posted on Thursday, June 08, 2006 3:44 AM
by
Endie
Rested
Having enjoyed myself on my last visit there, I booked the Glebe at Hownam for a few days of holiday. Having a four-bedroomed house in the middle of nowhere to themselves may not be everybody's idea of a great holiday, but I loved it: I like to be by myself. It helped that the sun shone almost constantly throughout. On Sunday (when I did a 34km hike down to England then cross-country back up again) factor 25 sun-cream was not enough to stop me getting just a little burnt on the bridge of my nose. Then, when I got back, it was into the burn alongside the house, the water of which was deliciously warm after days of sunshine (and packed with trout: I wish I'd brought a rod). Further walking, including some along Hadrian's Wall, made sure I was exhausted but relaxed the whole time. I ate almost every meal I could outside, be it barbequed, packed or just taken on the lawn by the burn.
Although I still have holidays in Italy in August and New England in September coming, I am already wondering if I can justify a further visit to Hownam this year. A huge advantage is that it is a little less than an hour's drive from my front door, with a following wind.
Here is the burn that I spent so much time in or around. It runs the length of the garden on one side:
Tranquil, no? I would pay well to have one of these babies installed chez moi.