Bath Chronicle

The village that puts a spring in your step

You’ll find a warm welcome in Freshford, finds IMOGEN MCGUCKIN who explores the village, just outside Bath, on a sunny day

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It’s no secret that somerset is a beautiful part of the world all year round. But some places really come into their own in spring, when green shoots are popping up and the lambs are playing in the fields.

Freshford, near Bath, is one such village you have to go and see – at any time, but especially with spring on its way.

I had never visited it before, but one sunny morning last week I headed down there for a look around.

At first, I was struck by how close it was to Bath, but also how you felt like you were in the middle of nowhere.

Narrow country lanes lead down to Freshford – through the neighbouri­ng village of Limpley stoke – and it feels like you’ve been transporte­d to the Alps.

I managed to park my car near the church on one of the steepest hills I’ve ever seen, then I set off to explore on foot.

There was no one about, so I had plenty of peace and quiet to look at the Old Brewery that towers over the village.

It was built in the 1800s and served around 14 pubs in Freshford. Nowadays, you can stay in the vaults which have been turned into self-catering apartments.

I continued along Dark Lane and came out opposite Freshford Church school, where some workmen were digging up the road.

As I had yet to see a single local person, I was beginning to feel a little bewildered, but took heart from a sign for the “village shop and cafe”.

I went past the school and down Church Lane, passing some beautiful snowdrops on the way.

Eventually, I reached the village hall. There was a building beside it that looked like a cafe, and that was when I realised where everyone was.

The sound of chatter drifted out through the door and, when I went inside, I found the place packed to the rafters.

But everyone was still socially distanced as a sort of marquee had been set up to extend the main body of the cafe.

trying not to draw attention to my outsider status, I sat down

quietly, and soon a friendly lady came to take my order. When my cappuccino arrived, I was delighted to see it was around twice the size of the average coffee in Bath.

slurping away, I looked around the shop and saw it was stocked with virtually everything you could possibly need. From antiseptic cream to baked beans, this place had it all.

I headed down to the back of the shop where I got chatting to Annette sharp, a senior volunteer at the shop and cafe called The Galleries.

“I’ve been helping out here nearly since the very beginning when the shop and cafe opened 13 years ago. The building takes its name from the field behind us, which has always been called Galleries.

“This place came about because both Freshford and Limpley stoke had lost their shops. Limpley stoke’s shop closed in 2005 and Freshford’s was still open but its closure had been announced.”

Annette went on to introduce

Wags Firmin, the chairman of the shop and cafe. He described how some “amazing local people” came together, forming the Freshford and Limpley stoke Community Associatio­n, and it has gone from strength to strength since then.

Fast forward 13 years and the cafe has so many customers they are going to extend it, Wags explained.

He pointed to a man and woman sitting by the window and said: “Jem and Maggie are in here nearly every day.”

“It’s a fantastic place,” Jem said. “I moved here 12 years ago from London and fell in love with it. It’s beautiful, there are so many walks and we’re working on rewilding too.”

Maggie praised the volunteers for their help during lockdown when they would deliver groceries from the shop to people around Freshford and Limpley stoke.

I learned that this was the kind of village where people still had an account at their local shop and everyone knew everyone else.

I even managed to grab a chat with cafe manager Aliya Aris, who came to The Galleries in 2020.

“This is very much a local hang-out but we’ve started to get a few holidaymak­ers too,” she said. “Last summer, we saw a big boom in visitors because Covid means people aren’t going abroad as much.

“We make all our dishes here, in the kitchen, and we don’t buy anything unless we absolutely have to.

“The villagers are great at bringing me fruit and vegetables they’ve grown themselves at home. They say ‘can you do anything with this?’ and I get buckets of radishes and rhubarb for free,” she said.

I took one last look around the shop, noticing some knitted cardigans and ducks – holders for creme eggs – sitting by the till.

A sign behind them said they had been made by “Vora”, in aid of Cancer UK. As I headed back out into the sunshine, I had a feeling that spring was definitely on its way.

I spotted some alpacas munching sleepily in a field by the roadside. Intrigued, I knocked on the door of a house nearby to ask who owned them, and a lady opened the door.

she was dressed in a smart red cardigan and explained that the alpaca man actually lived on the other side of Freshford.

“It’s such a shame they don’t use their wool for something,” she said.

I asked what her name was and when she told me it was Vora, I realised that she was the amazing knitter whose garments were for sale in the cafe.

Having just picked up the hobby myself, I asked how long she had been knitting and what else she could make.

“Oh, I’ve been doing it forever and I’m 90 now,” she said.

“I moved to this house in Freshford in 1956 and I’ve been here ever since. I have grandchild­ren in New Zealand that I knit little cardigans and jumpers for.”

Vora showed me the little flotilla of ducks she had made for Easter and said she was looking forward to spring.

I headed back towards Freshford along The tyning, taking in beautiful views of the brewery nestled among the Cotswold hills.

This village is a beautiful place to visit at any time of the year, but make the trip this spring and you won’t be disappoint­ed.

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 ?? ?? The Old Brewery in Freshford; below, Jem and Maggie are regular customers at The Galleries cafe
The Old Brewery in Freshford; below, Jem and Maggie are regular customers at The Galleries cafe
 ?? ?? Aliya Aris, left, is the manager of The Galleries cafe; Vora Peck, 90, is a knitting whiz, right
Aliya Aris, left, is the manager of The Galleries cafe; Vora Peck, 90, is a knitting whiz, right

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