So where in the world has Silly Sat Nag taken us? We set her up with correct for Acton Burnell Castle and began the drive . The journey started off reasonably well as we drove along decent roads and through small villages and hamlets. We saw the signs for Wigwig . It made us smile . Apparently it is a hamlet situated in the area of natural beauty and scientific interest that is based around the Much Wenlock area. Did not smile so much when she started to take us off the main roads onto very narrow and muddy lanes . With few passing places we hoped not to meet in the opposite direction .
So far so good . We had avoided cars and not had to try to pass in one of the muddy passing places . Then was it lucky or unlucky as a tractor pulled out in front of us. As a positive it was trailblazing a way for us and we did not have to worry about the other way. They would give in for the tractor and we would follow in its wake . Its load looked unsafe. Bales
of straw piled high. The bottom bales looked reasonably safe but as the bales were piled on higher they went out of line and bulged sideways . As the tractor trundled along we wondered how long we would be following it. It passed under the branches of trees and straw blew everywhere hitting our windscreen like snowflakes . We hoped at the end of the lane that we would be going different ways and thankfully the tractor turned left and we turned right.
Silly immediately instructed us to hand a left . A quick glance showed the lane narrowed and headed downhill to a ford. The river could be seen gushing across the lane. Not going that way even though Silly told us that we just 0.4 miles from our destination. We drove on and she changed to 4.3 miles and we going round in a circle approaching Acton Burnell from the other direction. Approaching a corner we drove very slowly and around the corner appeared a green car driven by a very elderly lady. She seemed unaware that she was approaching a corner and perhaps traffic might towards her. We avoided her but she hit her
brakes heavily and stalled the car. I wondered if she should even be on the road as she seemed too unsafe to drive .
We entered the village of Acton Burnell with its prestigious Concorde College an independent , international day and boarding school . Entries were invited from gifted children from the ages of 12 to 19 . The college advertised an education that was full of rigour to test the pupils, kindness and creativity within a safe , vibrant and friendly environment . The gates were locked and it looked indeed impressive but not the sort of place I would have liked to have attended . Private signs everywhere , no sign of students . Perhaps the fees of £5200 a term , £15,600 put a lot of people off apart from the rich at this time of austerity in our country. For average families that might be one wage . True that bursaries were available for the gifted poor but it still felt alien in such a small village setting .
We approached the locked gate and were presented with a sharp right turn and a tiny sign proclaiming to the castle There
was parking for a number of cars and we parked on a muddy spot close to the church . For a while we watched the squirrels of which there were many. Some digging the wet ground and others climbing the trees . We were yet again on our own .
Apart from a spaniel who came to us wagging his tail. He seemed pleased to see us and we stroked him . His owner was less friendly . No wagging tail or cheery greeting from him as he drove past clutching another spaniel . The graveyard and church looked interesting . The church had been built by the owner of the castle Robert Burnell who died in 1292. He had risen through the ranks to Bishop of Bath and Wells and was a close friend and chaplain to Edward I. The church of St Mary was described as unaltered and not messed about with . It was a unexpected gem with a Jesse window , tombs and wall paintings .
