Ramblin'

Hello Dear Readers,

Although our summer in England came to an end and we've been home for three weeks, I still have a couple of posts to share with you. In this one I'll relate how easy and wonderful it is to take walks -- short, medium, long, or expedition-length -- all over the UK. We enjoyed many "rambles" this summer.

My final ramble took place the day before we began our trip back to the US, when my intention was to tire the dog so she'd be calm on the plane. I finally subscribed to the All Trails app (which gives you hiking routes anywhere) and it's been tremendously useful!

Here is a preview panel from All Trails of our walk that last day. Once you start, you follow the route using the "live" map on your phone. But it usually takes me double their estimated time!

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Three factors make walking in the UK more pleasant and accessible than in places I've lived in the US: 1.) There is more of a division between city and countryside -- less suburban sprawl. Once outside a town center, the landscape is pretty for walking. 2.) There are public rights-of-way across a lot of privately-owned land, so you can traverse most areas from one point to another, without getting barred by "private property." 3.) There is a culture which encourages the use of these walking routes, with trail signs everywhere. And if you want to walk on a long-distance path (some covering hundreds of miles) there are readily available maps and descriptions, so you can do a short segment or the whole thing.

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There are often a slew of small, literal hurdles: so-called stiles. These are barriers to keep livestock out (or in) while letting the walker pass. They come in several forms, including simply opening and closing a gate behind you, but often you have to climb over a few wooden boards. Sophie usually could squeeze under these barriers, but she preferred to follow me up and over!

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Now here are a few images from the "Mill Green & Fryerning Circular," which included St Mary the Virgin, an 11th-century church and its spooky graveyard. No, I did not dare to peek inside the broken-up sarcophagus.

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  St Mary the Virgin Church

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  broken sarcophagus

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  horses aplenty

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  blackberries everywhere

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  path through field

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  part of the walk along a quiet road

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  my phone's zoom captured the moon

In our immediate neighborhood of Doddinghurst, I admit that the walking trails weren't as nice as what we have in the woods of Carlisle, MA. However we did find some walks around the farm fields and down the side streets. Our neighbor had a gift for growing roses and I couldn't resist photographing her perfect specimens over the summer:

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The day before our departure, we had lunch at our favorite local restaurant, Smith's of Ongar. I loved their fresh seafood, tasty side dishes and excellent crème brûlée. Inexplicably this restaurant automatically provides a little bucket of ice to every table. Very strange for England, where a request for ice in your drink usually nets you one small hollow cube. And wouldn't you know, we discovered in our final week a terrific bakery called Rose's in nearby Shenfield, which had really good sandwiches and cakes. Oh well, we went three times that week, and stocked up for our long drive to Paris and the flight home from Orly Airport.

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  Ice on your table at Smith's

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  Sea Bass, Dauphinoise Potatoes, Champagne!

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  Crème brûlée with blondie

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  Victoria Sponge cake from Rose's

I will fufill my promise to write a final "UK Summer 2026" blog about the wonderful variety of fun things we got to experience in London this summer (Virtual Reality! Musicals! Shopping! Shakespeare!). Meanwhile, I'm off to work and I hope you are enjoying this beautiful Fall.

🥾 🇬🇧 🫖 🍰