How I learnt to love Metherell

Friday, May 21. The sun was out for the first time in days, the house was already clean and tonight's meal was sorted. Time to go out! And it was WARM! I just had a t-shirt and jeans. The jacket was left in the car. For the first time, I began to think about summer.

With some trepidation, I took the pub walks book out again. It promised a lovely walk through fields, woods and near the Tamar river, starting in Metherell. Australian teachers of a certain age have a Pavlovian response to the name 'Metherell'- (not drooling with appetite) -after a certain bureaucratic unpleasantness in the early '90's. That, and my unpleasant experience with the book's directions in Blisland, made me approach the place with caution.

Well, my fears were groundless. For one, it was a glorious drive, including both high fields and beautiful over-arching trees thick with green growth. Metherell was delightful, pretty and unusual, all corners and crannies. There were life sized cloth dolls on some walls and window sills, for some reason. (A horse-riding girl, a policeman, and a soccer-playing boy.) I had walked only a few steps before someone in a car stopped and asked directions of me - again! I was wearing hiking boots and carrying a guide book!

The air was warm and full of flowery smells. Did I detect a hint of privet? I'll be sneezing in seconds, I thought, but somehow I wasn't. It must be Australian grasses that set me off - I'm usually a red-eyed mess in late spring. Off through a field, where you could almost see the grass growing. Dandelion clocks reached as high as my knees. Over two stiles, and a deep narrow lane springy with mulch. A rich, vigorous smell... then the most glorious wood. This was no plantation, although the path was very much tended. I saw my first huge oak tree, its leaves still just coming out. A historic mill stood over the water in a clearing - I will come back with my National Trust card. And there were bluebells!


This photo's with the automatic timer. You can't see the flowers so well. Another walker kindly took this next one.

The woods came out to the river Tamar opening if front of me. So beautiful! Definitely a place to retrun to with the children. There was a replica boat at the quay, unfortunately in the wrong light for a photo. Beautiful stone buildings everywhere... Cothele House, another National Trust place, was on my right. Tomorrow!

On I went, and the flowers were thicker and more beautiful. Here is a close-up, but it doesn't do them justice. I walked by an old chapel, built by a grateful knight on the spot where he successfully hid from the wrathful agents of Richard 3rd. Then there was a high spot overlooking fields, river and town below. Everything was just glorious!

The last leg of the trip went past old mine buildings, some converted into houses now. One was very odd, because it left quite a lot of outer buildings in ruins while the central three-story towering building had all modern, arched windows and straight steps. It looked very austere. There weren't even flowers among the broken walls. I wondered if it was some sort of comment on the fleeting nature of man's works, or something. The very lush woods all around softened it, but it must look a bit grim in winter.

More lovely fields, then back to the winding streets. I couldn't have asked for a better morning.