It was a remarkably quiet night in Southampton, no doubt something to do with the scoreline in the Euro Championships final (2-1 in Spain’s favour).  Just as we were ready to leave the apartment, the rain began. We’d been tossing up between taking an Uber or the train to the airport, to pick up our rental car.  The rain wasn’t too heavy so we opted for the train, which dropped us conveniently close to the rental car office.  We were on the road a bit before midday, heading west towards Timsbury, which is a small village in Somerset, about 15 miles south of Bath.

After a short stint on the M27, we turned off onto the A36, and immediately found ourselves in the New Forest.  We saw signs warning us to look out for the ponies which roam freely, and before long we saw our first New Forest ponies.  The road was very pretty, dotted with thatched cottages, but there were very few places to stop.  We found one small pullover, with several ponies grazing nearby.

After leaving the New Forest, we drove through Downton village, and I managed to snap a few windscreen photos, dodging the wipers. The rain seemed set in for the day.  Pressing on, we skirted Salisbury, catching glimpses of the famous cathedral spire.   Near Warminster, we saw signs for a rest area with toilets and a food van – just what we needed.  My burger with eggs, freshly cooked, was delicious.

We turned onto increasingly smaller roads as we neared Timsbury; we held our breath every time a car came the other way (which happened too often for our liking).  Single lane roads with blind corners made for stressful driving, especially with a foggy windscreen. We were glad we have a small Hyundai!  Eventually we turned onto the High Street of Timsbury, and pulled into a very narrow driveway between the Old Post Office, and the Pharmacy (where we fully expected to encounter Mrs Tishell with her neck brace – Doc Martin fans will know what I mean).

Our home for the next two nights is The Cobblers, a very new cottage tucked in behind the Old Post Office.  It’s lovely – very comfortable and has everything we need; we can certainly settle in here very nicely.  At the back, there’s a sundeck (currently soaked with rain), overlooking a gorgeous garden, which I am hoping to explore when things dry out tomorrow.  There is a splendid looking church at the end of the road, and a stroll around the village is definitely in order. 

The need for dinner for two nights meant a trip to the supermarket, the closest one being a Tesco Superstore in Midsomer Norton.  Yes – the infamous village where all those murders take place.  Just as we drove past the “welcome to Midsomer Norton” sign, we were overtaken by a police car, sirens blazing!  Coincidence??  Maybe … We’re now sitting in our lounge, looking out at the dripping garden.  The washing machine is humming away, the TV weather map is showing sunshine for a few days, and there’s chicken stir fry on the dinner menu.  We have two nights here so are looking forward to not having to pack up and move on in the morning.

I have just spotted small patches of blue sky peeking through the clouds. Hooray!