A rare day off with nothing planned so I hop on a bus and head for Chard, writes Dee Simpson. Why Chard? Well, why not? The 14-mile car trip should take around half an hour in the middle of the day, and for £3 each way the bus takes about 55 minutes. But today’s bus journey was quite the adventure.
Fridays are generally awful on the roads and this was no exception but because I love sitting on the top shelf which gives me a birds-eye view of the countryside, over the hedges into the fields, I appreciated the slower ride. I found myself giggling at Jeremy Clarkson’s sister from another mister chugging along the single-lane road in her hay baler in the opposite direction, just fast enough to ensure nobody could pass and slow enough to create a line of traffic two miles long. My giggle quickly stopped when we rounded a corner only to come up another person driving a farm-issue scoopy-thing at exactly the same pace. Country life at its best right there.
The bus route between Taunton and Chard will take you past farmlands, cornfields, and some really awesome thatched-roof homes, stopping at Ilminster (mental note to check that place out) then through Sea. Now don’t be disappointed at the absence of sea in Sea, however there was an intriguing road sign noting ‘Weak Bridge 420yds’ which I’ve added to the must see soon list once I work out how far a yard is. I want the scoopy-thing to cross that.
Eventually arriving in Chard, it was evident that although it’s nothing like historic Taunton and Wells, or seaside Lyme Regis, it has a slow and calm presence about it. There were plenty of cars around with people happily chatting and going about their Friday business, but nobody was in any sort of hurry.
Chard is uniquely famous for being the birthplace of powered flight thanks to pioneer John Stringfellow. It also played major roles in the wool trade, lace manufacture, and the protests around working conditions and rates of pay that escalated into riots during the 1800’s.
If you’re into nature walks and ornithology, there is Chard Reservoir and plenty of spectacular woodlands to explore, and The River Isle runs through Chard with roads sometimes becoming impassable due to flooding. Apparently this is caused by a fun ‘inefficient sewer system and water runoff issues’ combination situation, which is very unfortunate because Chard is geographically the highest town in Somerset.
But the one thing that really stood out for me was the selection of high-quality charity stores, and, before you roll your eyes I want you to know this is important in many ways. Firstly, I do love a charity store or Op Shop as they are known in Australia. If everyone made a conscious decision to reduce, reuse, and recycle the world would be a better place. Secondly, the current economic climate in the UK is thrusting more people into financial hardship than ever before, so the importance of charity stores is paramount. The attention given to visual merchandising, music selection, and pricing gets full credit in Chard, and the volunteers were truly delightful and very willing to help which warms my heart. Oh, and they all welcome dogs.
Verdict: The local bakery who made me a special Egg Salad Roll and the charity shops, the lady walking a dog with his emotional-support stuffy turtle and the staff in Costa coffee who let me pee for free. What Chard lacks in historic architecture, it makes up for in kindness. And because sometimes it’s more about the journey and less about the destination.
Dee is a native Queenslander living for now in Taunton.
Share