On 17 July members of the Salisbury and Ringwood groups met for a walk around the historic village of Britford, which lies adjacent to the river Avon just to the south of Salisbury , followed by lunch at the farm shop cafe.
Judy Howles was looking after her daughters family’s dog so she also accompanied us and appears in the photos.
Sheila White, Salisbury LO, educated us all about the history of Britford and its royal connections to Edward the Confessor . We visited the church which contains Roman and Saxon fabric. The place name indicates that there was once a ford here; the river is not fordable now . There was also once a ferry and footpaths lead to its location either side of the river – but no means of getting across for many years.
The land in and around the village is owned by the Earl of Radnor. and we looked at the family mausoleum in the church yard with its coat of arms and Latin inscription Patria Cara Carior Libertas.
We gathered on a bridge over a channel of the Avon. There is an extensive system of water meadows in the parish and a trout farm.
There were 16 of us ( plus dog) for lunch at the farm shop which is noted locally for its delicious quiches, soups and cakes.
