Hiking in Surrey - Gomshall Mill Pub & North Downs

There is no dearth of quaint buildings in Surrey. So far, the quaintest of them all has been the Gomshall Mill Pub. A 17th century riverside mill with original beams and floor boards, there is a tiny river that still runs through this building! Starting the hike up to North Downs on a misty December morning, the air was fresh, crisp and heady with petrichor (which means the pleasant smell when rain falls on dry soil - latest addition to my vocabulary; courtesy of my 12 year old son). The dried leaves were rustling underfoot, the moss shone a brilliant green. And at the end of a grueling 6 mile hike, a festive, cozy little pub awaited the muddy boots and sweaty shirts. The picture of the telephone booth outside the pub and that of the cozy interior was taken by my friend Amanda of the AWS Country hikes, who has been foremost in introducing me to this beautiful landscape of Surrey.

 

    

Hiking in Surrey - Windsor & Eton

     Windsor, a lovely town on River Thames, in south east England is home to Windsor Castle, a residence of the British Royal Family. It is also across the river from the town of Eton, which is home to Eton College. An independent boarding school for boys aged 13-18, Eton College was established in 1440 by King Henry VI and is one of ten 'public schools' in England. It has educated British Prime Ministers, aristocrats and scores of fictional characters including Bertie Wooster, Captain Hook and Mark Darcy. Walking along the Thames in a loop going from the Windsor castle, and along the various buildings that form the Eton College, I did see scores of fresh faced boys in coat tails rushing about with an air of purpose; whether genuine or forced upon them, I couldn't tell. We were constantly reminded not to take pictures which would show the faces of these boys. You never know which billionaire, President or King is paying the meagre £37000 and change per year to educate their sons here, to take over the world. I did, however take lots of pictures of the Crooked house, delightful pubs, swans frolicking on the river and pastoral landscapes that soothe the soul.

The Crooked House of Windsor, built around 1687, stands on an 'outrageous  slant' and is still in use.

The Windsor Castle

Do you know the way to...

                                   

What's in a name?....

....this describes it well.

Nothing else matters.

Hiking in Surrey - RHS Garden Wisley

Wisley, one of four gardens run by the Royal Horticultura Society (RHS) was founded by a Victorian businessman George Fergus Wilson in 1878. From a site of 60 acres, it has now grown into a large and diverse garden covering almost 240 acres. The diversity of the plants and associated gardens makes it impossible to appreciate everything in one visit. I will surely be going back a couple of times at least especially in Spring.

Roses, Dahlias, Sunflowers, giant Hydrangeas and so many more flowers....

       

Productive and pretty apple and pear trees, trained to grow in restricted spaces, so as to be suitable for small gardens.

                                

Hiking in Surrey - Denbies Vineyard

A vineyard in the south east of England? Sure,why not? And if 265 acres of grape vines on the gentle slopes of the hills around you are not a good enough view, why not climb the said hill!

And be sure to say "Hiya" to some sturdy Galloways and resting sheep as you take in the magnificent view.

                               

Hiking in Surrey - Box Hill

     'Leafy Surrey' as it is known in England is an area of rolling chalk downs, ancient woodlands, canals, rivers and impeccably landscaped gardens. With woodlands covering over a fifth of its area, Surrey has the honor of being the most wooded county in England. Hence, this is the ideal place to indulge in one of the great English past times - all weather Walking. Whether by themselves, in groups or with their furry four-legged companions. the English love to walk. The hikers, the Ramblers and even the runners - this beautiful countryside beckons them all. 

Box Hill and Stepping Stones Pub walk

     Box Hill is a summit in the North Downs, with a maximum elevation of 735 feet. Lying within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), these chalk slopes support over 40 species of trees and wildlife. If you are brave enough to climb the hill, which featured in the 2012 Summer Olympics cycling road race events, you will be rewarded with panoramic views of the English country side that you could only have imagined, as a teenager, reading Thomas Hardy.  

The quaint little pub at the end of the walk is no small consolation either.

One month Anniversary

‘Congratulations!” I chirped, as my husband was getting dressed.
"Congrats to you, too", he replied. But as he turned to me, I saw him thinking.. What date is it? Congrats for what? Anniversary? Something about the kids?
"It is our one month anniversary today. One month in UK,"I chuckled.
"That's right! It has been a month already, hasn't it?"

Day 31 of our Year in UK. The month flew by fast. Moving into the flat in Surrey, settling in with school schedules and exploring the country on weekends had left us in a whirlwind. As I sit down to think about the bygone month, there is so much that comes to mind that I will split this post into two parts. Here is Part One.

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name United Kingdom is its greatest import - the English language. A year spent immersed in the Queen's English, to hear what has become my de-facto mother tongue being spoken in its 'native' form, by the people who claim to have invented it, was a dream come true. And I am enjoying every moment of it. How can you not swoon when you hear the morning news anchors say churlish or peripatetic, when you are asked very politely to wait whilst your order is being processed and your Amazon Prime order is dispatched within a few hours to be delivered by the Royal Mail. The cable TV technician waves a cheery Cheers just as the well meaning neighbor asks, "How are you getting on, then?", the pitch of her voice climbing melodically with every word and the question mark, just breaking off to float silently down to the ground?

And it is not just the way they speak. The British have a penchant for naming things. My personal favorite, the inimitable Bill Bryson wrote,"At a minimum the name should puzzle foreigners-this is a basic requirement of most British institutions-and ideally it should excite long and inconclusive debate, defy all logical explanation, and evoke images that border on the surreal.” The naming skills apply to all walks of British life. For example, at the local pub, you can order black pudding, Hog pudding or kippers; pasty, steak and kidney pie or plain old Victoria sponge.  Welsh rabbit, Toad in the hole or Spotted Dick are nothing like you would imagine them to be. However, you will not go wrong with the ubiquitous fish and chips - the freshest fish fried in the lightest batter and thick cut chips slathered with malt vinegar or the generous Sunday roast -with its roast lamb and Yorkshire pudding (which is not a pudding by a long stretch) with Sticky toffee pudding and Devonshire Cream. An afternoon delight - fragrant warm black tea, served in a cup and saucer with a small scone, biscuit or a slice of cake. And then there is the beer. Unlike its Belgian cousins, the English brew is lighter in taste and calories so you end up drinking a lot more than you should. And it is not your fault, really. Inviting building claiming to be 'free houses' are open day and (most of) night at every corner. With names like The Bricklayers Arms, The Waterman's Arms, The Queen's Head, The Pyrotechnist's Arms, The Hung, Drawn and Quartered, The Drunken Duck, The Fighting Cocks, The Pig and The Goose or Ye Olde Cheshire cheese, there is always a place to throw back a pint or two.

As you drive out of London on the notorious M25, the landscape changes from stone, glass and concrete to rolling hills and grasslands. The green you see through the window is fresher, deeper,and crisper than anywhere else. The ever-present cool island breeze carries with it a damp freshness that sustains Mother Nature at her very best. The citizens of this nation take their role as care-takers of their surroundings very seriously. The National Trust, The Wildlife Trust and National Nature Reserves are just some of the organizations that work to conserve, protect and promote the 94,00 odd square miles of mountains, meadows and water bodies on this island.  Buildings of limestone, Portland stone and sandstone adorned with slate roof or tiles stand in harmony with miles of heathland sprouting heather and gorse, grounded by beech, silver birch, oaks and rowan trees laden with cheery red clusters. Rivers, streams, lakes and shallow ponds store the plentiful rainwater and nourish the vegetation all around. Modern  buidlings made of glass, stone, stucco or red bricks are spoilt for choice as they draw on inspiration from centuries of different styles of architecture.

                 

Though nature is allowed to run wild, the British gardens are anything but. Symmetrical flower beds, with plants arranged in order of height or varying shades of foliage are encircled by tight stone walls. Hedges are pruned with surgical precision whether they are inside the garden or lining the narrow winding streets that pass through lush rolling hills where sheep and cows graze all day. Perhaps, this is what he was describing when Shakespeare wrote :

“This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea.” 

Moving Day...again.

A gentle breeze is playing with the leaves of the ash tree while somewhere above, a pigeon is cooing contently. It is 3 o'clock in the afternoon and I'm sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of Twinings Tea.  If you walked into the house right now, you would think we had lived here for years. The truth is, we moved in just three days ago.

Having enjoyed our intial days as tourists in hotels in Central London, we were getting restless for space. The novelty of living out of suitcases and searching for new restaurants for every meal was wearing off. Since we had already received the keys to the flat, we decided to move in one day ahead of schedule. We had opted for a fully furnished flat instead of a bigger house considering the temporary nature of our stay here. In many ways, this move was not the same as all of the earlier ones. And there have ben quiet a few of those.

Moving has become a recurring event in our family. When we meet new people and talk about our past, the seven towns we have lived in and stories about our moves become engaging topics of conversation. Since the first move from India to the US, with only the proverbial suitcases in hand,  we found ourselves packing and moving every 2-3 years. We have lived on the western and eastern coasts of US and also the mid-west.  We moved across continents for a two year stint in India, before coming back to the US and now, we are here in the United Kingdom. When we bought our first house, we moved all our possessions with the help of some well meaning friends and Subway sandwiches. As the years went by, things started adding up. We have moved our belongings on an 18 wheeler truck across the country, in a giant container on a ship to India and this time in sturdy cardboard boxes for air cargo.

This move feels different; temporary and liberating. We have a timeline here and all decisions are based on that. We are not looking to settle down in the best house we can buy and decorate it with our style of furniture and appliances. We need the essentials to cook, clean and live comfortably for one year and plan all the trips we can possibly take. So, we brought pillows and comforters and toys with us so that we would have some familiar things from 'home' and ordered the rest on Amazon. This feels like an extended sleep-over. Settling in did not take more than a weekend.

My family moved a lot when I was a child. I did not grow up in the town I was born in. In fact, I did not live there till I turned 16. Living in different states with different cultures and languages made me appreciate the diversity in Indians. I became fluent in 5 languages. I don't have trouble talking to strangers or making friends. A life like this makes you a constant traveler and that helps you take risks, give people more leeway than you normally would and hence be less judgmental. Great for forming relationships!

However, I miss the feeling of belonging to a place. I am jealous of people who can call themselves native Punekars, or New Yorkers. I have roots but they are aerial, branching out in search of light and water and thriving wherever they find it.  I am from nowhere yet I belong everywhere. Maybe that is why I try to live each day the best I can because I don't know when and where I will move to next.