A nice weekend away in the Cotswolds with some friends for the last few days. The weather is quite unseasonal for almost October, far warmer than August was and a heavy sleepy haze hung over the village we parked in to start the walk.
To add to the sense of unreality the church bell was tolling to call the villagers to the church. A steady one note dirge ringing out over the deserted village...
and an unusual church it was too. 12CE and Grade 1 listed, the tower has a "saddleback" roof. Preparations were going on around it for the Harvest Festival that was to be held in the churchyard after the service.
This really is a village of 2 churches. Barely a couple of hundred yards away is a second old church. This one has been decommissioned and stands forlornly just across the river from its more popular neighbour. It's a similar age and also Grade1 listed. The story goes that the twin churches were built by a pair of sisters who had fallen out and thus built their own place or worship. The truth is more prosaic, the river divides two separate medieval manors.
I as I said, despite its prettiness I didn't want to linger there although I couldn't really say why.
Moving out into the countryside the Bittersweet berries gave way to ropes of berries from Black Bryony, an equally poisonous fruit.
Miss Marple would have been quite at home here!
