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!

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