real boost.  Although we are less than an hour from the coast here in Cheshire, we seem to have too many other things to do and few opportunities to visit. Probably the same applies to Parkham residents, many we speak to rarely visit the coast.

It was the weekend of Harvest Festival at St James's in Parkham.  The congregation were reminded that it was the Rev Hawker of Morwenstow who came up with the concept of Harvest Festival in 1843.  In that year he issued a notice to his parishioners to draw their attention to the duty of thanking God for the harvest, and of announcing that he would set apart a Sunday for such a purpose. Regular readers will remember that I mentioned this gentleman a couple of months ago when we visited 'Hawker's Hut', the National Trust's smallest property. 

After the well-attended Harvest Festival service we were able to enjoy an excellent buffet lunch served up in the church. It was great to see a large number of harvest contributions collected for the Food Bank in Bideford.

On our last visit we were a little restricted in visiting friends by having family members with us.  We used this occasion to  catch up with those we had not seen for a couple of months.  We also met up for a meal in The Bell with friends we had not seen for around twenty years!  A former work colleague understood that we spent time in Parkham and suggested that we met up in The Bell, not realising that we lived next door.  Luckily we still recognised each other and enjoyed catching up over a  meal.  In fact they decided to stay the night and enjoyed the facilities and breakfast in the pub.

We returned to Knutsford in early October feeling relaxed after an enjoyable break and ready to face the next project on our Knutsford home, replacing the roof.  As I write this the scaffolding is up but work has not yet begun.

Later in August

 We were back down in Parkham before the end of August and this time we were joined by our daughter and family who stayed in the next door cottage, which is a holiday let.  With a five year old and a three year old to consider, the first week of  our visit took a very different pattern from the usual.  The days started earlier than normal with a knock on the door and there were numerous visits to the children's playground.  Visits to the beach were less about long walks with the dog and more about watching the children jumping in the waves, collecting shells and finding hermit crabs.  This was despite some not so sunny days.

One afternoon, our grandchildren really enjoyed crabbing on the quayside at Appledore.  The Granary is well equipped for this as our son and his family are also keen crabbers.  This was followed by  excellent fish and chips from Sylvesters which were eaten on a bench overlooking the estuary. 

We visited Quince Honey Farm at South Molton which was interesting for both adults and children with an excellent shop and restaurant.  These can be visited without paying the entrance fee for the attraction and we plan to stop there again as it is only just off the A361 as we head towards, or from the M5. 

With 2 dogs to look after I opted out of the trip to The Big Sheep.  A wise decision as the children had a great time but understandably there is not so much to entertain the adults. 

The family also drove to Sandymouth, one of our favourite beaches and the sun shone for the children to enjoy the beautiful sand and the sea.

Other highlights of the week included an excellent Sunday lunch at The Bell, probably the best of many we have eaten there and a barbecue with tender steak from Honey's, beautifully cooked by our son-in-law.

Our family left after breakfast on Friday and we decided to stay on for a few more days which we took at a more leisurely pace, as the weather had by then become much warmer again.

One morning we parked at the National Trust car park at East Titchberry and walked along the coast path towards Hartland Point, the plan being to call at the cafe there for a coffee before returning. There are some amazing views along that stretch of coast and in particular one field planted with a range of wild flowers was spectacular.  It was disappointing to discover  that the cafe was closed that day, however we made up for it by stopping at Merry Harriers on our return to Parkham.  

The view from the coast path

Beautiful wild flowers at Hartland Point

On another day we walked from Greysands to the Pebbleridge Cafe, which was open, and then back around the perimeter of the golf course to the car.

Of course, we also managed several walks around the lanes surrounding the village.  Particularly noticeable was the activity of the swallows and house martins feeding actively as they prepare for their migration this month.  The speed at which they swooped along the lanes between  the hedges matched that  of the delivery vans we often come across.  There were also plenty of ripe blackberries for the picking, which we are still enjoying here in Knutsford.

After a good journey home we were pleased to welcome, three days later, friends from Parkham who stayed with us whilst attending a wedding locally.  Sadly, the wedding clashed with the Knutsford Great Race, an event which only happens every 10 years.  Around 60 cyclists on penny-farthings race on a circuit around the town centre for three hours, the winner being the one who completes the greatest number of laps.  Competitors came from as far afield as New Zealand!

Competitors in The Great Race 2023

Some Damp August Days

 It was less than three weeks since our return in July, when we set off to Devon again.  In fact, we had also spent time with friends from Parkham in the meantime, when they came to Knutsford and we visited  the RHS Tatton Flower Show.

We hoped for a clear journey down the motorway but sadly, 2 cows had somehow escaped from a cattle truck near Junction 10 of the M6 and the motorway was closed completely.  Fortunately we knew exactly where we were and relatively easily found our way back to the M5, a couple of junctions further on.  The rest of our journey was uneventful and we arrived mid-afternoon in Parkham. 

The weather forecast for this trip was not good and lived up to expectations, it is disappointing that following the beautiful weather in May and June the  weather has deteriorated for the main holiday period.  We decided to get on with a few minor maintenance tasks during the wettest periods. This included replacing the front door handle which had broken when our son and friends visited.

On dry days we did get out for walks with the dog.  You may have noticed that most of our walking is done on the beach or near the coast.  This is because we have generally had homes a good distance from the coast.  Our Stourbridge home was at least three hours from the coast and although the coast is nearer to Knutsford, it is still around an hour's drive away. We do have plans to explore the beaches of the Wirral and  Lancashire in the coming months.  

On this visit we were pleased to take advantage of our friends' local knowledge of places to walk inland and drove with them to The Puffing Billy, just outside Great Torrington.  The Puffing Billy is on the Tarka Trail but there are also many other paths to follow in some beautiful countryside alongside the River Torridge.  On our return to The Puffing Billy we enjoyed refreshments and it was warm enough to sit outside, although the wasps were also out in force.

Storm Antoni hit Parkham on the Saturday of our visit and whilst windier than usual, was not as bad as anticipated and no way near as bad as Storm Eunice, which we remembered from February last year. It did seem unwise to make any unnecessary journeys in the car with the risks of branches laden with leaves and fruit coming down. 

After the storm the next couple of days were much better.  We drove into Cornwall and parked at Rectory Farm Tearooms, Morwenstow for a circular walk along the coast path and back up the Tidna Valley from Tidna Shute.  On the way you pass the steps down to Hawkers Hut, the smallest of the National Trust properties where, in the mid-eighteenth century, the eccentric vicar, Parson Robert Hawker spent many hours writing his poems and sermons and smoking opium, inspired by the fantastic view across the Atlantic.  This is a wonderful walk along the coast and through beautiful woodland but the path is very steep in places.  A cup of tea at Rectory Farm will be very welcome on your return.  Sadly. it was closed on this occasion.

The walk back up the Tidna valley

The beautiful setting of the church at Morwenstow

Between showers we also walked around the village lanes a number of times.  There were few flowers in the hedgerows but blackberries were beginning to ripen and we were able to collect a few to complement our morning cereal. 

It was still damp and cloudy when we left for Cheshire, although the weather was forecast to improve, and hopefully holidaymakers will have a few more sunny days.  We look forward to returning for the bank holiday at the end of the month when we will be joined by other family members staying in the cottage next door.

 

6 weeks later

Our July visit was our first trip to Parkham in our 'new car', and it was also the first long journey that we had done.  By the end of the journey I had just about got the hang of the complex electronic systems that are fitted to newer cars these days.  I then had to get used to driving the car in the narrow Devon lanes!

It was around 6 weeks since we were last in the village.  June had been a busy month for us in Cheshire with family birthdays and child-minding duties.  The Granary had not been empty as two lots of close friends had asked if they could use the cottage.  Although we never planned to let the cottage commercially we have on occasions let friends stay for a few days, and of course our children and grandchildren do come down most years.  It is good to feel that the cottage is being used in our absence although we always arrive with some trepidation, particularly when young children and dogs have been visiting.  As it was we had nothing to worry about and the cottage was clean and tidy when we arrived, they had even taken all their rubbish home!

We very soon switched into our Devon lifestyle which consists of days spent visiting friends, walking the dog, reading, visiting The Bell and of course tidying up the garden and all the usual household chores.

Despite the weather turning dull after a few hot,sunny days we did notice the large number of butterflies around the lanes, on the coast path and in our garden.  We had seen a few butterflies in Cheshire but mostly small tortoiseshells.  I am no expert on butterflies but there seemed to be a wider range in Devon and those in our garden included red admiral, peacock, large white and meadow brown.  Last year we visited Meeth Quarry near Hatherleigh, a Devon Wildlife Trust reserve where there were also a number of fritillary species.  We have not yet seen any of the hummingbird hawk moths which were in The Granary garden last year, feeding on the valerian.  With the recent hot weather the valerian has  gone over but they also feed on buddleia, which are flowering well in the garden.

With very mixed weather for much of our time in the village our walks were somewhat restricted, we did manage a lovely coast walk at Greencliff and one walk along the sands at Greysands without getting wet. 

The footpath to Greencliff

On our walks around the village it was good to see the number of swallows, including swooping in and out of the bus shelter.  We do get swallows and house martins in Tatton Park but not so many in the residential areas of Knutsford, although a group of screaming swifts did fly along the High St, not far from their nesting site in the park.

We were pleased that the weather was dry on the morning we left as it makes packing up so much easier.  We generally expect some delays on our journey as we now have to battle the M5 and the M6.  On this occasion we also had a diversion off the A361 at Landkey, which added another 20 minutes to our journey, but the remainder of our journey was uneventful.  We hope to be heading back down to Parkham at the end of the month.

Parkham in May

While we arrived in Parkham to drizzle again, the weather soon

picked up and we were able to enjoy warm, mostly sunny weather

for the whole of our visit.

Since we had last been in the village the King had been crowned

and there had been a number of celebrations which we sadly

missed.  We did however attend a Coronation lunch in Knutsford

but there was no street party where we live.

We were delighted that, since our last visit, work had been

completed on our kitchen/diner and we now have a bespoke meter

cupboard along with new kitchen worktops and a new hob.  Not

being sure when the work would be done we hadn't prepared the

room in advance, which meant that we had to do a fair

bit of tidying up and removing of sawdust from the most unlikely

places, before the cottage was back to normal.  However we are

delighted with the finished job and so pleased to be able to use

local skilled craftsmen.

We ventured out to Hole Farm, which is a couple of miles south

of Woolsery.  The SatNav took us along some extremely narrow

lanes from Narracott but we eventually arrived at the farm.  The

gardens and the bluebell walk were open to the public under the

National Garden Scheme. We were amazed at the size

and beauty of the very natural garden and there was a wonderful

walk along the bank of the Torridge then, back into the gardens

across the top of a bank of bluebells which were at their best.

There was also the incentive of excellent tea and cakes in one

of the farm barns. We took a slightly longer route home but on

more substantial roads and it actually seemed a shorter journey.

The River Torridge at Hole Farm

With lovely weather for the whole of our trip we took the

opportunity to visit a number of local attractions.  The  tides

were perfect for a visit to Sandymouth beach followed by a

coffee in the cafe.  On two other occasions we walked from

Skern along the beach to Pebbleridge Cafe before returning

along the perimeter of the golf course to the car park.

The Beach at Sandymouth

It was a few months since we had visited Rosemoor and we

enjoyed seeing the fruit and vegetable gardens although

some of the beds near the entrance were empty, as the spring

flowers had finished and the summer bedding was about to

be planted. We were also too early for the roses but will visit

again next time we are down.

Whilst we enjoyed visiting the gardens at Hole Farm and

Rosemoor, we took even more pleasure from our walks along

the village lanes seeing the wild flowers in all their glory. 

Walking along the track past Bocombe Mill the trees were

also showing a range of colours from light green through

to shades of red. We just stood quietly  in the dappled

sunshine to enjoy the peacefulness of the babbling stream

and the bird song.

We did, of course, also do our usual social rounds including

spending time in The Bell and visiting friends and neighbours

in the village.  

As we plan our return to Cheshire we realise just how much

we have done over

the past 10 days or so and whilst we are returning for our

grandson’s birthday party  we are very much looking forward

to our next visit to the village.

A Week of DIY, Gardening and Walking

It was not an auspicious start to our visit when the rain began as we travelled

down the M5 and, when we stopped at the Gloucester services, we were

surprised at how cold it was.

Despite the rain and cold and it feeling very similar to our February visit, we

were cheered by banks of primroses as we turned off the A39 towards Parkham,

a sure sign that Spring had arrived despite what the weather was telling us.

Parkham was then hit by even worse weather the next day with heavy rain and

strong winds. We had arrived with a fully loaded car, including 4 new venetian

blinds to be fitted in the kitchen and bedrooms.  I was therefore able to spend

most of the time that first day fitting the two blinds in the kitchen, not a simple

job because of the uneven walls.

Over the next couple of days I also managed to fit the blinds in the two

bedrooms again, quite a challenge with not only uneven walls but also the need

to avoid areas where blinds had been fitted in the past.  I was reassured when

2 local DIY experts said that fitting blinds was one task they both found difficult.  

I also realised that my task had been made much harder because most of the

drill bits I had brought down to The Granary 9 years ago had become blunted

and definitely needed replacing!  I am ashamed to admit that some were

inherited from my father so are probably over 25 years old.

The weather certainly improved over the next few days and we were able to

enjoy several good walks.  It gave me a good opportunity to try out a new

phone app for identifying birds that had been recommended to me by a

member of the ornithological society in Knutsford. The app identifies the bird by

analysing the soundwave of the bird's song. I used it walking along the

track through the wooded area toward Bocombe Mill and it identified 13

different species in 10 minutes.  Without the app I would probably have

identified a maximum of five or six, including robin, wren, chiffchaff etc. but

would have missed the coal tit, blackcap and black redstart which may have

been passing through on its migration north.  If you are interested the app is

called Merlin Bird ID and was developed by Cornell University.  It is free with no

advertising!

As well as our usual walks we were shown by friends a new footpath along the

estuary from Skern into Appledore where we were able to enjoy a cup of tea

and a chat in  Market St. Tea Rooms before making the return journey back to

the car.

Appledore from Instow

Once the weather improved and the DIY jobs inside the house were completed,

I was also able to tackle the garden where weeds had become firmly

established over the past 6 weeks or so.  After many hours and 4 large bags of

garden waste later the job was finished, hopefully when we return next month

there will be only a small amount of weeding required.

We set off for home tomorrow and the weather forecast looks good. It  always

seems harder to leave Parkham on a sunny day but we shall be back in around 3

weeks when the King will have been crowned and villagers will have enjoyed

their Coronation Celebrations.

A Late February Visit

 Commitments in Cheshire prevented us from setting off for Parkham until the last week in February. 

Although we arrived to drizzle, there were definite signs that Spring was almost here with daffodils in flower along with lesser celandine and, in sunny spots, primroses .  Certainly a couple of weeks more advanced than our Cheshire garden.

Once again there had been power disruption in our absence and on this occasion the wifi router had been 'fried' during a severe thunderstorm along with several others in the village.  This came as no surprise as we had lost contact with our central heating controller in January. Happily I had contacted my broadband  supplier in advance and their tests had confirmed the problem.  A new router was there waiting to be set up on our arrival.  The only down-side was that we were unable to increase the central heating temperature in advance of our arrival and the cottage took a few hours before it felt comfortably warm.

We had decided that we should take the opportunity on any sunny days to travel a little further from Parkham.  On previous visits we had limited ourselves to our few local favourite spots.  On this occasion we took the opportunity of sunshine and a low tide to visit Sandymouth, one of our favourite beaches in Cornwall and just north of Bude.   After a 35 minute drive we found the car park to be quite busy but, it was half-term week for some. Once on the beach however it was very quiet and we enjoyed an excellent walk admiring the fantastic views and the rock formations along the coast.

We also visited our local favourite beach on the Taw/Torridge estuary at Skern although on this occasion did not make it as far as the Pebbleridge Cafe.

On the duller days we took the opportunity to catch up with many of our local friends for coffee/tea or a drink in The Bell.  We also spent a lot of time reading on our Kindles.  

The author Elizabeth Gaskell lived in Knutsford and in fact her book Cranford  (which was televised) was based upon Knutsford with some of the places she mentions recognisable still today.  As we are now residents of the town I felt that I should read one or two of her novels.  The first I read was in fact Cranford which was interesting because of the location but not the type of book I would normally read.  Whilst in Parkham I tackled what is seen by some as her best work, North and South, also apparently adapted for TV.  It was a challenge getting to the end of this long novel which contrasts the 'cultivated South' with the industrial North where strikes and class warfare was the norm. Whilst I could appreciate why it was highly rated again, it did not appeal to me and I was glad to reach the end.  I do not plan to read any more Elizabeth Gaskell for a while.

We ourselves returned northwards at the end of the month as the weather began to turn cooler with the promise of snow on the way, not sure what impact this will have on the approach of Spring.

New Year in Parkham

After spending Christmas with our family in the North West of England we trekked down the motorway just before New Year. Our journey down the M6 went well with no delays on the dreaded junction with the M5. However as we skirted Bristol we hit heavy traffic which resulted in a delay of around an hour, including a diversion off the motorway at Portishead and back on again at Clevedon. 

We were very happy to drive up to The Granary in the late afternoon. We then found ourselves unable to open the front door which had swollen with the very wet weather and which only yielded to a shoulder charge. Walking into the kitchen we found the power had tripped off while we were away and the few items we had left in the freezer had thawed and dripped onto the floor! Not an auspicious start to what in fact turned out to be a great New Year break.

With the power back on, heating turned up and kettle boiled we soon began to relax and to enjoy being back in the village.  The weather was very mixed and remained so throughout our trip however, we did enjoy lovely sunshine on the day after New Year and we took the opportunity for a long beach walk.  We also still managed several more local walks including around Bocombe a couple of times.  Not much to see in the hedgerows at this time of the year but we did see one ‘rogue’ primrose flowering along Chapel Lane.

Much of our time was spent catching up with friends and hearing about their Christmas spent in the village.  Some had had family to stay or had been to visit and like us, they had struggled with heavy traffic on the Motorway.

We were delighted to be invited to a small birthday party before New Year, a good opportunity to catch up with many friends from the village.  We really appreciate being invited to these events when we are only part-time villagers!

We had not seen the New Year in for the past few years. More recently, because of COVID restrictions we had been on our own and happy to go to bed.  This year however, neighbours came over and we enjoyed a great evening including toasting in 2023 to the strains of Jules Holland.

On New Year's Day we had traditionally enjoyed brunch at The Bell but as it was a Sunday we were able to have a Sunday Lunch. This time we were joined by another friend and able to share a happy few hours enjoying the meal and chatting.

All in all a very sociable and happy time in the village and it was a shame that because of commitments back in the North West we had  set off on our return journey after only five nights.  

Having heard the stories of traffic issues on the motorway we set off with some trepidation.  Surprisingly we had one of our best journeys ever and we were back in Knutsford just after lunchtime having stopped for a short break at Gloucester Services.  We are already planning our next trips down when hopefully we shall see signs of Spring just around the corner!

A Short November Visit

 We finally managed to return to Parkham towards the end of November although the journey was not pleasant, with heavy rain for the most part.

It was good to see that, in our absence, the front door had been repaired beautifully and painted. The rotting wood had all been cut away, replaced and filled where appropriate and a new weather guard fitted. It is great to be able to leave these jobs in the hands of local tradesmen in the village who always do a good job.

Despite the mixed weather, which is to be expected in November, we did manage some sunny walks around the lanes and along the coast path.  The longest walk we managed was from the car park near Skern along the beach to the Pebbleridge Cafe, where we enjoyed a good cup of warming coffee before the return journey along the perimeter of the golf course. 

On the walk to the Pebbleridge Cafe

We were caught out once at Westward Ho! by a sudden, very heavy shower and with nowhere to shelter.  We returned to the car sodden, but managed to use the heated seats to dry out a little on the return journey.  By the time we returned to the village the sun was shining again.

The rest of our time was spent with friends either in The Bell or having coffee/afternoon tea.  After more than 8 years of regular visiting, some of our best friends are in the village and in these winter months we take the opportunity to enjoy more time with them.

This was a relatively short visit to Parkham and we returned once again in very heavy rain.  On this occasion we broke our journey with a stop off to see friends in Malvern.

We will be spending our Christmas in Knutsford with all our children and grand-children.  Christmas began in Knutsford on the first weekend in December when the town’s streets were closed for two days for a large craft market.  The market is extremely popular to the  extent that Park and Ride buses were  provided for the visitors coming by car.  We are lucky that it is only a 15 minute walk into town to see the festivities although the dog did not appreciate the crowded streets!

I