Today we walked around Hedgerley, a very small village not far from here. It is, apparently, the Best Kept Village in Buckinghamshire, and also the Best Kept Secret, since I'd never been there before last week, when I did a pre-hike with a friend. (Pre-hikes are the "preliminary" hikes, when we scout out the area and learn the route.)
There's a pub, a pond, and several noteworthy buildings, including the 16th century Quaker House:
Another 16th century building can't hide its age—note the crooked timbered walls:
Of course, every village must have a pub, and Hedgerley's dates from the mid-17th century:
I understand there's a direct correlation between the amount of flowers decorating a pub and the quality of its ale, which is why you often find motorcycle gangs loitering among the blossoms at some of Britain's finest pubs!
The Old Village School dates from 1844, making it one of the newer buildings in Hedgerley:
Although Hedgerley may be the best kept village in Buckinghamshire, my dog is not the best kept dog. She decided to go for a dip in this inviting pond in nearby Hedgerley Green:
When she came out, she looked as if she'd been dipped in tar up to her belly. Fortunately, the proprietors of the White Horse let me use their hose to spray the worst of it off.
Tomorrow, I'm leaving the English countryside for the bayou country of my birth—it's high school reunion time, and also time to visit family I haven't seen in a while. It's always a culture shock those first few days in the U.S.—everything's so new! So big! So American!
But do check back in to WDIK. Because old buildings weren't the only thing I found in Hedgerley—there was a herd of beautiful red cows, who got all excited when I told them they'd be on Friday Cow Blogging. That's right, excited red cows. Can't wait, can you?
