Ever since autumn rolled around and pumpkins began appearing on Instagram feeds, I pined after a typically autumnal day out, complete with crisp, orange leaves and plenty of foraging. However, a few unsuccessful days out at the beginning of October and we were almost ready to give up. It seems that spending too much time away from Burley and its whimsical charm resulted in us being struck with its very own curse: an evening in Brockenhurst finished early for lack of suitably cosy pubs, tea in Beaulieu ended with a very overpriced tab, and we soon realised that there really is no better place in England than our little village. Finally, with the Burley Cider Pressing Festival on a few weekends ago, we had no excuse to escape elsewhere.
What we didn’t expect to find was an entire fair tucked behind The Cider Pantry, complete with craft stalls offering flower arranging and wood carving; plenty of local food and drink including, of course, cider; as well as fairground rides, pumpkins and traditional fairground music. Before us, we had our very own Stars Hollow festival; it was wonderful and as seasonal as you can get. As for the cider, sampling wasn’t exactly on my list of ideas for the day but when I spotted a hot mulled version all of those hyggelig feelings from last year’s colder months returned. It was delicious and warming, and made me look forward to more hot drinks soon to come.
After a stroll around the fair and absorbing all of its quaintest, we were ready to continue our Burley adventure back in the centre of the village. Our ride there? A traditional tractor & trailer to finish off a wonderful afternoon. Burley always has something up its eccentric sleeve… Although it took a while for this idyllic day to happen, when it did, it was every bit as autumnal and quaint as I had wished for.
Have you had any typically autumnal days out so far this year?
Leave a Reply