Thursday, March 29, 2012
South Stoke, North Stoke and Amberley Bridge, Sussex.
The holiday continues.....life certainly feels like a holiday just now.
We are enjoying the wonderful weather and lots of days out, visiting familiar old friend type places and also places we have never visited before; and never being very far from home.
Today our day centred upon the River Arun.
After a successful buying spree at the Ford car boot sale we breakfasted on the banks of The Arun at Littlehampton and then walked along the estuary and out to the sea.
All very familiar.
Then we drove to pastures completely new - through Arundel to a tiny settlement alongside the river; South Stoke. Indeed we had not heard of South Stoke until I explored the web yesterday.
There is a church, a farm and half a dozen cottages; the population numbers 57.
The church was hardly more than a simple old barn.
The only lighting is candlelight.
Electricity was late arriving at this community - 1950. The church never took advantage of it.
This prayer was hanging in the church.
I love it - maybe sums up all I would wish for.
The River Arun at South Stoke.
We walked by the river and then through the tiny wood on the right, until we reached North Stoke.
Old flint barn - with metal cross supports for the wall.
Lovely old house by the church.
North Stoke is a larger settlement than South Stoke, but its church holds no regular services now.
Maybe arrangements can be made for baptisms, marriages or funerals.
Indeed we were stopped in the lane by a man asking if we were going to a funeral......did we look like we were dressed for a funeral?
But he seemed to have lost a funeral.
He had the right name of the church, but no other information.....and there was no funeral today at the church.
We went inside and enjoyed a very basic barn/church.
At North Stoke we were perhaps a mile from Amberley Bridge and Amberley Station.
But we had to return to South Stoke, where we had left the car.
From South Stoke it was a journey of about 6 miles to get to Amberley Bridge.......we would have been going across the bridge anyway, so not a special detour for a cup of tea.
We might have stopped at The Black Rabbit for a drink. But all the outside tables were picnic tables and benches - hard seats and no back; not a pleasure at all!
The Amberley Bridge tea rooms had comfortable plastic chairs with backs and I really enjoyed sitting in the sunshine with tea and cake.
Carrot cake. Yummy!
The bridge and chickens - ornamental metal chickens.
The bridge and milkmaids.
Continue down the River Arun, through Arundel and after 8 to 10 miles you come to the Arun Estuary at Littlehampton, where we had walked earlier in the day.
We are enjoying the wonderful weather and lots of days out, visiting familiar old friend type places and also places we have never visited before; and never being very far from home.
Today our day centred upon the River Arun.
After a successful buying spree at the Ford car boot sale we breakfasted on the banks of The Arun at Littlehampton and then walked along the estuary and out to the sea.
All very familiar.
Then we drove to pastures completely new - through Arundel to a tiny settlement alongside the river; South Stoke. Indeed we had not heard of South Stoke until I explored the web yesterday.
There is a church, a farm and half a dozen cottages; the population numbers 57.
The only lighting is candlelight.
Electricity was late arriving at this community - 1950. The church never took advantage of it.
This prayer was hanging in the church.
I love it - maybe sums up all I would wish for.
The River Arun at South Stoke.
We walked by the river and then through the tiny wood on the right, until we reached North Stoke.
Old flint barn - with metal cross supports for the wall.
Lovely old house by the church.
North Stoke is a larger settlement than South Stoke, but its church holds no regular services now.
Maybe arrangements can be made for baptisms, marriages or funerals.
Indeed we were stopped in the lane by a man asking if we were going to a funeral......did we look like we were dressed for a funeral?
But he seemed to have lost a funeral.
He had the right name of the church, but no other information.....and there was no funeral today at the church.
We went inside and enjoyed a very basic barn/church.
At North Stoke we were perhaps a mile from Amberley Bridge and Amberley Station.
But we had to return to South Stoke, where we had left the car.
From South Stoke it was a journey of about 6 miles to get to Amberley Bridge.......we would have been going across the bridge anyway, so not a special detour for a cup of tea.
We might have stopped at The Black Rabbit for a drink. But all the outside tables were picnic tables and benches - hard seats and no back; not a pleasure at all!
The Amberley Bridge tea rooms had comfortable plastic chairs with backs and I really enjoyed sitting in the sunshine with tea and cake.
Carrot cake. Yummy!
The bridge and chickens - ornamental metal chickens.
The bridge and milkmaids.
Continue down the River Arun, through Arundel and after 8 to 10 miles you come to the Arun Estuary at Littlehampton, where we had walked earlier in the day.
