Everyone will agree its been a hard and trying 18 months, lockdowns, travel bans, uncertainty and a feeling that it will never end.
The good news is that finally, we seem to be emerging from the doom and gloom surrounding the global pandemic. its not over yet, and more difficulty may be to come, but for now, we can begin to resume something of a normal life.
We decided to take a few days away, and explore an area that neither Susan or I have visited before, Dorset. Our home for our four day break was The Brace of Pheasants, a thatched pub in Plush, a hamlet in the heart of the county, some 20 minutes from the coast and surrounded by the rolling hills and verdant green countryside that this area is justifiably famous for.
Our companions for the holiday were Ian and Shelley, my brother and sister in law. the drive down from Lincolnshire took a leisurely 5 hours, with regular stops, the journey itself was not too trying, and we arrived at our destination, around 4pm in the afternoon. Our welcome from Phil and his staff was excellent, and we were showed to our room in the main building, ours, number 5 was absolutely lovely, complete with a four poster bed, huge bath, and views across the stunningly beautiful countryside, Ian and Shelley had room 8, similar to ours, but much darker, with only 1 smallish window, very much in keeping with the age of the building.
The facilities were much as you would expect, perfectly adequate, but not luxurious, and spotlessly clean. The bathroom was large and airy with a humungous double bath and a rainforest shower. Toiletries are provided and there were a good quality of towels. Susan’s only negative comment was that the towels were not of the best quality, and tea and coffee was somewhat limited.
The pub itself was much as you would expect of a thatched 16th century rural building, very cosy with beams and a fireplace. The restaurant offers a good selection of meals with locally produced produce (as far as possible) and the prices are on the expensive side. The meals were well prepared, and the service was very good. Regarding breakfast, and allowing for the new restrictions surrounding Covid-19, everything was brought to the table, as well as the traditional full english, you could also select from cereals, greek yoghurt, berries and granola. I have ot say that service was slow, mainly down to the fact the with 4 or five couples in the dining room, the lady who ran the service was rushed off her feet. Again the food was well prepared and plentiful.
The staff were so accommodating, nothing was too much trouble, and they tried very hard to make sure our stay was both relaxing and comfortable. Even though we were in rooms above the bar, we could hear no noise, except for cars leaving the car park. It was so refreshing to be in an area, with no street lighting, no big roads, and only the sounds of nature. One word of caution, mobile phone signal is near non existent, although the hotel does provide free wifi.
If you want a break away from it all, close to the famous Jurassic Coast, Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, Chesil Beach, and the Cerne Abbas Giant as well as Dorchester (Thomas Hardy Country), Weymouth and Lyme Regis, The Brace of Pheasants is an excellent choice. Our stay cost £476 for the Bed and Breakfast, and £134 for our evening meals on 2 of the nights and drinks.
