West Sussex ....

After a lovely week in Wiltshire we went on our way to West Sussex and had a stop at the garden centre Wyevale in Crawley.

 Where not only we had a latte with delicious cake, but also bought some plants including this gorgeous Oriental Poppy ....

Next stop before reaching our cottage for the upcoming week was the lovely village Amberley .... 

 With its own Amberley Village Tearoom ....

Where we had a delicious high tea in the most gorgeous setting ....

The next day we braved the climb to Leith Hill to admire the views from the highest point in South-East England ....

This was our view before the heavens opened ....

Another destination I already decided at home I really wanted to visit was Monk's House .
Not only was I impressed by the beautiful garden but also the atmosphere as if the Woolf's still live there.
I would love to share all the beauty seen at this house and garden in another blog post with you.
So for now a photo of the wonderful conservatory ....

When in East Sussex a visit to the town Lewes is a real must. With the most gorgeous homes on every corner ....

And shops of course, one of my favourite must be this one Closet & Botts ....

Following so much people on Instagram and sharing my travels daily with them resulted in many tips for the best spots to visit.
Like having lunch at this lovely place, Flint Owl Bakery ....

After the day spend in this lovely town (and spend way to much money) we went to Ditchling Beacon and adored the panoramic views ....

And on our way back this field full of poppy's as a wonderful bonus ....

After my question on Instagram where to go for my search for another piece of Hogben Pottery , I was sent to a store in the village Cranleigh .
How much fun my visit to this gorgeous shop One Forty turned out to be. Not only I bought a lovely jug, but more important meeting the lovely Steph, who I follow on Instagram for a long time now, in person.
It was such a wonderful surprise to meet this lovely lady and also how she arranged the 'VIP treatment' to have a first look at the just arrived stock that didn't even made it to the store yet.
How I love this little community in my phone ....

It makes the jug even more special, because every time I'll fill it with flowers reminds me of this wonderful day ....

Steph also told me I should really visit a village near, called Shere thinking I would really like it. She was so right, it was a shere delight ....

Lovely shops, cottages and (cottage) gardens ....

How time flies when you are having fun because before we knew it was already our last day. I couldn't leave before I payed a visit to the gorgeous shop of Lucy, The Country Brocante Store in Midhurst .... 

And couldn't leave before buying this lovely vintage Birds book first .... 

On our way back to the cottage we passed the picturesque village Petworth .... 

Where there's still village life with all those little shops and where everyone seems to know each other ....

What a pleasant surprise it was to also drive past thelovely Wisborough Green I know from the Vintage on the Green through facebook.
We've sat at the pond feeding the ducks, so tranquil and the perfect way to end a wonderful holiday ....

Home again where these beauties (also bought at the garden centre in Crawley) every time I enter my front door, reminds me of a wonderful holiday ....

And at the same time realising how fortunate we are, because tonight we're leaving for our next break .... on our way to la douce France!

Happy Friday, have a lovely weekend.

Anita

 ~xo~ 

This year's escape ....

Thinking about it a little longer it must sound like a weird title, but to me it's a real escape from daily life and at the same time having a great desire to make it part of my daily life onetime.

England has conquered my heart, just look at that (every time again) overwhelming view on our arrival after a only two hours boat ride ....

After a long drive we arrived at "our home" for our first week (in Devon) and as if we had stumbled into an episode of Escape to the Country  when we saw the surroundings of Crosslands Dairy .
With also the most gorgeous garden ....

Where obviously this lovely bunch came from ....

But also geraniums in almost every windowsill ....

And our wonderful view from the cosy living room ....

And this was our view from the kitchen window, as if I was home ....

Even managed to photograph my first ever swallow ....

And this summerly scene just around the corner, poppies as far as the eye reached ....

The next day we had our first of the only two rainy days on this holiday. And as we were still a bit tired of the journey we decided to make a short drive to the beautiful city Exeter and ended up at Bill's for lunch. Where not only the shop its appearance is gorgeous, so is the food ....

Next on our list was to visit  Dartmoor National Park where we were once before, four years ago, while visiting England as a family.
I've got sweet memories of our visit to the beautiful village Moretonhampstead so we took it along in our route....

And again visited the cutest tea room ever where it seems as nothing was changed, still as if you're in a cosy living room where everyone seems to know each other, The Gateway Tea Room ....

The lovely town is really the gateway to the High Moor because not long after we left the little town this was one of our many stunning views ....

And not only sheep on our way but also these beautiful Dartmoor Ponies ....

On our way through the park we also passed Two Bridges ....

And also here the beautiful foxglove which I encountered in almost every hedgerow on our way through England ....

And curious by the sight of this we visited the beautiful village Widecombe in the Moor ....

And its beautiful church also known as Cathedral of the Moors where I really loved the
roof bosses and the view through the windows on the rolling green hills ....

and the impressive cemetery ....

Another "must" being in Devon was a visit to the picturesque village Clovelly where the walk towards already was so very beautiful ....

And what came after didn't disappoint either ....

After our hike down on the cobbles we reached the small but lovely harbour, it really felt like a step back in time ....

Just had to take a picture of this man , which I think also was a tourist, but perfectly fitted in the whole setting of this gorgeous spot ....

We ended our visit on a terrace having Devon cream tea with this view, we easily could have stayed all day on this gorgeous spot ....

Being so near Cornwall I just wanted to embrace a bit of the Poldark scenery along our way so we went to the beautiful small hamlet Port Quin - with at the coast Doyden Castle , these days leased as a dream holiday location by National Trust ....

Just can't find the right words to express how I was impressed by its enchanting atmosphere ....

Standing there - just the two of us - in the middle of the overpowering forces of nature ....

 

How lovely it would be to have all this on your doorstep and stay in Quin Cottage , one of the

former fisherman's cottages ....

A lovely lady I met on a fair also in England and since then a dear friend via Internet gave us the tip to visit the lovely town Topsham. Not only I loved all the wonderful shops but also the beautiful and very dutch looking gables of these houses ....  

As it was such a sunny and warm day we decided to end our day on Sandy Bay Beach and it really felt as if we were at the french riviera ....

Our last day in Devon we spent again in Dartmoor and stopped for lunch in the lovely village Chagford also known as "the jewel of Dartmoor".

I couldn't agree more, a beautiful village with all kinds of small shops. Another thing I love about England - the small shops aren't, as with us, disappeared from the streets.

Don't you just love this beautiful storefront from the local bakery ....

Our week in Devon went much to fast and we'll definitely return because there's still so much more to explore.

Luckily we still had a few days left in West Sussex where we would be meeting so much lovely people so no goodbye yet.

The journey towards was already so worthwhile ....

So yes, there will definitely be a part 2 ....

Till then!

Anita

~xo~