We had a really lovely afternoon in Brill recently. We’d never
been there before but having seen photos of the windmill on
Instagram we knew it looked right up our street.
Up in the Aylesbury Vale district, it was an easy
45 minute journey along the M40 to J7 and then a
scenic drive for the last 10 miles.
The windmill (post mill is its actual title) dates back
to the 17th Century and is one of the most ancient
and valuable in the country. Although no longer a
working mill, it has been restored and is open to
the public on Sundays, 2 pm - 5 pm from Easter to
end of September*.
I’d printed off directions for a 4.5 mile circular
walk starting from the windmill. The directions got
a little confusing at times so it made for a great
adventure (not to my husband’s amusement, he doesn’t par ticularly like my adventures). It
took us past Leatherslade Farm, used as a hideout for the Great Train Robbers of 1963, and
then up a narrow path which was full of stinging nettles.
After many screams of ouch, ouch and ouch again, we turned back to retrace our steps as
the path was getting more and more overgrown. Maybe the path isn’t used very much, or
maybe all the rain we have had recently has made the nettles grow to a magnificent height.
Either way, Roy said I was inappropriately dressed for walking through stinging nettles so our
circular walk was abandoned.
We did manage to make it to The Pointer pub though. Located in the centre of the village
it’s more of a gastro pub/restaurant, has accommodation and its own butchers shop/deli. It
looked very inviting. The shop is only open Wednesday to Saturday and Brill market is located
beside The Pointer every Saturday morning.
All Saints church (next door to The Pointer) were serving afternoon cream teas but we opted
for a beer in the pub garden.
We saw four tandems and their riders cycling through the village, is that a common thing
or were we lucky to spot them? Either way we’ve never seen four tandems together before.
We also spotted a sparkling elephant weather vane and fresh garden flowers for sale on a
windowsill.
We got the impression Brill has a great
community spirit, set on top of a hill, with
stunning views of the countryside. We highly
recommend you all pay a visit.
*charges apply. Visit http://www.brillwindmill.org/ for further
information or email [email protected]
Helen Gerrish Editor
hiyabucks.com
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