L'Abri

We arrived at L'Abri after a 7 hour bus ride that took us under the English Chanel. Very surreal experience. After much time and train hopping, we arrived in Liss, the closest town with a train station. The walk to Greatham from Liss takes about 45 minutes and we decided to take the scenic route through the heart of Liss forest. Hampshire, a county known for it's extreme beauty, is called the "garden of England" and it's landscape has inspired such writers as Gilbert White and Jane Austen, who both lived within 10 short miles of L'Abri. I hadn't been here in 7 years or so and when our path ended and the road came to a T, I forgot the way...It was raining, of course and our packs got heavier by the step. We went right, then left, and still I recognized nothing. Just then, as we neared the top of a small bridge, I saw them, like a beacon of hope. The many chimney stacks of the Manor House neatly tucked away in the trees. I smiled with confidence and Jeremiah breathed a sigh of relief. I took him the back way, to be dramatic through the ruins of a church built in 1282, past the graveyard and through the trees. Then, just passed the 800 year old oak tree, the flora opens up and there, situated in the middle of the beautiful landscape, lay the Manor House. Built in 1680, the Manor House is a proper English manor with several wings, stables, a schoolhouse and sunken garden. The outside is as breathtaking as the inside. But more on the life at L'Abri later, it's nearly tea time and also our last full day here. It has been surprising, this experience, we've met many amazing people, spent quality time with some very loved old friends, we've learned much and have eaten well. We leave here very reluctantly. L'Abri has truly has been a shelter, the meaning of its name.