Our long weekend started with a stressful journey to Axbridge through the heart of Coventry. The Satnav meant kindly probably, meaning to miss congestion, but I would happily have missed the feeling of doom I get from driving around lost inside a big city. A bad start. We stopped at a service station down the A46, I had a mulled apple drink at a neat Starbucks at Warwick Budbrooke, and we refuelled.

The rest of the journey including the M5 wasn't bad, but finding our holiday hideaway the Parsonage was. It was hidden away up a rough steep stony track the car protested traversing, the sign only saying Wells 10 miles. Tricky. The house itself was very appealing, full of character and narrow windy staircases. A 21-year old cat Rosie sat on the back of a chair. The friendly proprietress did full English breakfast in a dainty ornamented breakfast room. A great view down to the nearby reservoir. Not a lot of parking space, slight challenge reversing the car to get back down the trail in. We didn't get a key for the room which caused me perhaps unnecessary unease.

We ate in Axbridge itself at the Lamb Inn, I admired its charm and antiquity and oak beams as I had a Butcombe Ale pie.