From A Moody Mare To A Cow Parsley Gate

Today we thought we would try a new hostelry for our libations so we headed out to the rather magnificently named The Moody Mare at Mereworth. It sits between nearby woodland and a busy main road called Seven Mile Lane, which should be sued under the Trade Descriptions Act  as it's actually less than six miles long! We've passed it on many occasions but not actually gone in so today was our chance to make up for that omission.
We were greeted warmly and with a lovely smile by a member of staff who when we requested our particular pints answered "Of course you can", which we always take as a good omen and this proved to be no exception. It's a classic country pub with almost Tardis like proportions as it also has a cosy restaurant, a function room, an expansive garden and even a heated tipi set in its own private paddock! We didn't manage to catch sight of the tipi on this particular visit but after such a lovely welcome we're determined to return in the future for a better look around and try the food after taking a quick glance at the inviting looking menu.
Once we had finished our pints we returned part of the way we came and took a small detour to the nearby village of West Peckham which we couldn't remember ever having visited before.
What a wonderfully atmospheric little village! It has a glorious village green surrounded by picture perfect country cottages, oast houses and a pub (The Swan, which is currently under threat of closure but which the locals are trying to save so that it will become community run) and if you took out the cars and some of the modern accoutrements you feel it would have looked exactly the same 150 years ago.
Unfortunately the sun of the last few days had disappeared to be replaced by very overcast skies but we were still grateful to be in such evocative surroundings as we sauntered around the village. My main image is a view back across the green through a wrought iron gate with a sprinkling of accompanying cow parsley back towards the village's church, St Dunstan's. I just like the way the gate divides up the background and the cow parsley looks quite ethereal against the dark lines of the wrought iron. The extra is looking up from the path to the church's entrance and past a lantern towards the slightly crooked spire.
We thought we should take the scenic route back home and so embarked on a tour of the meandering country roads leading from the village. It took us through some places we'd never heard of before - my particular favourite was a village called Crouch - and there were almost no signs of the over development we have had in our part of the county, with fabulous views over open countryside, before we arrived back to what felt like unwelcome civilisation! :-)