Henry Moore - Perry Green

This a little further from Ampthill, and certainly different type of day out.  I admit I went as 'helper' with the school quite a few years ago, and wasn't sure if it was going to be my thing.  But it was lovely wandering around seeing the enormous pieces of art that Henry Moore had produced.












So if you love statues then it is worth a visit.  There is also an exhibition of screen printed fabrics that he also designed.  You can defnitely lose yourself around the grounds on a lovely fine day, I wouldn't recommend going in the rain.  They have a website and the facilities have changed since I went it is looking great on the website www.henry-moore.org, it opens for the season on 1 May.





There is a place to eat a picnic, or I would recommend combining the visit to Hopleys plants it is a lovely nursery with extensive grounds and a really nice tea room, selling homebaked quiches amongst other things.  It is only about 1 mile from Perry Green.

Stoke Bruerne

We are lucky enough to have a canal nearby, so we took a trip to Stoke Bruerne to wander along the Grand Union Canal, I love canals they are an idyllic picture of passing boats and local wildlife.

It’s a relaxing and lovely place for a day out, but it does get busy on warm summer weekends. In and around Stoke Bruerne you’ll find the Blisworth Tunnel (at 3,076 yards (2,813m) long it is the third-longest navigable canal tunnel on the UK canal network), historic locks and bridges, a weighing machine, winding hole and traditional canal pubs – all the features of a living canal village.

Nearly all the homes and buildings in the village have been there 200 years or more. It appears that little has changed since the heyday of Britain's canals, between the early and mid-1800s. The two village pubs have a long heritage, with The Boat Inn established in 1807, and the Navigation Inn in 1822.  Both were built to support the new trade bought by the canal.

Stoke Bruerne is set in the heart of rural Northamptonshire. Set off in any direction and you'll find unspoilt countryside, tranquil lanes, pretty villages and wild flowers and birds to watch and enjoy.

We just went for a lunch at the pub and a walk along the canal but you can visit the Canal Museum and according to the website it will take from one to two hours, and you can follow the story of Britain’s canals, from the great engineers and navvies who created them to the boat families, leggers and lock keepers who lived and worked on them.  You'll find models of working boats, traditional clothing, canal crafts, a re-creation of a boat-builder’s workshop, beautiful historical signs and more.

There are boat trips in the summer months and at weekends, and also Rookery Open Farm nearby.



Directions: Stoke Bruerne is about 26 miles from Ampthill and on a good day it should take just over 30 minutes to drive there.  Leave Ampthill and drive along the A507 to Junction 13 of M1 - joining the motorway heading north.  Leave the M1 at Junction 15 (A508 for Wellingborough / Northampton) – take the A508 in south westerly direction (away from motorway), and you will pass through the village of Roade before you see the brown signs for Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum –  turn right off A508 and follow these signs.



Parking:
There are two main car parks in the village throughout the year, and during event weekends additional parking is made available.

Museum Car Park
This is situated at the rear of the Museum and is accessed from Chapel Lane.  This is the first car park you will come to when arriving in the village from the A508. It has a tarmac surface and is Pay and Display.  The parking ticket is also partially refundable if you visit the museum :)

Church Car Park
This is located on Shutlanger Road and is the first car park if you are travelling from Shutlanger/Towcester/A5. Situated on the right, just past Wentworth Way, it is mainly grass but is quite large. All the proceeds go to the Church for much needed repairs and maintenance so please do pop your £2.00 in the honesty box at the gate, it all helps!

Places to Eat & Drink:
There are two (“gastro”) pubs within 100 metres of each other on opposite sides of the canal, the Navigation Inn and The Boat Inn – both are very close to the Museum and have car parks for patrons. Also canalside is an Indian restaurant (The Spice of Bruerne) and a cafe (The Waterside Cafe) at the Museum.

Mother's Day - handmade cards

There is normally a basket of cards on the Ampthill country market stall every Thursday, they are handmade and suitable for a number of occasions.  Some are stamped and then watercoloured, others have been cut from paper and card, and other techniques.  We also have a selection of cards made using photographs, including some local scenes.


They are all blank inside for you own greeting, but will often have a sentiment on the front, they can be customised if you give us sometime to prepare it and bring it back to the stall. 







As Mother's Day is March 15th we now have a few that would make the day extra special.  Don't forget you can buy a gift from us too, a delicious homemade jam or cake.

If you like one of the cards and need a greeting changed or added, this is often possible just contact us either on the stall or through the website (see link at side), and it can be arranged.


Check out our facebook page for more news and photos, and to contact us see the links at the top.

Chutneys, Pickles & Jellies

Chutneys and pickles are available around Christmas time and then are available whilst stocks last.  They are made in the autumn to preserve the bounty of fruit and vegetables that are available in late summer.  As they are best eaten after the flavours have matured for a few weeks this makes Christmas the perfect time to start the new chutney.  They will last for months unopened.

Perfect to eat with cold meats, quiches, sandwiches, cheeses.  So of course perfect to eat with your cold turkey on Boxing Day.

We often have jellies, such as quince and crab apple jelly which are perfect for savouries dishes and roast meats.

So I thought you would like to see a quick step by step making chutney :)  Lots of fresh ingredients from the garden, along with some other items that are grown a long way away.





Then all chopped up and ready to start cooking, I bet you can almost smell the aroma of it starting to cook now.









Then after a lot of cooking it is then put into jars.

Then it has to sit on the shelf for a few weeks, to let all of those flavours mature, it will be perfect for Boxing Day.

Scarves

We have a small range of knitted scarves this year, perhaps if you like to knit, sew or crochet you could join us and add your wares to the stall.  It is certainly the weather for a nice snug scarf, what do you think....I hope that you like the model.


 

Jordans Mill

It was a bright and sunny day a few months ago so we took oursleves off to Jordans Mill.  It isn't far from Ampthill and was only around 25 minutes.  They have recently had a major change and invested in the historic mill and site.  

They offer guided tours around the mill or you can just wander around and read through the information boards.  I will be honest and we didn't really spend much time in the Mill, there are lots of stairs and my companion wasn't feeling up to the climb!  

We just wandered around the gardens that are laid out neatly with a paths that takes you through, and loads of seating. 

There is also a meadow with a small wooded area to wander around too. 

The gardens aren't vast, but depending on the weather it can be a pleasant hour.

You can click through on the link above for lots more information about the site - this is the new building that houses the restaurant and a small shop. 

For those of you that have visited prior to the refurb - the shop has a limited range, but does stock most of their products along with locally milled flour and some dried fruit and cereals.

They have a range of cakes, snacks and refreshments and a lovely deck that looks over the water, with umbrellas for shade if required, and seating inside. 

I couldn't resist a picture of this cheeky chap that
was climbing into a garden :)

We visited Parkside farmshop on the way there - it is only small but worth a visit and had a surprisingly amount of stock in there.

Willington Dovecote - National Trust

The only National Trust building in Bedfordshire is Willington Dovecote, we stopped by there recently and had the pleasure of being shown around the Dovecote, Stables, and also the church.  It was well worth the visit, you can go for a walk to the river after.

It is only 20 minutes or so from Ampthill.

There are 1500 'nests' in each of the two dovecotes - so a lot of doves/pigeons used to be here...and you know what would accompany that many birds....

This is the stable building that also remains as part of the farm buildings.  They do have some information in the Stable building, and there is speculation about its original reason for being built.

The chap that showed us around was very knowledgeable and is keen to promote the site, and would love to be able to get some better info boards.

They have been organising events such as a vintage car day


Check the National Trust site for event information:
NT Events

They are taking part in the Heritage open days next Saturday 13 September 2014 at 1:00pm - so make a date in your diary.

The village school was donated by the Duke of Bedfordshire.