Day Trip

My friend Stephanie moved to England right before I did earlier this year and started up UK Wild Adventures, a company organizing fun activities to the countryside from London. I've been meaning to go on a trip but it’s been a bit hectic. However it finally worked out this past weekend!

I made my way to Euston and met up with Stephanie, Paul and the rest of the group. We got on the train and about 40 mins later, we were in Tring, a small town northwest of London. This is where we started our 9 mile Ashridge hike.

It started out beautiful. The sun was coming through the clouds, I had my DSLR around my neck, and was about to trek through the English countryside. We made our way through forests and fields. We took our lunch break on a massive fallen tree. I was definitely enjoying myself outside of the city. About 6.5 miles later, we came upon one of our stops along the hike—Frithsden Vineyard.

 

Here we tried some delicious English wine; 2 whites (Solaris and Phoenix) and a Rosé. The Rosé was a bit darker than your typical Rosé and was defnitely good. It’s made from the Rando grape. After our tastes, the owner gave us a guided tour of the vineyard and winery. All the while enjoying some more Phoenix. Unfortunately we saw some damage to some of the Phoenix vines from a frost in early May. This of course drove me to purchase a bottle of the Phoenix since they wouldn’t have much next year. During the tour we also got a preview of their soon to be sparkling wine—Frithsden Fizz.

After the tour was complete (and a little drizzle), we continued on our hike to our final destination—The Rising Sun pub in Berkhamsted. After a few more miles hiking, a cider and ploughman's really hit the spot. The cozy armchair also didn’t hurt.

A very successful Sunday if I don’t say so myself.