A meander through the middle of England allows Susan Taylor to enjoy an easy getaway from her doorstep
Duration
Three nights
When
June 2023
Why?
Discover excellent destinations right on your doorstep!
Usually, weekend wanderings in our motorhome take us to areas two or three hours’ drive from home – far enough to feel ‘away’ without spending the entire weekend driving to and from our destination. Recently, though, I realised that this leaves us with a wide circle of potential touring spots and interesting places, all just an hour or so away.
One of these is the National Herb Centre, in Warmington, which is just a bit too far for a relaxing afternoon out, but closer than we would normally consider for a weekend.
Being keen on ‘growing my own’, to coin a phrase, I have long wanted to visit, but never quite got around to it. Until a few weeks ago, that is, when we decided to spend a weekend at Fir Tree Campsite, near Banbury, just over an hour’s drive from Buckinghamshire.
Fir Tree is a fairly small, relatively basic (but very clean and friendly) campsite which regularly hosts music gatherings, car rallies and other events. It sits on the edge of the pretty Warwickshire village of Warmington, only a 10-minute walk from the National Herb Centre.
As well as an array of culinary and medicinal herbs (including the cola plant, which actually does smell like the fizzy drink), the National Herb Centre has a good selection of traditional garden plants, a gift shop and a small bistro/coffee shop.
Looking for local wildlife When we were all shopped out (how many plants can you transport in a motorhome?), we followed the shortest of the three nature trails leading from the centre into the countryside, looking out for rabbits, foxes, badgers and deer along the way.
Later on, we continued walking along the main road from the Centre to one of the two local pubs, The Falcon. Here we discovered a pleasant beer garden in which to while away an hour or so, before giving in to the temptation of a shoulder of spring lamb from their excellent menu.
We had something of an ‘aha!’ moment here, when we realised this was previously called the Wobbly Wheel – a pub we had driven past before, when taking the scenic route to the Cotswolds and the Peak District, because the road runs almost parallel to the M40.
A chat with the friendly barman revealed that the Wobbly Wheel suffered a major fire in 2013, resulting in an adjoining hotel having to be pulled down. The current owners totally refurbished the pub and the garden, and
