Snowdrop Walk

The fragile snowdrops scattered around West Wycombe Park were the first signs of spring even though the weather was cold and damp. We followed the map given at the entrance, passing the Manor House of the famous Dashwood family. The house, in a distinctive yellow colour, stands graciously on the top of a slope dominated by the whole landscape.  Built between 1740 and 1800 by Sir Francis Dashwood the house is set within a landscaped park containing many temples and follies. The first temple, hidden behind the house and very easy to miss is the Temple of Apollo or Cockpit Arch where cock fights took place.  Following the map, we passed a big ditch, a Ha Ha, a ditch to stop livestock straying onto the estate. At the end of the ha ha route there was the first folly, something we hadn’t seen on our previous visit, an octagonal tower built in the local stone, painted in the distinctive yellow and called the Temple of the Winds. The design of the temple resembles the Tower of the Winds in Athens.

From the temple we turned left towards the lake, created from the River Wye in the form of a Swan.  In the middle of the lake, surrounded by calm waters and relaxing swans, lies the Temple of Music inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Rome.  Sir Francis Dashwood , 2nd Baronet, embarked on an Italian Grand tour visiting villas of the Italian Renaissance which  he wished to reproduce on his own estate.

After a short walk along the lake we came across another temple  – the Temple of Daphne, modelled on a small temple on the Acropolis. It was surrounded by snowdrops in full bloom. I am sure there were more follies and temples scattered around the estate as we keep discovering them on each visit.

West Wycombe Park is an excellent place to get immersed into English history, learning about the past and how it shaped the present of West Wycombe. The Dashwood family still lives on the estate and you can see them occasionally.  Entry to West Wycombe Park is £10 for adult and the price includes a visit to the Manor House which is open from 1 st April – 31 st August. During the winter time there are snow drop walks and the entry is £2.50 without a visit to the House. Dogs and picnics are not allowed.

Cave Churches in Greece

It was pitch dark even with the candles that burned on the right, close to the entrance. The three of us deliberated whether to venture further into an unknown without any torch or light, worried how long the dark would last for and what was at the end of the dark. Suddenly we saw a spider creature walking towards us. The creature was huge and it was talking but not in a language we could understand. We decided to exit and find some comfort in the strong sunlight.

We were in Greece, on our annual holiday exploring Kasandra, the first peninsula of Halkidiki. It was the end of September and the mornings were overcast which gave us an excellent excuse to explore various villages. We went in search of the famous Byzantium Castle in Nea Fokea only to end up finding another church by mistake, when taking a wrong turn and seeing the entrance door with a cross on top.  It looked like a church to us until we entered.

The small porch was covered in icons, with a place to light candles and a money box secured with a strong padlock, and was big enough for one person to stand up in. In the middle of the porch there were steep stone steps going down into the dark, the unknown.

After hearing the noise from the darkness and deciding to go outside, we sat under a fig tree discussing if we should go and find what was at the end of the black tunnel when the huge creature in the shape of a German appeared in front of us.

“Is the tunnel long?” – was our first question.

“No – but it’s dark. And you have to go on your knees at the end.”

“What’s at the end?”

“A prayer room.”

I was quick to dismiss the adventure as I consider myself mildly claustrophobic – I hate the noise of a plane door being shot or taking a lift to the 53rd floor (as in China).  Crouching in the dark cave to see a prayer room wasn’t appealing to me…but then who knew when I might be going back to Greece and to this place?

You start walking through a narrow tunnel by standing, then crouching and gradually you end up on your knees. All the time you can touch the walls of the cave as it’s not wide. It’s not pleasant either as it’s pitch dark, and if there was rain you’d get covered in murky water.  After 33 steps (my 33 steps) you end up at the spring or well, or holy water according to locals, I am not sure and on the right of it there is a prayer room where you can stand up as in a “normal” church. It’s quiet, solemn and I am sure there was some natural light as you could recognise some of the saints on the icons, but where the light was coming from, I am not sure.

I didn’t stay long as the fear of being underground was taking over me and I ran, if you can call it running, at a crawl and a crouch, just like the giant spider that had turned out to be the alarming German.  The photos I tried to take came out black and you’d need a strong flash to take a good quality photo.

I know Greece is known for the Holy Mountain Mt Athos and the monasteries spread around it. I have heard about cave churches where monks spends their time in prayers, undisturbed by the outside world. While in Greece I wanted to go to Mt Athos but as a female I am not allowed. The only possibility is to see the monasteries from a distance, from a boat as women cannot set foot on the peninsula.

The best way to see a real prayer cave is to visit St Paul’s Church in Nea Fokea. According to locals, the Apostle Peter hid in the cave from his persecutors and the cave has more than the one tunnel and one room that I saw, but these are closed as tourists get lost in them.

The cave church of St Paul’s is not easily located on maps or Google but you can easily find it when you’re there– it’s opposite the car park of the small port near the Byzantine castle on the main road.

Every year 29 – 30th June, the villagers of Nea Fokea celebrate St Paul and the procession starts from the cave church.