Welcome to the crazy one-hundred miles an hour world of cocker spaniels! Where everything is super exciting and it’s impossible to walk anywhere or calmly do anything. Where the world is just so dramatic all of the time!
Leaving Devon
Our housesit in Exeter was only a few days and we were soon on another train through Devon, Somerset and Dorset returning to the county of Wiltshire and the charming little village of Tisbury. Our current run of shorter sits had only really come-about due to a long-term, multi-week stay being cancelled but we were still enjoying the slightly hectic lifestyle currently. We generally try and book two week stays, or longer, as it works better with our travel budget. It’s really not feasible to be travelling every few days for short stays.
Tisbury and the Spaniels
Sounds like a really cool band doesn’t it? Well Tisbury is a small village not far from Salisbury with a couple of thousand residents, a few shops, and a couple of pubs. No superstores. No Starbucks. No fast food. A very old-fashioned little English rural village with everything you could possibly need.
The village is over 1300 years old, created by the Saxons around 705 but it’s had a very quiet history since then. I guess the most famous thing about it is that Rudyard Kiplings parents are buried here. Not that astounding (sorry Jo for the big history let-down). My favourite things about the area are the crazy, seemingly made-up names of places. Don’t believe me? How about these amazing Harry Potter-like locations;
- Fonthill Gifford
- Barford St Martin
- Donhead St Andrew
- Gutch Common
- Sixpenny Handley
and the list could just go on and on ……….
Our new home for the week was a mile away where we met and had supper with James, Helen and family. they were off to Myanmar for a big holiday and we would be doing the first weeks housesitting before handing over to a long-time friend of theirs. Their fabulous farmhouse nestled in the Wiltshire countryside with a fabulous little Airbnb apartment over the stable-garage where we would be staying the first night. Stunning place.
We usually restrict ourselves to a single dog to care for but here we had the pleasure or looking after Mowgli and Maggie, two black cocker spaniels. Mowgli was the older slightly calmer of the pair with Maggie the absolute full-on excitable younger partner-in-crime. Although I make them sound slightly out of control they were a joy to be with and pretty well behaved.
Another short housesit
Unfortunately we were only scheduled to stay with Mowgli and Maggie for 4 nights making it the second shortest stay after our previous Exeter experience with Kyie. The house was big and comfortable with an amazing garden for the dogs to play in but the weather wasn’t kind and it was fairly wet most of the week. Undeterred we threw on raincoats, boots, wet-weather trousers etc and headed out daily across the local fields.
The dogs were desperate to get off-lead and chase pheasants but we just couldn’t risk letting them go as we feared that they’d never ever return. Why would they? But the scenery was immense with rolling hills and valleys interspersed with so many footpaths and bridleways, Wiltshire really is a beautiful county.
Unfortunately the biblical rainstorms and terrible weather continued for days so as nice as the walks were it was generally a relief to get back inside and grab a coffee and some dry clothes. Such a shame that our time in this fabulous house couldn’t be appreciated a little more especially as the garden was equally impressive. As in many of our housesits we hope that we’ll get invited back again for a longer stay perhaps during the summer months.
Another sad goodbye to old friends
Not people! Oh no. This was far sadder. My old trainers came to the end of their lives and had to be put down as well as a couple of tee-shirts and a sweatshirt that suddenly seemed to be mightily huge. That’s what happens when you get all healthy and lose a little weight. The up-side to this sad situation was a trip into Salisbury and some Jonno-shopping (doesn’t happen often) to replace the sweatshirt and get some new boots for the winter.
And yes they may be the same design of boots yet again but is that a problem?
22/09 – 27/09/2019
JWalking 
Great post 😁
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Thanks, very nice of you to say so.
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Lovely part of the country. After Westies, cocker spaniels and miniature schnauzers are my favourite breeds. My sister-in-law now has her second blue roan called Millie. She’s an adorable three year old but completely crazy at times!
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It’s an often forgotten part of England I think, most people just drive through on the way to the west country. Spaniels are a little crazy, very lovable but completely nuts.
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Great read.
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Thanks so much for the kind comment.
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If it works, don’t knock it. It is so difficult to find comfortable boots – I have bought the same pair 6 times now!
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Exactly. Nothing wrong with sticking to something you like is there although I seem to take a lot of stick from everyone over it.
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An old fashioned rural village in the heart of England sounds idyllic, even in the rain.
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It’s not too shabby is it? Beautiful views and very friendly people at every turn. The rain doesn’t spoil it at all really.
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Ahh, nothng like the smell of wet dog…
😉
Just have to put in a plug for Springer Spaniels…They may have ‘wet mouths’ but are definitely more mellow and kid-friendly than Cockers! Glad you got to enjoy some doggie time on this past house-sit.
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Always enjoy doggie-time, well usually depending on the dog. All spaniels seem to be quite loving with a hint of manic excitement don’t they?
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Oh yeah…
😉
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I thought Tisbury sounded familiar. May have seen a road sign on our UK road trip a couple of years back. We visited Salisbury Cathedral.
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Salisbury is lovely isn’t it? But we’ve all just driven past these lovely little villages haven’t we? Its one of the things we are attempting to put right now by staying all over the country in smaller locations.
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We stopped by Old Sarum before we visited the cathedral. I loved the view of Salisbury from there!
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Beautiful county and fabulous part of England.
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Even in the rain it sounds so idyllic. Yet another one to visit!
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It’s one of those lovely traditional English villages that just seems to exist and continue regardless of the rest of the world.
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Hadn’t heard of Tisbury but that house looks fabulous! Definitely worth a repeat visit, Jonno 🙂 🙂
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Definitely. Have to keep in touch and hope that we left a good impression.
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What a perfectly gorgeous place.
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It was lovely, like an old fashioned English oasis. A lovely place to live if we ever settle down.
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Great place to stay, some history, a couple of fab dogs, good walking and new boots! whats not to love?? 🙂
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Ha it was pretty much perfect except that we could have stayed double the time.
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Every time I’ve been to Wiltshire it’s rained! I think that’s just the way it is there. I do love English village names though – Queen Camel and Warninglid are two of my favourites.
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It does get a little wet at times but it’s a beautiful county. The villages are completely crazy though as you say. All like Scrabble mistakes.
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I think those 5 names were the band members of Tisbury and the Spaniels. I’m pretty sure Donhead was the drummer! You have to get invited back so you can share more of Tisbury with us.Sounds almost Utopian.
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It’s a fabulous village and hopefully they won’t forget us in the future.
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Sounds like a quintessential English village to me and a lot of fun with the dogs despite the rain. I can imagine short stays are hard work in some ways but good on you for filling in your time and getting on with it after the disappointment of a cancellation. Love the photos of the house and surrounds!
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It’s always tough when you get a cancellation as suddenly you’re under pressure with less time. Just had another cancellation for end of December so got to get busy with that now, part of the life I guess.
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That house and in fact the apartment looks fab.
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They were absolutely wonderful. Just a shame we were only there for a week.
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I’m sure you will get asked back
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