We were ready to set off for Woodspring Priory - with one problem to solve. Mischief was at the top of the conifer in the back garden, about fifty feet up and wailing miserably! A squirrel who is not used to sharing "his" tree with kittens sat above her and chattered, is he telling her off or threatening her? Either way she is scared of him and he's bigger than her! Andrew eventually talks her down and kittens safely locked in we set off.  We stopped at the Bell Inn at Winslow for delectable gammon roast with all the trimmings - well worth a visit. before joining the motorway. The journey down was easy, no hold ups.

Woodspring Priory is a Landmark Trust building situated three miles outside Weston Super mare. We were the first of our party to arrive at around 4pm - just enough time for a look around before dark. The front door key was large about 10" long and very heavy. The dining room/kitchen was huge with a fireplace that you can walk straight in to. Looking up the chimney you could see daylight. The trestle table was large enough to seat ten comfortably with a vase of daffodils in bud to welcome us.

The living room was big and airy with high ceilings and comfy-looking sofa's and chairs and another huge fireplace. A door leads out to the hidden garden. A steep stone spiral staircase takes us up to the next floor where there are four bedrooms and a bathroom. From one of the bedrooms and the hallway there are windows with enticing views of the inside of the tower.

We continued onward and find another spiral staircase, in wood, leading us back down to a further bathroom and through a hall back into the kitchen. The whole place was charming with a lovely warm and friendly atmosphere.

The door under the stairs {when we find the right key} leads though to the tower and another lovely sitting room, these form the Priory Museum and are open to the public daily. There are various artefacts and old maps etc. The original ceiling of the tower was beautifully carved and very ornate. We explored this, then had a look around the enclosed garden and grounds. We found a little folly at the bottom of the garden with a stone seat cut into the sides and a turret roof, very pretty.

As it was starting to get dark we decided to unpack the car. As we unloaded the others drove up,  Nick, Gavin and Rick, Jennifer, Bernie and Dave. Our group is pretty much the same as last year, except as Nick put it we have swapped Sprog for Dave. They all greeted us and enquired after Sprog. There are oh's and ah's from all directions as they explored too. Gavin pulled up the trapdoor and jumped in to explore, there was another spiral stone staircase but leads to a wall - no luck with secret tunnels here then!

We all set off for a trip to Sainsbury's for supplies then a pint in a local pub followed by fish and chips in Papa's, recommended by some local folks in the pub - and by all of us too - delicious!

The stars are out tonight, we can't believe how bright and beautiful they are here. Back to the Priory we unpacked the shopping, Andrew lights the fire and we opened some wine and settled down to relax, read and chat in the sitting room for the rest of the evening.

Side View	The Tower

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