Roads are made for Journeys not Destinations

Roads are made for journeys not destinations
(Confucius)
Saturday afternoon I set off on my bike with the dogs down the drive in the Park to “Redpools” where there is old sunken woodland, paths that are never straight and a pool or small lake that merges with rushes and marshy saplings.
Summer, such as it was here, has definitely slipped away and I had remembered a sweater. Nevertheless, it is a magical time of year, “seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness” and I had looped a bag over my handlebars hoping for the very last blackberries or more likely crab apples and pears when I came back and round through the gardens.
Some of the paths were strewn with boughs and a bit narrow, not ideal biking. Determinedly I trundled my bike along, round and over, rather keen not to fall over as my husband would say told you so – silly place for a bike. The dogs, however, were very happy and swimming.
Old paths and “drives” (roads) are fascinating, not merely mapping my journey today but also leading me in mind back into the past. These muddy paths around the roots of old trees are the same ones local children took to fish here in the Second World War. Rations were short and everything helped and they lived in a little cottage in the fields behind.
Old maps of Highclere show the ancient routes, some are now overgrown or even removed, whilst others are still here 1,000 years later. A little imagination and I can almost see where the Roman soldiers may have marched between the hills or Robert Herbert’s carriage might have passed in the eighteenth century. Cattle and sheep would have been driven along the “drove” roads. The deeper the lane the more embedded it is in our past, the more people and animals have passed along the way packing it down on their different journeys, therefore the older it is.
Leaving the muddy tracks behind I cycle back towards the Castle gardens on my mission for pears and crab apples. Carol and Debbie, who help me in the house, have become adept “still room” hands, following old recipes, bottling and freezing. Amongst it all, they had picked a quince jelly recipe from the 18th century for some reason – it looks delicious! We have too many cooking apples and I need to collect them and make a plan. The eating apples are shared with the horses, who lean hopefully across the fence.
My husband and the farm manager, Simon, have only recently finished the harvest – it was late and not easy, although it is rare to meet a happy farmer during harvest. As in any year, some crops fared better than others. The Royal Berkshire Show took place this past weekend and our crops and fields had been submitted in various agricultural classes. Proudly, we collected many cups from the best rapeseed (probably due to my combining!) to oats and other arable fields. Oats are very important to us as we sell them to racehorse trainers and other horse yards. It is rather the same message as my recipe book: from field to table but this time from field to stable. Good whole food, not processed with chemicals but just proper food harvested with a known provenance. Horses certainly like oats and this evening Maggie our groom gave me tip which was to add the oats to the soaking sugar beet for 15 minutes, so they plump up and that helps them to be absorbed.
Perhaps it is all the same, tips for friends whether two-legged or four-legged … We are all going to meet in church for the Harvest Festival at the end of this month, animals, tractors, people and Bishop David.
What a lovely testament to the turning of he seasons as well as the pages of time as you followed old paths on your bike. Let us all be thankful for what the good Lord gives us!
I agree with you – it is just a question of looking
Dear Lady Carnarvon
Thank you for another thought provoking blog. Your paths reminded me of journeys made by generations past who would have walked along some of the same well trodden paths I walked on my recent UK holiday.
Fruit gathering at the beginning of Autumn is fabulous fun. Cooking apples also go amazingly well with blackberries & elderberries to make an amazing jam. An uncommon combination but so delicious.
We still use old family recipes, some of them going back two hundred years. Isn’t it fascinating to think, in awe, at some of the recipes created by those clever cooks, like Mrs Beeton, whose pastry our mother made every week and we now make with the same joy.
Looking forward to your next blog.
Althea – Auckland, New Zealand
It sounds as if you are a clever cook too – just like Mrs Beeton! Elderberries are really worth collecting and some friends used to make it into wine. It is or was quite strong and our Nanny used to rather like it and would then retire on summer afternoons for a snooze, reappearing for a late tea. My father used to get quite cross but Nanny was rater oblivious…
MY DEAR LADY CARNARVON
LOVE ,LOVE, LOVELY BLOGS . FROM BRAZIL MARIA AUGUSTA
Thank you so much !
What lovely pictures. I live in the United States in the High Desert area of the Mojave Desert so scenes like these are especially lovely to me. It looks like you and the dogs had a lovely adventure exploring the trails. Thank you for posting your pictures in your blog.
The dogs were very happy, rather muddy and just waggy tails in front of me.
This brought me back to my wanderings through the woods near our home which used to be farmland. I love to find old paths or forge news ones. I have found a very old farm wagon in what used to be a field as well as bottle dumps and an old root cellar. At first I was unsure if it was a root cellar as I had never seen one, it was dug into the earth. According to our Historical Society that is what it was. I suspected it had been farmland at one time since there were some stone walls and younger trees.
Thank you for bringing back memories as well as your delightful stories.
Thank you !
These blogs bring a moment of bittersweet angst for me as a Brit expat. Love getting them and following your yearly calendar, but how my heart yearns to be there in situ. Living some of my childhood in Cornwall, country life was embedded in my psyche and I miss it so much. There are tears of a past lifetime, but joy in knowing life continues on with memories of the past. Thank you for keeping these British traditions and sharing them with your writings, it means a lot to us who are not able to live in Britain, but can live them vicariously.
Jane, your beautifully expressed comment echoes my own heartfelt thoughts. “Bittersweet angst” — that says it all! As a longtime British ex-pat, the older I get, the more intense that bittersweet angst at this time of year.
Lady Carnarvon, thank you for all your writing and photos on this wonderful blog! When I see that a new Highclere Castle email has arrived, I make a cup of tea, kick off my shoes, and settle down in a comfy chair to savor it all.
You took the words right out of my mouth. I’m from the Midlands but I have lived in Pennsylvania for the last 18 years. I love my adopted country … but this passage filled me with overwhelming longing and nostalgia. Oh, for my time again.
Thank you for writing back to me here – it makes the world of difference asI try to express what it is to live here and to love the life given to us here. I think parts of England are embedded in us, our footprints in others overlapping in time and step.
1,000 years of history simple boggles my brain – I love history and old stories! congrats on your wins – we try and follow farm to table here in Napa Valley, but I love the farm to stable! Thanks again for your wonderful blog!
I have yet to visit Napa Valley. It is on my list.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Your posts and pictures are a delight.
In your journey on Saturday, you noted the passing of the seasons.
I had a similar experience this morning when I walked my dog, Emma. It was possible to see that autumn has started. Rain overnight deposited many new leaves on the ground and I could enjoy walking through them with her.
Living in the Midwest, not far from Chicago, I rejoice when I see that the sun is casting longer shadows. Autumn is my favorite season.
Thank you.
It is a closing of a year and yet of course on the farm we are beginning the new on, tilling and sowing.
I spent an entire day at Highclere in the summer of 2016 with my cousin and best friend. We were there so long when we called the cab driver who dropped us off at 9:30AM to come get us at 5:30PM, he couldn’t believe we’d been there all day. But, with such wonderful grounds to tour, we soaked in every moment. Whenever I read your blog, I feel transported back and I get a since of calm and peace. My best friend said it was the best day of her life — amazing since she got married less than three months later! Just a testament to the magic of Highclere. Thank you for sharing it with us.
I am so glad – I always hope visitors here will take time and not hurry, not feel on a treadmill of schedule but just wander and enjoy, stopping to try some croissants or lunch, explore the gardens, chat to the guides…
You make me feel as though I am there cycling with you!
It was muddy and a bit slippery!!!
If someone told me 25 years ago that I’d be enchanted with a website such as yours I’d tell them they were insane.
I’m a narrowback who grew up in the Bronx and my grandfather fought in ’16, so I grew up hearing stories from the other side. (Yes, I suppose in another universe Tom Branson and I would lift a few at the village pub…
My, my how times change.
Your photos and stories of Highclere are gentle reminders of another existence. I for one, am gratified that your family has kept the estate running; you’ve preserved and enhanced an important aspect of heritage of the western world. Having watched the Netflix documentary I’m able to appreciate the tremendous work and investment on your family’s part.
You’re doing a heck of a job and I honor you for it.
You are very kind – and there is a very nice local pub!!! I actually really enjoy go along sitting down with a glass of wine even if you might prefer one of their beers!
Thank you always Lady Carnarvon for your blog. I enjoy it so very much and the pictures are beautiful.
Best health and love to You and Lord Carnarvon.
Connie
Thank you – there are always so many stories I want to write – so many snippets…
Having grown up in the US Midwest, and after reading your blog today, I sit here in the 80-plus degrees of Southern California, sigh, and miss that crispness in the autumn air.
What a beautiful post! Thank you for sharing!
Auch von mir Danke Danke 🙂
And so often we miss you sunshine. However it is the different scents and light that are particuarily English
It is was very nice blog article to read and our weather has rainy in here (Finland) and many gardens has none cooking apples trees. So if I have apples I make a applejam or make a pie. Bikeing is very good to helth. So thank you your nice blog again.
Thank you ! Biking is good ..
Thank you for you you wonderful blog, you express the change in season and highlighted the great history so well I was able to close my eyes and feel the journey.
I so love England and stay with friends in Winchester on my visits thus have also enjoyed the seasons changing.
As you head into the depth of winter we in Australia head to summer with hotter days and warm nights (30 yesterday) though and 2 months with out rain, it’s so so dry.Your story took me back to a pleasent English fall. Thank you it’s so nice to read you journey.
Winchester is very near and of course the Bishops of Winchester owned Highclere for 800 years
Thank you so much for the lovely blog and the wonderful pictures…
Here in the American South we are only beginning to think of Autumn, and it’s wonderful to read of a place where sweaters are in order! And thank you for including the old map of the Highclere area…I have been so awed by the ancient forests on my visits to England…
Apparently Britain has more “veteran” trees than Europe – there are some magic trees here at Highclere which give so much life. I love maps – glad you liked it!
Lady Carnarvon,
What a lovely description of the changing of the seasons, a journey down a road always taken and the fruit of the harvest! It brings to mind my favorite scripture from Ecclesiastes, “To everything there is a season…” Your bike ride brings back such lovely memories of my childhood bike and horse rides along California’s Central Coast, a stone’s throw from Hearst Castle in San Simeon. I can never remember the destinations, but I certainly remember those beautiful adventures many years ago. You must have felt invigorated after that lovely ride among the ancient trails and trees! Your dogs look incredibly happy too.
Apples are most definitely nature’s dessert. In the fall, I always prepare a caramel pecan apple pie for my family. My teenage sons especially enjoy the chopped pecans, apples and caramel. It’s a wonderful flavor combination. Do you have a favorite apple pie recipe?
I hope you enjoy a sunny day soon. It has been such a pleasure to see the sunshine and the cardinals again after torrential rains flooded my region. A walk in the sunshine is one of life’s great pleasures.
Stacey Brown
The Woodlands, Texas, USA
I am going to be putting up some cooking recipes and video blogs !!! my first is summer fruits
Dear Stacy Brown,
Your mention of the caramel pecan apple pie sounds delicious. Would you consider giving me your recipe? It hits the spot for me, though I have yet to taste it. 98csplane at gmail dot com.
Thank you,
Catherine
Dear Catherine,
I am happy to share the apple pie recipe with you! It’s my “go to” recipe for parties and potlucks, and I always leave the party with an empty pie plate. It’s a big crowd pleaser. Last year, I won first prize in a baking contest with this pie. Enjoy!
Kind Regards,
Stacey Brown
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=1271743
Lady Carnarvon,
How exciting! I am thrilled to hear it. I’ll definitely check back and watch your upcoming cooking videos.
Stacey Brown
Like always I enjoy reading your blogs.They tell a great story about the castle and it’s grounds. They make me feel like I am there. I wish I had a pond,so the ducks, geese and my dog could go swimming,as well as that I could go fishing. I want to thank you for sharing your blogs with everyone.They truly makes me feel like I am there at Highclere castle. I ask of you to never stop writing your blogs, as they give me, so much joy.
While on Netflex, I happened upon what is called, “Secrets of Highclere Castle.” All I can reply is what a delightful place. You and your husband are so lovely. So happy it is you both who now oversee this treasure.
Thank you – I think muddy ponds are childhood memories. The dogs really enjoy swimming
Thank you – I think muddy ponds are childhood memories. The labradors are very good swimmers
Dear Lady Carnarvon:
Love your blog Roads Are Made For Journeys Not Destinations. I feel exactly the same. Jorneys are full of discoveries. Destinations are merely ends. I emailed to your Estate Office, a poem by Robert Frost “Ths Road Not Taken.” Please read it.
Your dogs on the bridge in the woods definitely look like they are enjoying their rest. So happy, so tired. Deep companions.
Would you consider making a short video starring Azzie, your Arabian mare? Could you put her through some of her paces so we could all see her excuisite movement, finely boned structure, and pure beauty. I know all your readers would love an Azzie video.
As always, thank you for all your blogs, every word of your writing, and pictures as well.
Regards to your family, animals, castle staff as well.
Sincerely, Catherine Splane.
How kind – I do indeed know Robert Frost’s poem. I try to learn lines every so often to keep my brain going!! An Azzie video might amuse you as she is an old friend who will go to the end but rarely walks.. she bounces!!!
I will eagerly await the Azzie video. If you can, please show her different gaits, plus anything cute that shows her personality. Cant wait to see it.
Thank you so much,
Catherine
Your Ladyship:
Your most gracious blog is a glimpse into another world! Reading your words, and experiencing the photos
are a refuge from our conflicted present world. Many thanks for the calm, the beauty and the history.
You are most generous!
Warmest regards,
Donna Deal
Pennsylvania, USA
Thank you so much !
One benefit of loyally reading a blog is finding humor in words that read, “probably due to my combining!” I hope you laughed as hard when you wrote them, as I did when I read them! Thank you for the belly laugh (I needed it today), and congrats on taking home a few cups; you deserve it for all of your efforts!
Warm regards,
Alison
Pennsylvania, US
I laughed – promise!!!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Your lovely blog entry makes me look forward to Fall with eager anticipation! I was interested to see that Highclere produces so many agricultural products. Congratulations on the awards that the estate has won. They are well deserved, and a testimonial to all the hard work going on each day at Highclere. Everything produced by your farms is of the highest quality,and wonderful food for horse and man! Also I loved the photos of your doggies on the footbridge and your dog having a swim. As once you said to me, life is about enjoying every day. It is obvious your pets agree! Have a beautiful sun drenched (even in England!) Autumn.
Kind Regards,
Ann Catherine Flood
It has been a bit misty and grey today – I do like the sun !!!
GREETINGS LADY CARNARVON, AS ALWAYS, AS STATED BEFORE, WHAT A LOVERLY BLOG. APPLES FALL AND WALKING TRAILS, AND THE DOGS TO BOOT, WHAT COULD BE FINER. I ALSO AGREE, A VIEDO ABOUT AZZIE, WOULD BE FANTASTIC, PLEASE CONSIDER IT. IT IS FALL HERE, BUT A VERY HOT ONE, WAITING FOR IT TO COOL DOWN, SO YOUR BLOG HELPS. KEEP THEM COMING. DESIREE CREARY.
Very lovely! Here, in Connecticut, we’ve taken grandchildren to pick apples in a nearby orchard. Then, it’s applesauce or tarts or eating them out of hand. But, suddenly, there’s a rush of goodness: pears that are fully ripe and a half bushel of apples from a generous bed and breakfast host, and there’s no avoiding the rush to use the harvest wisely. Then the last tomatoes and peppers. It’s a wonderfully creative time to cook and to share and to thank God for His beautiful bounty!!
Thank you for your lovely descriptions of life at Highclere,with your dogs. As a child I travelled regularly to and fro from Andover to Reading passing Highclere on route.
I have never visited Highclere but would love to,- perhaps 2018. Paula
Thank you – do come and see us!