World Travel Guide Online

An Easy Choice
Evershot, England

I don’t know about you but I’m sure that if I had to choose between a four star hotel in London or one of my favorite B&Bs in Dorset I wouldn’t hesitate for a minute. I’d choose to stay in Dorset. O.K., O.K., I know, Dorset can’t begin to match all of the marvelous intellectual pursuits London has to offer, like the wonderful theater and brilliant museums, but staying at the Savoy can’t come anywhere near to providing the pleasure I find in Dorset. Of course I’m very picky about the places I stay. My favorites are very special, but somehow I don’t believe they are the only ones to offer such satisfying experiences. It’s Dorset itself that has the special magic. During the nearly twenty years that I’ve been coming to this lovely county I’ve never failed to find it.

Hyde Farm House, looking up from the Frome River

Two of my favorite places are: Hyde Farm House in Frampton and Rectory House in Evershot. What four star hotel can offer any thing as nice as a personal guided tour of the more than 200 venues offered by Dorset’s dedicated, professional artists and craftspeople during Dorset Art Weeks? John Saunders and J. M. Schijoll of Hyde Farm House invited me to spend the day with them as they toured ten of the most interesting studios and workshops. It was much nicer than simply walking through an art gallery looking at a selection of work from anonymous artists and craftspeople that I know nothing about. Dorset Art Weeks offered the chance to meet and talk with the artists in their own environment and see much more of their work than the usual gallery can provide. For me it wasn’t just a chance to appreciate their skills; it was an opportunity see their homes and gardens in the company of two charming escorts who weren’t afraid to ask questions and find out details that I would never have found on my own. Since I’m too chicken to drive in England I wouldn’t even have found the venue locations.

Spitting crane sculpture

Yon and John (less confusing than Jon and John) were particularly interested in the work of John Ellis at Badger House near Sturminster Newton. His copper sculpture radiators in beautiful shapes, sometimes in the form of a woman, other times in a lovely, leafy floral pattern are remarkably attractive and original. We all had a good laugh when we saw his spitting crane, a sculpture made to sit in a pool of water in a garden setting. He had cleverly rigged a plumbing system that allowed the crane to constantly lean forward and spit.

One of my favorite venues was Sheepwash Cottage where Sheila Sanford displays her miniatures and larger paintings. I was thrilled just to be going to a place named ‘Sheepwash Cottage.’ I’ve admired her work ever since my early visits to Dorset. I already had several of her prints and have bought her cards to send on special occasions. It was lovely to meet her in person. I took advantage of the opportunity and bought two of her larger prints: ‘Daisies and Poppies at Ashmore’ and ‘The Open Gate.’

The three of us stopped for a pleasant pub lunch in Gillingham – where I tried to pay but Yon and Jon wouldn’t let me – then continued following the trail described in the Dorset Art Weeks guide until late in the afternoon when we finally returned to Hyde Farm House. But that wasn’t the end of the lovely day. There was still time to relax in the secluded atmosphere of Yon and John’s terraced garden that steps down to the River Frome. They have
fishing rights so if I’d had a fishing rod there’s no telling what I might have caught – but since I didn’t I just relaxed under the trees on a seat by the river and watched for the kingfishers and dippers that fly along just above the water. Then I walked in their private woodland before being called to the conservatory to enjoy a delicious meal that looked as if John had been laboring all day in the kitchen. Only I knew he hadn’t been because I had been with him.

After dinner I had the choice of relaxing in the drawing room listening to music or watching television in the study. I chose to do the nicest of all. I just sat in the conservatory that has the best view in Dorset and watched the sunset over the soft and gentle westerly hills. Just to make things perfect, a hot air balloon drifted by. We could see tiny people in the wicker basket as the balloon followed the river. It gave the scene a surreal quality. Now, can anyone name an expensive hotel that can offer more? I doubt if there’s one that can offer as much.

Surely when Tess of the d’Urbervilles stopped in Evershot (Hardy’s Evershead) on her way to Beaminster (Emmenster) it couldn’t have looked much different from it does today. It had a school, a doctor’s surgery, raised pavements, and shops with bow fronts built on to much older house faces of gray limestone just as it has today. The cottage she slept in overnight is still there and so is the Acorn Inn. I wonder what she thought when she first walked into the village. She was probably too tired to be impressed. But when I first saw Evershot I was very impressed with this little village of 300 snuggled into the folds and combs of the Dorset landscape. It seemed to represent rural England at it’s very best. It’s the village where I found another of my special B&Bs: Rectory House.

Rectory bedspreads

In its way, Rectory House is just as charming as Hyde Farm House. It’s located in ideal walking country with over 20 miles of lovely footpaths within a two mile radius. Angela and Dennis Carpenter have exquisite taste so every room is a masterpiece. They are all spacious and beautifully furnished with lovely antiques and some of the most beautiful bedspreads I’ve ever seen. When my husband saw my travel photos this year he laughed and said, “Why did you take six pictures of these bedspreads?” I told him, “Because they are gorgeous!” Every year, with my camera, I try to capture the beauty of the giant copper beech that stands in the garden. I never succeed because the lovely copper color doesn’t photograph well, but I can’t stop trying. I love it because it provides the perfect place to sit in the shade with a good book.

In an expensive London Hotel you might find a more exciting nightlife but it couldn’t be nicer than the evening I spent in Evershot’s St. Osmund’s Church on June 10^th. That was the evening when the Thomas Hardy Society presented ‘A Special Reading of Poems by Thomas Hardy with Musical Interludes to Celebrate the Millennium.’ What could be nicer than walking a few hundred yards from my pretty room to sit in the church that Hardy himself often visited and listen to a selection of his poems read by talented people who obviously loved what they were doing? Afterwards there was no crowd to push through in hopes of flagging a taxi, just a short walk down Fore Street to Rectory House and my cozy room with the beautiful bedspreads.

Children’s costumes at the village fete

Daytime in Evershot can be eventful too. While I was there the village fete was held in the school yard. Among it’s colorful stalls I found an attractive crocheted shopping bag for only 50p that’s just right for carrying a few purchases home from the village shop. Then I picked up two paperback novels by one of my favorite authors for only 30p each! One year I was asked to judge the children’s fancy dress contest, probably because I wouldn’t be there the next day to face the mothers of the losers. I was glad I didn’t have that responsibility every year.

When I’m in Evershot I always walk through the beautiful Melbury Estate to the village of Melbury Osmond on the other side. Its cluster of thatched cottages is set on a southward facing slope that runs down to a stream and a ford. The cottages, some of them dating from the 17^th century, are very well preserved but don’t have that tarted up appearance so many modernized cottages have. They seem to be just as Tess would have found them a hundred years ago. The walk through Melbury is easy going because it’s mostly over level ground on a paved country road, at least I remembered it as mostly level, but during the past few years it seems to have magically developed a very steep hill as it passes through the deer park that takes all of my energy and causes me to huff and puff. Funny I never noticed it fifteen years ago.

Road to Old Girt Farm

Another favorite walk in Evershot is the one that leads to Old Girt Farm. It’s a favorite even though I seem to always have trouble finding the style after crossing over the fields in back of Evershot. Once when my friend Mary was with me it took nearly 30 minutes to find it. Poor Mary decided to sit down even though the field was muddy while I paced up and down saying, “I know it’s here somewhere.” I finally found it right where it should be but covered with so many stinging nettles it was almost invisible. Still, after climbing over, Mary agreed the view was worth the trouble. The road that leads to the farm overlooks a storybook valley with an ancient burial mound on the other side that lends a touch of mystery. I never tire of looking at this lovely valley. I wish I could arrange to have it shipped to California and placed in back of my garden.

Sunday is a good day to visit a few of the many private gardens open to view. No matter where I’m staying in Dorset I can always find at least one nearby. The little yellow garden guide book available in any tourist office provides all of the information needed to locate the convenient ones. Most charge a pound or two to visit but proceeds are always for a good cause. That’s little enough to pay for an afternoon enjoying the rewards of other people’s hard work. Sometimes tea and scones are available. What could be nicer than sipping tea while gazing at well tended gardens that usually includes lovely scented roses around lakes and ponds? Just such a garden was open last June in Rampisham, just a few miles from Evershot. We were greeted pleasantly at the entrance of the Manor House by the owner who made himself available all afternoon to answer questions and politely listen to stories about his visitor’s own gardens. It all seemed part of Dorset’s special magic.

So you see there’s really no room for debate. Given the choice, wouldn’t I be foolish to pick a London Hotel over an agreeable B&B in enchanting Dorset?