Shaftesbury is perched high on a chalky hill some 200m above sea level and overlooks the beautiful Blackmore Vale in the southern County of Dorset. It was my home for a period of six months during my back-packing time of the late ’80s. I stopped there for a short visit but ended up staying and getting a job to earn some more travel money. My first position was as a groom to the Assistant Huntsman looking after his four hunting horses and I had the pleasure of exercising them within the vicinity of the stunning Stourhead Gardens. The second position was to assist a family renovate their collection of historic buildings at nearby Melbury Abbas, Sturminster Newton and Blandford Forum.
Shaftesbury is most well known for the historic, cobblestone street that climbs up the hill and is lined with old, thatch roofed cottages. The street is ‘Gold Hill’ and remembered fondly in the TV advertisement for Hovis bread during the 1970s and ’80s. On the other side of the hill there is another road that climbs up the steep incline and is called Zigzag Hill. It’s narrow, steep and windy and best avoided when black ice is about or you could find yourself skidding straight for a truck – yes, that was my experience!
Love Shaftesbury as much as I do? Framed Art Poster Print by Jon Arnold
Clervaux is situated snuggly in the Clerve Valley approximately 60km north of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. It is a medieval market town surrounded by dense woodlands and situated on the Clerve River. There are two main attractions in Clervaux. The first, the Clervaux Castle, locally known as the ‘Burg Clerf’. It houses the famous exhibition of photos collected by Edward Steichen, called ‘The Family of Man’.
The second, is the Clervaux Church, a Benedictine Abbey of Saint Maurice and St.Maur, built in 1910 in Romanesque-burgundian style. It dominates the valley and town of Clervaux and when you first see it from a distance you get a strong impression of the Abbey. With the valley, hillsides and woodlands, these two buildings make for a fairytale setting.
One great reason to visit Clervaux is for for its peaceful, non-commercial setting in a very pretty valley surrounded by woodlands and with some interesting landmarks to visit.
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