Last Christmas Eve back home in New Zealand I shared a photo on instagram of Alfriston where we were collecting strawberries from…a while later Sian from Gluten Free Mrs D asked if I had visited Alfriston in England as it was a beautiful spot and from that moment on, I was determined to visit!
So a few weeks ago, I popped down to Alfriston in East Sussex and then onto my old home town of Arundel in West Sussex. The first stop on this rainy Saturday morning was Alfriston…I wasn’t too sure sure what to expect so did what any sensible young lady would do….
…I ate cake…
…and promptly fell in love with this great quote!
After a spot of sugar, a cuppa and a wee (it was a long drive from Bedford to Alfriston!)...it was time to become a ninja tourist…basically I was trying to dodge raindrops…
…that kept finding my camera…
…but this Kiwi is pretty determined to get a photo or two of some wobbly buildings.
How gorgeous is this pub, the George Inn…
…I’m not a big pub person (weirdly I visited 2 pubs last weekend in Bedfordshire…that is probably the most I’ve visited in one year!)….
…honestly he didn’t have a bad side to photograph…
…are pubs boys?!?!…castles are girls right??!? Well it is called George!
Continuing down the cute little high street that has a few little boutique shops to explore (and they are worth exploring!)…
…and then I stumbled on a few more little cafes selling cake (seriously Alfriston is good for exploring and cake eating!)…
…finally I found a little sign pointing me in the direction of why I was visiting Alfriston (and you thought it was only for cake….so so so wrong…I can be cultured occasionally!)
First stop was the church…let’s go for a little snoop inside…
…mind the wild flowers…luckily my giant clown feet didn’t kill any…phew…
…stopping for a little church shoefie (it’s all about the harvest!)…
…admiring the pretty windows…
…and floral displays that the ladies were working on…chatting away quietly to each other…
…stopping to read this remembrance message of a solider killed at El Alamein in Egypt at only 20 years of age…so young…the El Alamein memorial along with Tobruk in Libya are very special spots to visit if you ever get a chance…so many sons lost their lives in foreign lands…
…and then I was saddened to see another church requiring money for restoration work…why are so many churches in England in this state at the moment?!?
You’ll probably think me weird (possibly even weirder if you’re a long time reader) but I love tip toeing around graveyards…looking at the inscriptions on headstones, trying to work out the persons story…
…each one unique in their own special way…
…beautifully maintained…
…often with views overlooking the village!
Next stop was the Alfriston Clergy House…come this way while minding the rain drop on the photo…
…yes a wobbly thatched house you can enter…
…the Alfriston Clergy House is a National Trust property which you can enter for free if you’re a member…don’t worry…I’ll take one for the team and get a soggy bottom…it was pouring cats and rather fat dogs….
…the door without my umbrella…super cute right?!?!…
…and it was actually the National Trusts very first property in their portfolio….
…so if you’re a huge National Trust fan then make sure you pop in…if you can’t make it, don’t fret…follow me…
…take a moment to sniff the flowers…
…and mind your head…it hurts…trust me I know…5’11 doesn’t bode well in old wobbly houses.
The Alfriston Clergy House is a 14th century Wealden Hall House…so you have a comfy living space…
…and then a rather large hall area…
…the house was in desperate need of repair when the National Trust acquired it so some of the repairs aren’t quite what they should be…
…including the lack of a loo!
So you know the oak leaf emblem of National Trust…see if you can spot it in this photo…
…they say that the gentleman that designed the emblem visited the property for inspiration and lo and behold the leaf appeared as the NT symbol and is still used today. The leaf in the woodwork is the wood workers signature as he probably couldn’t read or write so he left his signature with a tiny design in the wood that he was working in…in this case it was oak.
I spent a long time chatting with one of the volunteers at the Clergy House whom was so knowledgeable…we chatted for so long that his tea was cold and needed to be replaced…
…a real English first world problem folks!
Leaving the church and Clergy House behind me…I wandered off back to the high street…all the while feeling like I was getting watched….
…then I spotted him…
…waved and took a photo of the big bad monster who then decided to be camera shy…they do say never work with kids or animals!
Now if the George Inn is busy…just walk across the road to this little pub, The Star Inn…
…how cute is this couple, I just couldn’t resist.
It seemed like it was perfect basket carrying weather…
…and for taking a horse ride!
If only I could have fitted in a scone but I was still filled to the brim from my piece of cake…
…so I did what I do best…I took some photos of doors…
…my obsession with doors is bad, I know…
…I’ve stopped buying shoes but started photographing doors…
…do I need help?!?!
Travel Tips for Alfriston, East Sussex
- The Alfriston Clergy House is a National Trust property; members can tour the house for free otherwise it’s £5.15 pp to enter…you can read more about the different British Heritage passes you can buy here.
- I popped into Badgers Tea House for a slice a gluten free cake; they had one cake option when I visited however I did check out Chestnuts of Alfriston menu and they had loads of gluten free options.
- The post office also has a deli at the back of the shop and a number of gluten free products including flours, pastas etc…very random but was rather happy to see this so if you’re staying in the area then just pop into the village store to pick you gluten free supplies.
- The village has a number of cute little independent shops that always need supporting; a must see is Much Ado Books…along with all those yummy tea rooms!
- I would recommend sensible shoes just because you will be walking around a bit; there are two car parks which you will need cash to pay for…they are an easy walk into the village.
- I would recommend hiring a car to visit Alfriston as there are plenty of other gorgeous spots to visit around East Sussex like St Leonards and Hastings.
- You can read more about East Sussex on the Visit Sussex Tourist website.
xx
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