Trifter

William Blake wrote Jerusalem as a short poem in 1808, it was set to music in 1916 by Sir Herbert Parry, and it recounts the story of Jesus visiting England and is a stirring patriotic song many feel should be the English national anthem.  To the patriotic Englishman it sums up a little insignificant island that created a major empire, and saved Europe from itself at least three times.

Add to that the passionate speech of Queen Elizabeth I.  “I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart of a king, and of a king of England, too“, as she faced the Spanish Armada in 1588 and ultimate defeat but with the help of God, and the appalling weather, destroyed a world power.  You may begin to understand why the English feel a little superior to the rest of the world our history is written in our blood.

Patriotism has become a difficult word for the English to justify, though we are proud of our history we also carry a guilt complex, we have difficulty celebrating our history now we are part of Europe recent foes are now our friends.  It has been over a thousand years since England was occupied by a foreign power, though we have invited foreign kings to take power.

When people visit England they come to see its history, castles, museums and entertainment, they know it is a “Green and Pleasant Land“, from the windows of their aeroplanes, coaches and railway carriages,  But is that the real England, the traditional England of men and women who gave Queen Elizabeth I, the, “Heart and stomach of a king?”

To see England and the people at their best you need to travel away from the historic centres and enjoy the company of the English when they are not standoffish, when they are at their best, and want to know about you and your culture.  Visit a country fete where you can throw balls in a coconut shy, clobber a rat escaping from a drainpipe, not a real rat of course but a stuffed sock.  Throw a wet sponge at an off-duty policeman locked in the stocks.  It is silly; it is fun, traditional and the English at play.

You may not understand cricket but take the time to visit a village cricket match.  There is not the cut and thrust of a professional match but there is nothing like sitting in a deckchair drinking tea and eating cucumber sandwiches to the sound of nature, a warm breeze, and a leather ball hitting a willow bat.  The only excitement will be the call of howz that and the sudden flurry of excitement as a batsman leaves the oval and another takes his place.  It is all terribly slow and relaxed.

Take the time to visit a traditional English country pub.  The beer takes a little getting use to and the food can be exceptional, and it does not take long before someone will ask you where you are from and where you have visited.  They may even suggest places to visit that are not shown on the guide map.  If you ride, hire a hack for a couple of hours riding through the lanes and a canter across open fields, if fun and very English.  There is no better way to see the English countryside and its patchwork of fields and small villages than from the back of a horse.  You will meet a wide variety of people on horseback, from the gentry with their clipped English accent, to the local people whose accent may be difficult to understand, to children of all ages who appear to be glued to the horse with or without a saddle.

You might visit a steam show with monstrous growling Victorian traction engines and smaller quarter size working models or travel on one of the many rescued steam railways and gently steam through the green countryside.  You might enjoy a trip on a train, served with fish & chips or a full four-course meal on a Pullman, and imagine that Agatha Christie’s Poirot is nearby solving a crime.  The reality is he might be and you are involved, and will help bring the criminal to book.

If that is a little too racy for you then dress for the countryside and watch a traditional-ploughing match, the competition is fierce though the atmosphere friendly and, the site of a dozen or more heavy horses pulling a plough is something you may only see once in a lifetime.

There is much to see in rural England that is unsurpassed.  The architecture, the villages and market towns with their weekly markets, many that goes back to ancient times.  A gymkhana, eventing, point to point, agricultural museums, brewing, traditional crafts, castles, guided walks and if you have energy remaining for the evening a tradition tea-dance or show or you can relax and listen to the music at a bandstand.

Once you have done London, the museums, art galleries, Royal Palaces, shops, and Shakespeare Country, take the time to spend a few days in rural England it has a great deal to offer.