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Down we went on the farm cart pulled by a tractor to the River Cottage Cooking School at River Cottage HQ. We had been warned the previous night that the day was going to be tough and exhausting by two of the previous day’s participants, who staggered in and collapsed at the bar of our fabulous B&B.

Dead on 10am we started. A quick discussion on different types of flours and we were away. Eight eggs to be folded and kneaded into the flour for the brioche then on to the baguettes, which had to be ready for lunch, then on to the sourdough and the rolling and folding of the croissants. By 2 o’clock we were in a state of frenzy and reeling on our feet but our baguettes were cooked and perfect and the River Cottage lunch was great.

For the rest of the day we rolled, folded and proved our baking items and at the end of the day we had, between us, 8 baguettes, 2 round loaves of sourdough, 12 brioche buns and 12 croissants – and Andy, the teacher, declared us to have qualified for the title of bakers.

We had a look round the River Cottage dining room and kitchen, where all the filming is done and also round the vegetable garden ready for spring planting and then back up the hill and back to our B&B.

The White House Hotel and B&B is in the very pretty village of Charmouth, which is on the coast. It is a listed Regency house, beautifully restored and has 4 guest bedrooms, all very spacious with a huge bathroom and wonderful bath.

Ian and Liz were our hosts and we had dinner there the first night. Ian is a chef and it was a brilliant meal, imaginative and well executed, one of the nicest meals I have eaten in a long time. We were very flattered when Ian tasted our baking and then said he would be happy to serve it in the restaurant. We offloaded all but a couple of baguettes, one loaf of sourdough, some croissants and some brioche..

We had previously booked dinner that night at River Cottage Canteen so, somewhat reluctantly, changed and went out again. So glad we did. It was a fun menu with lots of different things. I had warm pheasant breast salad with pig’s ear bacon, apple and hazelnut dressing and Ed had two entrees , mackerel gravadlax and air dried shaved venison (and a beer……)

Next on to Bath

Felt quite at home catching the car ferry across (though our guys are a lot more efficient at loading). Sailed quite close to the American aircraft carrier ‘Theodore Roosevelt’ which was interesting.

Loved the Isle of Wight, which seems to be of an earlier time with its quaint villages and country lanes.

Rather sorry we didn’t stay a night here though we are a little early in the season for Osborne House (Queen Victoria’s residence) and the rather magnificent Carisbrooke Castle.

We visited the Ventnor Botanic Gardens, which are located on south facing slopes and grow a wide variety of plants up to subtropical. Very well laid out and an interesting walk around.

The beaches are quite lovely. Could easily see me having a holiday here. (Ed:not sure about these “beaches” Lindy saw – I must have been looking the other way for a split second!)

Had dinner in another pub. Ed is getting addicted to English pubs and diverts in to a pub every chance he gets to quaff another pint of English ale

Next day was back to the dockyards to inspect the Victorian armored warship the Warrior. She and her sister ship The Black Prince patrolled the Channel and were so formidable and far ahead of everything else the French and Spanish had to offer that they never fired a shot. They were the ultimate deterrent.

The Warrior was equally as interesting as The Victory and her restoration story almost as epic a story as The Mary Rose. It is brilliantly done and fascinating how they all lived on board for years at a time. It is a mixture of the ‘modern’ and the traditional in weapons as in accommodation. I particularly liked the fact that they had bathrooms and hand cranked washing machines but still used a hole in the deck for the loo.

On to River Cottage

Saturday saw us off to Battle Abbey where we walked the battlefield of the Battle of Hastings looking at the terrain through the eyes of King Harold then William the Conqueror. A close fought battle between two seasoned campaigners, which could have gone either way. Harold’s army may have been tired having force marched down from the north but he held the high ground and was well entrenched. William had a superior force and was a wily opponent but had to fight his way uphill which limited the use of his heavily laden cavalry and made it difficult for the archers. It was far more interesting than I had expected with great displays of weapons and armor and a v. interesting audio tour. It is popularly conceded that this was the “best battle England ever lost” making way for a strong Britain under Norman rule.

The next day we headed for Brighton and the Royal Pavilion for a look at a totally different Royal exploit. What a magnificent example of overindulgence! The dining room and the music room are sensational and the kitchen a delight for any cook.

Walked out along Brighton Pier – quite crowded even on a chilly Sunday afternoon. Then headed along to Portsmouth. The driving in UK so far is better than I expected and lots of interesting scenery/ on the secondary roads.

Monday was spent at the historic Naval Dockyard. We walked all the decks of the Victory, which was awe inspiring, then the Mary Rose wreck which was recovered in 1980’s after 400 years on the bottom. More interesting than the hull remnant, which was impressive enough, were all the relics and personal items recovered with the wreck.

Off to the Isle of Wight tomorrow

I am writing this blog overlooking the ocean sitting in the window seat of our warm and comfortable room.

The dreaded long flight turned out to be not too bad and we arrived in England to be informed by Hertz that we were in luck and had been upgraded from a medium size car to a luxury car for only a little more! Spent the next 30 minutes trying to work out in our sleep deprived befuddled mind how much a ‘little more’ actually was (take away this, add that, don’t forget to add the bond and the tank of fuel, calculate the savings of a diesel and convert everything).

Came to the conclusion as we hurtled down the motorway towards Hasting in our brand new, never been driven, luxury Volvo with all the bells and whistles including heated leather seats, that it was actually quite a bit more but decided philosophically (and also a little late to change) that as our home away from home for the next 8 weeks it wasn’t too bad.

The Zanzibar Hotel turned out to be everything it boasted and Max made us very welcome. We had a bite to eat, tried out the steam shower and sauna in a hit and miss way (tricky seeing with glasses in a steam room) and fell into bed.

Today we have gone for a long walk along the promenade, explored the old town part of Hastings with it’s cobbled streets and narrow alleyways and had a pint in Ye Old Pump Station.
We drove to Eastbourne and partook of a sumptuous afternoon tea at the magnificent The Grand Hotel.

Tomorrow it is a visit to the site of the Battle of Hastings. Having discovered over afternoon tea that our knowledge of the battle is a little sketchy we intend to study it in detail over wine and cheese so to be prepared for the next part of our adventures.

This time next week we will be in Hastings! Hard to believe that all the preparations are finished and we are nearly ready to go. Only a bit of gardening to do, chooks to go on their ‘holiday’ to Ben and Claire’s and last minute communications with those who are looking after things here. Both getting very excited!

We wanted to share our travels with family and friends. Travel with us through the English countryside, watch us run aground/get stuck in a loch/fall overboard on the canals of Scotland and Wales, freeze in the Scottish Highlands and catch up with family in Ireland. Hope you enjoy our adventures!