Sometimes you just have to get away. It doesn’t need to be for long and it doesn’t have to be far. Sometimes what is needed is a micro-cation, a mini vacation of just a day or two that is far enough from home to have the novelty of the unfamiliar, but close enough that the journey is no problem at all.
After a very tense few weeks and the disappointment of my son being unable to travel due to health issues, we needed a break. We took it in the nearby town of Battle at a hotel we love. It enabled us to recharge our spirits and soothe our over-stretched nerves. Our son is now well on the way to recovery and plans to reschedule his trip. I’m hoping to take him to Battle when he does. It’s perfect.
National treasures
We are so blessed in the UK with an endless supply of picturesque villages and towns. So much so that it seems almost perverse to look for interesting places abroad when there is so much on our very doorsteps. With the pandemic making travel at best difficult and at worst impossible, now is a good time to explore those treasures that are closer to home.
The town of Battle boasts not only a charming high street filled with independent shops, but a significant historic building in the form of Battle Abbey – built on the site of the somewhat mis-named Battle of Hastings. It makes an imposing focal point to the High Street and I thought of how this place had changed the course of British history forever.
Hidden history
Since we had visited the Abbey grounds before, we decided to walk instead around the perimeter and explore the less obvious part of Battle. We were not disappointed. Tucked behind this magnificent building was a narrow street crammed with old houses replete with history; the beginning of the 1066 walk and a perfect Norman church built to serve the Benedictine Abbey opposite in 1115. Were I not coming to the end of my energies, I would have ventured inside. It boasts some wonderful interior features that I am determined to enjoy on my next visit. Exploring new places is like peeling an onion. No sooner have you discovered one layer of interest than another presents itself.
Images: Karen Costello-McFeat
Going at a walking pace (me on the scooter) we were able to really enjoy our surroundings: the quirky door knockers; the giant trees in the churchyard; the little plaques commemorating significant residents. My favourite was of the Abbot who had been moved from the Abbey to a tiny cottage after Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monastery. I wondered how he had coped with such an enormous change of fortunes.
Travelling the road was like passing through time, with the buildings nodding to every period from the medieval to modern. Steps from the ancient church was a tiny, vintage petrol station nestled discretely just off the pavement. What would the returning crusader knights, who blunted their swords on the walls of the chapel in the church, think of our shiny, motorised steeds?
Powder Mills
After a thorough reconnoitre of the town, a delicious pub lunch and a trip to the local craft shop, we were ready to head to our home for the evening. We had stayed at this hotel some years ago and were determined to return.
It is a wonderful, country house hotel – a little faded at the edges, a little shabby even in parts, but rich in charm. The original building was an old gun powder mill which detonated itself numerous times (occupational hazard) until it was eventually converted into a hotel. Over the years, additions were added yet somehow always entirely in keeping with the elegant Georgian original.
Delightful as the hotel is, the real enchantment lies in the location. It is set in literally acres of woodland, lakes and fields. Wellington boots are available for guests to use to explore these, often muddy, surroundings. We followed a little trail that wound into the trees and discovered an abundance of sweet chestnuts amongst the leaf litter, which we stuffed into our pockets. The path took us past the water drop that powered the old mill and on to where the trail opened out to a magnificent lake. Set against the brilliant blue sky of late autumn and the woodland palette of ochre, rust, amber and muted greens, it made a breath taking vista.
A change of scene
They say that a change is as good as a rest and certainly in our case it proved true. Though we were away for little more than twenty-four hours, we crammed our days with exploration, delicious meals and the pleasure of outdoors. We met dozens of friendly folks with whom we exchanged plans and pleasantries.
Though autumn may not be the most obvious season for travel, it has its own allure. With prices more affordable and places less crowded, it more than makes up for the lower temperatures. And you do not have to stay for long. A micro-cation of a day or maybe two is enough to immerse yourself somewhere relatively local but engagingly new. Our brief visit has only whet our appetite for more. I’m sure it will be magical at Christmas…