Cideries and the City of Wells

Today had a slow getting up, playing in the house, eating some of that delicious thick cut farm bacon and golden yellow eggs and juggling naps and feedings. We set off about 1030 in the end, stopping at the bottom of our field to visit the donkeys. They were feeding but one of them was interested enough to come over to the fence to have his nose stroked. I love donkeys. They always look a bit sad and doleful.

On we went after that through the lanes to Rich’s Cider Farm richscider.co.uk in Highbridge, about 7 miles away. This was an addition to our plans based on the fact we just loved their prize winning vintage cider last night. It really was delicious with a sort of dry cheesy end taste that was just delicious. They have a really good visitors centre. We watched a little film about cider making and looked at an exhibition of antique cider making equipment. Then we went into the large farm shop which sells a huge variety of food and drink items (mainly) many, many made with cider. They give free tastings and we tried a few. Ok. More than a few but it was early remember….. to be honest, the only one I really liked was the Vintage one. I have no sweet tooth any more and some of them were a bit sweet. I kept tasting them and then going “oh god, noooo. ” I think the poor girl pouring the “tasters” was glad when I went away!!!

We made up for it however by buying a 12 bottle case of the Vintage, a few bottles of Perry which Lucy really liked and all sorts of other things…… some bacon….. more rolled yellow farm butter, 6 duck eggs…. cake….

On through absolutely lovely countryside to Wells, a tiny city of about 12,000 people with a beautiful cathedral and absolutely lovely old stone closes and city centre.

It was about 1 by the time we got there and we parked in the central Horizon Car Park and walked the few narrow streets to the city centre and went for a walk around the Bishop’s Palace gardens. A lovely old building. By then we were pretty hungry so we called into a pub just a stone’s throw from the Cathedral and had lunch. I had a black pudding omelette (most non-carb thing I could find) and Lucy and Bob had the most massive fish finger sandwiches I’ve ever seen with chips and salad. All very nice and it was quiet in there so it worked for us.

We walked outside the Cathedral and admired the front with over 300 statues. It is just a beautiful building. There has been a Christian church here since about 740AD but the current cathedral dates from around 1000 AD, finished about 1250. Extraordinary. I wished we could have gone inside but it wasn’t really possible today.

Just around the corner from the Cathedral was the Vicar Close, an extraordinary medieval road of terraces. Apparently it is the only medieval street in Europe that is still used totally for its original purpose. The houses were built to accommodate the Chorale, the church group responsible for the Cathedral music. It still houses them plus music students from the attached School. In fact there was a music lesson going on in one of the houses while we were there and it was lovely to hear the music drifting out into the street.

We drove home around the edge of the Mendip Hills, admiring the lovely hilly topography of the area. It is so extraordinary to know how ancient this land is. Neolithic villages were here when Somerset was an archipelago of islands, which over eons became marshes and waterlands and now the islands present as isolated hills rising up from the green fields. There are many Arthurian legends of course which surround this region too. The Somerset Levels are believed to be the Vale of Avalon, the misty island area of myth dedicated to the religion of the Lady….. There is still something about it…..

Got home about 430 and after a rest Bob and I enjoyed a wallow in the hot tub which was blissful on our aching legs and back. Cooked local roast pork for dinner which was great and then went to pick Daisy up from the coach at 10pm. Such a lovely day.