Plumbing the heights, or depths, of rural Cambs for you now.
From Longmeadow to Lode, and round the bounds of Swaffham Bulbeck.
You could have made it back across the Fens to Waterbeach in time for tea, but where’s the fun in that ?
I asked James what I should call this post. “Swaffham Boring” he replied. The lad needs coaching.
Beautiful weather once the dark clouds passed, but an overnight downpour meant emergency wet wear;
“Are you going to make a post out of Longmeadow (pop. 56), Dad ?”
No. Not when I can’t even find any reference to an 1800’s farmer’s tavern on Wiki and this is by far the best building in the lonely lane.
We moved the car to the car park in Swaffham Bulbeck (pop.826). The car park, thrillingly, has space for two cars, double the number needed.
There’s a pub here, and a Roman moat, and nice fontage,
and some of the best houses in the Fens, particularly in Commercial End, which is stunning.
But you’re here for wide open skies.
Lockdown is grim, but Nature seems to appreciate it, The air is cleaner and clearer than I can remember, and these flat walks are bearable, if still flat.
Which leaves us with the Black Horse.
I felt a pang of guilt walking up to snap the Charlie Wells sign (a rare Wells pub this far east).
In the summer of 1983 our group of Business Studies students used to drive here to drink Hofmeister (I guess) after a week of Maslow and Marketing, and a jolly village pub it was, too.
And it probably still is, and hopefully will be again soon.
But I’ve only been the once since that summer of “Club Tropicana” and “Give It Up” and “Uptown Girl”. Not my music choices, you understand.
That “Beams” building really is remarkable. Though I suppose you see so many such places over there you maybe get to the point where you say, “Eh, I’ve seen better.” 😉
I’m going to say “Club Tropicana” and “Uptown Girl” were lesser releases by both artists, though really I’m more mystified by the success of Tropicana: Did people really relate, en masse, to this song about… …a club where you can suntan?
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Yes, they really did Mark. “Club Tropicana” was inexplicably popular, even though we Brits live a relentless life of sun and pool parties.
I still admire good architecture Mark, and it looks even better in clear air like today. The whole street is superb.
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Architecture? Yes, pan tiles are deffo better than thatch to my eye.
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Ah yes Maslow the chap who believed Draught Bass in a pub covered most of the hierarchy.
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Some heated debate about whether self-actualisation was a parmo and banked Bass in Stockton or a flat Bass in Apne, though.
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I came over all excited when I saw the name Swaffham appear, thinking that it was the mid-Norfolk market town I sometimes stop off at on drives up to Dereham.
There are several cafés just off the large, triangular-shaped market place in the town centre. These provide a handy stopping-off place for a late breakfast or, as Mrs PBT’s would say, “a tea and a wee!” What our American friends refer to as “comfort stations” are important to women of a certain age, and us men too!
Swaffham has a number of quite attractive looking pubs, all of which I’ve never visited – largely because I never seem to pass through the town at a convenient time. There is the other factor of the comfort stop on the way home.
Apart from the motorway services just off the M11 near Stansted, plus the one on the M25 near Lakeside, just before the Dartford Crossing, there is nowhere to stop for that all important drain-off. The access to both those service stations is also poor.
How about a retiredmartin special looking at the pubs of Swaffham? (The town, rather than the Fenland village!)
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It’s called clickbait, Paul, tempting you in by deceit.
If the pub closures go on much longer I’ll visit Swaffham. Problem is, writing up closed pubs is depressing.
The only Swaffham pub I’ve been to in 30 years were the George and Lydney House, neither great. It’s a beer desert till you reach Swanton Morley !
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In Swaffham Norfolk RIGHT NOW. Report to follow. Contain yourself.
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