Janet Gogerty's Blog: Sandscript - Posts Tagged "farms"
Sandscript
If Mary and Joseph had been on the internet they would have booked in advance; they would probably have also read reviews by other travellers.
The modern visitor to Bed and Breakfast establishments has some advantages, but this form of accommodation has surely been around for as long as people have felt compassion for weary travellers or seen a way to earn money or goods. In the happy days before The Reformation, monasteries offered shelter to all who knocked at their door.
B&Bs have long been popular with holidaymakers and weekenders, the endless variety suiting every pocket. Half the fun is not knowing till you get there what it will be like. One autumn we arrived in the town of Wick, near John O'Groats, to be greeted at the door by the owner with her leg in plaster. But she had made alternative arrangements and sent us to the B&B across the road, where we were welcomed by a little old lady who put us up in the back bedroom of her bungalow. It was very kind of her to take us in, as the only other guests were her relatives gathered for a family funeral. As she appeared to be on her own we wondered if it was her husband that had died.
This week we stayed in our best ever B&B, a farm on Exmoor, near the sea. The last few miles of our journey had been through thick mist on top of the moor, followed by a perilous journey down a narrow lane with high banks either side. As we jolted into the yard we were hailed by a loud voice, our host was larger than life in every way. Our accommodation was luxurious upstairs whilst downstairs we enjoyed breakfast in the conservatory overlooking rolling green fields. The door to the enormous kitchen was left wide open - a true farmhouse kitchen complete with several dogs. It was a writer's dream and I was delighted to note that the rambling old farmhouse was in many ways how I had imagined Holly Tree Farm in my novel 'Brief Encounters of the Third Kind'. Our evening meals were at the local, ancient pub, complete with open fires and the wonderful smell of woodsmoke. They also did bed and breakfast with dogs welcome to stay. The menu was as excellent as a smart restaurant, but the atmosphere relaxed, with children playing snooker and dogs curled up under most of the tables. After a meal we drank our coffee on the old sofa in front of the fire. Why fight over sun beds in a large beach holiday hotel when you could be doing this?
The modern visitor to Bed and Breakfast establishments has some advantages, but this form of accommodation has surely been around for as long as people have felt compassion for weary travellers or seen a way to earn money or goods. In the happy days before The Reformation, monasteries offered shelter to all who knocked at their door.
B&Bs have long been popular with holidaymakers and weekenders, the endless variety suiting every pocket. Half the fun is not knowing till you get there what it will be like. One autumn we arrived in the town of Wick, near John O'Groats, to be greeted at the door by the owner with her leg in plaster. But she had made alternative arrangements and sent us to the B&B across the road, where we were welcomed by a little old lady who put us up in the back bedroom of her bungalow. It was very kind of her to take us in, as the only other guests were her relatives gathered for a family funeral. As she appeared to be on her own we wondered if it was her husband that had died.
This week we stayed in our best ever B&B, a farm on Exmoor, near the sea. The last few miles of our journey had been through thick mist on top of the moor, followed by a perilous journey down a narrow lane with high banks either side. As we jolted into the yard we were hailed by a loud voice, our host was larger than life in every way. Our accommodation was luxurious upstairs whilst downstairs we enjoyed breakfast in the conservatory overlooking rolling green fields. The door to the enormous kitchen was left wide open - a true farmhouse kitchen complete with several dogs. It was a writer's dream and I was delighted to note that the rambling old farmhouse was in many ways how I had imagined Holly Tree Farm in my novel 'Brief Encounters of the Third Kind'. Our evening meals were at the local, ancient pub, complete with open fires and the wonderful smell of woodsmoke. They also did bed and breakfast with dogs welcome to stay. The menu was as excellent as a smart restaurant, but the atmosphere relaxed, with children playing snooker and dogs curled up under most of the tables. After a meal we drank our coffee on the old sofa in front of the fire. Why fight over sun beds in a large beach holiday hotel when you could be doing this?
Sandscript
I like to write first drafts with pen and paper; at home, in busy cafes, in the garden, at our beach hut... even sitting in a sea front car park waiting for the rain to stop I get my note book out. We
...more
- Janet Gogerty's profile
- 19 followers
