Sir Winston Churchill it appears loved the small city and market town of Wells in Somerset with its stunning Gothic Cathedral and lovely Bishop’s Palace Gardens nestled at the foot of the Mendip Hills.
He visited three times and always stayed close by the cathedral at The Swan Hotel on Sadler Strèet which first opened its doors to welcome weary travellers way back in 1422.
So, my wife Jenny and I decided to follow in Sir Winston’s illustrious footsteps and make our second mini road trip over to Wells from our home in Monmouthshire.
Our first visit was back in February when the weather was cold and bleak.
So we were very much looking forward to a summer stroll around the fourteen acres of magnificent walled gardens irrigated by the famous wells which give the city its name and are continuously fed from limestone caves and tunnels deep under the Mendip Hills.
But there was a more compelling reason for our return visit which will be revealed later.
Once over the mighty Prince of Wales bridge spanning the Severn Estuary separating England and Wales, Sally Satnav took us on a country route across those Mendip Hills.
But we missed a turn and got in a muddle compounded by two road closures and frustratingly long narrow lane diversions.
Now as hot and bothered rather than weary travellers we eventually arrived in Wells some thirty minutes behind schedule and checked into The Swan.
Immediately opposite the hotel is its small garden overlooking the cathedral so five minutes later our stressful journey was forgotten and we were relaxing in the sunshine and perusing the lunchtime menu.
A game of croquet being played by gents in whites with the cathedral in the background set the scene for our entry into the Bishop of Bath and Wells moated and honey coloured stone walled gardens.
They are skilfully managed by a team of five full-time gardeners assisted by over twenty part-time volunteers and the fruits of their labour are visible in the colourful herbaceous borders packed with plants, bowling green flat lawns and wild flower areas.
But we soon came across other gardeners hard at work and these were townsfolk lucky enough to have their own plots in what must be one of the most delightfully located council run allotments in the country.
Wandering around the maze of sunlit paths we were never far from the small lakes and wells and the constant sound of running water fresh from the myriad of limestone caves and tunnels running deep under the Mendips.
But as I briefly explained earlier, besides revisiting these magnificent gardens there was actually a more compelling reason for returning to stay at The Swan.
For the hotel is only a thirty-minute drive via Glastonbury from the National Trust’s historic Lytes Cary Manor set in open country a stones-throw from the small market town of Somerton.
This charming medieval manor is a family home created and loved by two families: first the Lytes and then the Jenners.
When Sir Walter Jenner and his wife Lady Flora took over the dilapidated Tudor property in 1907 they found the Great Hall being used as a cider store and the Great Parlour full of farm equipment and spent years restoring it to its former glory.
On touring this fascinating house, it was easy to see how Sir Walter loved old things and was so passionate about restoring the manor entirely in keeping with its history.
But sadly, he was to lose his baby son, his wife and then his daughter from pneumonia when she was only thirty-seven and was probably the reason why having no heir, he bequeathed the property to the National Trust on his death in 1948.
It was while touring the delightful gardens which retains much of the layout as created by the Jenners that we came across gardening volunteers Sue Jenkins from nearby Curry Rival and Paul Gower of Sydling St Nicholas who enjoyed working in such a peaceful environment and experiencing the changing of the seasons.
The National Trust has created three well marked trails around the manor to give visitors an overview of the surrounding countryside, including wild flower meadows, and we followed one of them to arrive back in time for a light lunch.
We rounded off the day by stopping for a cuppa in nearby Somerton which gave its name to the county of Somerset.
This architecturally delightful small town is believed to have been the capital of Wessex around the year 900 and has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages.
