One of our most favourite things to do when we are on any holiday is to explore villages and walk them. The villages in England truly reward wandering and I love them for it!
There is nothing quite like appreciating a well-preserved, traditional English village on foot as you stop to admire the flowing rooflines, or the characteristic post office that boasts of every essential you need and greets you with the most open smiles, nodding in appreciation at how re-modelling has managed to retain what feels like a characteristic charm as you make your way to the village pub for a bite and drink. We ofcourse meander here and there, find some heathland or some woodland to explore but we always come back to the village streets for more.
And so not surprisingly, when we were in east Devon, we wanted to visit Broad Hembury. I had read of the hipped roofs that characterised many of the 16th-17th century cottages and the historic interest it has garnered over the years. We picked the iconic Drewe’s Arms as a landmark to park at and also knowing fully well that it would be our lunch spot too. When we drove through the beautiful Blackdown Hills, we knew we were in for a treat. Sometimes, you can just tell, miles away.
And golly were we right!
We do pick a route often and complete it though we often wander here and there. Some villages just reward wandering, don’t they? This was no different except that we never could quite figure out the entire trail so we just let ourselves be guided by whatever it is that caught our eye and there was plenty!
I find myself in the most unusual quandary when I am met by such houses – they are just so stunning and perfect, like they were just meant to be at that intersection. I want to capture them all because for that brief moment, I have captured it in my heart too and taken a moment to register it. But I also am aware how it maybe something that the residents may really despise. So, I waver between “to do or not to do” and sometimes go for it. I never regret it later though.
My camera reel is full of “jumping up and down on muddy puddles, splish splash splish splosh”. What are wellies for, anyway?
As we walked back, we found this beautiful church very close to where we had parked. Finding a church, a post office and a pub on a circular walk is my definition of having done a decent tour of the village as it so happens, they all lie at a similar spot often just like in this beautiful little village.
And so as we circled back, we found ourselves at Drewe’s Arms, the iconic village pub.
On a cold, drizzly, windy day, as you walk in with muddy boots and in all of your slightly drenched selves, this is the nook you want to settle into.
What an utterly fun day! Go in the sun, go in the rain – if you enjoy a sweet short village walk, this one is definitely a treat for your eyes and feet!
Life and Times of Piyu 