We went out for a little jaunt yesterday, my jaunting companion is thinking about moving house and is exploring possibilities. We had seen the details of a house which looked interesting, sufficient rooms of the right size, all other requirements, not small but not too big or too expensive. It was in an area we didn’t know, although once, many years ago, I may have passed through it on the way to somewhere else. It was just over an hour away and we chatted and gossiped as we travelled, pointing out things of interest to each other, thinking about things, planning things.
We turned off the main road and began to climb through a wooded, hilly area. The trees were very close to the road, mixed woodland, evergreen coniferous, and deciduous trees beginning to change colour and lose their leaves, rather late in the season we thought. There were signs for walkers, and bikers, and places to park so it was obviously a popular place for outdoor activities – forest bathing maybe! Other roads branched off, with unusually named destinations, reminding me of Cold Comfort Farm crossed with various works by Dennis Potter.
When we reached the town, it seemed closed. We saw no-one on the steep streets, not a lot of traffic and what we saw seemed to be passing through. Many of the shops and businesses seemed closed, those which were open appeared gloomy and unappealing. There was a surprising number of barbers’ shops, take-away restaurants and closed beauty parlours.
We found the house – it may have once been a small school, and from the outside it did seem interesting. We weren’t able to actually look round it – these days viewings are often only possible if you have your own property on the market – which we don’t. We drove round to look at it from the other side, and it certainly was lovely, but somewhat in the wrong position. The main road went past the front with the tiniest of space between the front door and the front gate, and another road going along the back of the house. It was interesting to see it all the same, and by no means a wasted journey. It would be a lovely place for someone with a different life-style.
A couple of miles away we found a very nice pub and had a very nice lunch. I managed to get lost on the way to the ladies’ room, and on the way back from the ladies’ room – but I did find the cleaners’ cupboard. My sense of direction is not as much at fault as my left/right confusion.
We set off home, back through the forest. Somehow it seemed very sinister now, the trees appearing to lean over us, I din’t see anything in the undergrowth but I felt as if there were creepy eyes upon us – it wasn’t a bit like the Teutoberg Forest (aka the Varian Disaster of September 8-11th 9 AD, when Roman legions were slaughtered in an ambush by Germanic tribes) but I definitely had that vibe. My companion didn’t feel exactly the same but agreed it was very creepy.
We left the forest, left the spooky uplands and accessed the motorway and were soon heading home. Unexpectedly there was the most fabulous rainbow – we’d had a lovely day out, quite an adventure!
Lois Elsden 
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