7 -10 August – Camping and Visiting Friends

The weather was good as we set off on Monday for a few days visiting National Trust Properties and friends. We headed for Winchester and then across to the East visiting the gardens at Hinton Ampner, and then Uppark the beautiful home badly damaged by fire in 1989.

The exhibition about the post fire restoration and the restoration itself were excellent (well worth a visit). Looking at the Photo it is hard to imagine just how badly damaged it was. We ended the day at a campsite behind a pub just outside Liphook.

On Tuesday we visited Petworth and the Winkworth Arboretum before turning up to visit our friends John and Sandi Burley. (John married us 10 years ago last month!). We had a lovely evening with them and enjoyed comfy beds instead of the thermarests in a tent!!. The next day we headed for Batemans (Rudyard Kipling’s Home) and Bodiam Castle and finally Smallhythe Place before finding a campsite on the outskirts of Hastings. That evening we visited our friends Jill (Todd’s mum) and Les and once again had a lovely time enjoying their hospitality before heading back to our tent.

Thursday came and we headed home arriving in Fairford at lunch time. – A very pleasant few days!!!