Hurley, Burchetts Green, Cookham

Continued my tour of Hurley which took about 2 hours.
Met two gentlemen today who had outstanding collections
of art work which they kindly showed me around. Finished
up in cookham which is quite a spread out village which
seems to be made up of several centres.
Quite an interesting place. Stopped for dinner at the
kings arms. Its fairly quiet at the moment because
it's a 3 day week with the royal wedding and Easter.
Stayed at a B&B in Nettlebed which was my 3rd stay here -
a very good one run by Nan and John.

The picture is the view from the top of Winter Hill, Cookham.

Wendover to Hurley

Photos 1. The Olde Bell, Hurley, 2. Bluebells in Marlow Bottom, 3.Church in Marlow, 4. Marlow Bridge over the Thames, 5. View from Quarry Wood, Marlow


Thursday 20th April saw the promotional tour set off for an appointment in Wendover near Aylesbury followed by a visit to Marlow where I would likely spend the rest of the day. It was a very warm spring day which continues a spell of about two weeks of near unbroken sunshine. Folks gardens are looking absolutely stunning at this time of year with all the blossoms out and many flowers in full bloom.

The 30 minute journey from Wendover to Marlow ended up taking more like two hours because I got sidetracked by a couple of beautiful villages which were worth a stop. Little Missenden and Beamond End. After a few hours of promotional work in Marlow, dinner was had and accommodation found. After several phone calls to the list of numbers printed on the door of the Marlow Info. centre I found a vacancy at Sue and Paul Simmons B & B which I can highly recommend - a very warm welcome, comfortable and a cracking breakfast -

accommodationmarlow.com‎

Friday was another hot day with a continuation of the Marlow visit. I also had time to visit Hurley, a village a couple of miles south of Marlow. After a couple of hours in Hurley, there was time for a swift drink in The Olde Bell before heading back home.

Silchester

During my tour of Berkshire, I've spent most of my time in the area surrounding Reading. With all due respect to Reading, it's not a place I would have expected to find such a rich array of subject matters for watercolour painting. I have been pleasantly surprised - especially by the villages dotted around the surrounding area.

One of these such villages - Silchester (which technically lies within Hampshire) is a lovely little village with an old Roman part - the ruins of which lie just outside the current site of Silchester. One of the local residents informed me that the old Roman settlement mysteriously came to an abrupt end due to possible invasion and that the new settlement grew up on a site half a mile or so away.

I was advised to pay a visit to the village of Yattendon, which I did. Another delightful little village. I soon discovered that most of the properties here were owned by Lord Iliffe. I took a photo of a beautiful spring scene which caught my eye.

I also have to mention the outstanding accommodation which I stumbled upon during this particular visit. The task of finding accommodation at short notice invariably results in an interesting story to tell. My usual B & B in Hampstead Norreys was fully booked but they kindly directed me to some friends of theirs - Peter and Tricia Monro, who were running a b & b out of their delightful home in Compton in what can only be described as a more 'informal' arrangement - which I have to say was a refreshing change from the usually sterile and boring atmosphere of a B & B which attempts to 'tick all the boxes' and comply with all the regulations etc etc. Peter and Tricia adopted more of a come as you find us attitude towards B & B service which was friendly and enjoyable - they made me feel like part of their home. I would highly recommend a stay there - www.monrohomestay.co.uk