England 2016

Per Andrew's request, he wanted to do some things that John/Mark normally do... you know, "English stuff".

After a great first breakfast in the Charingworth dining room (great to recognize - and be recognized by - some of the staff from our visit last May!), John and Mark pick us up and we head off into the countryside to defend the Cotswolds from an invasion of clay pigeons!

This will be fun, because neither Andrew nor I have ever done this before. Sure, we've each handled firearms in the States, shooting pistols at targets, occasionally "something larger" at cans on a fencepost, etc., but this is something entirely new - and we're pretty pumped up about it.

On the way, we drive past an important bit of English history. Edge Hill, site of one of England's bloodiest battles of their First Civil War, is our location-of-the-day. John had printed out some info, so we were aware of the scale of the battle, but seeing it from atop the Hill definitely gives some scope to the actual battlefield itself.

In addition to pointing out the various sights, John also notes in the distance the location of some former nuclear bunker/storage sites ... cool and scary, all at the same time!

But now - it's off to protect the Cotswolds!

Avoiding the rabbit holes, we get our view of the Edge Hill shooting club range. There are, literally, a couple dozen different traps (devices that toss clay pigeons, frisbee-like, through the air at various angles/elevations).

They've had a "moist" end of the winter, so the grass is already starting to green up nicely, even if the hedgerows haven't caught up yet.

Stepping into the lodge, we meet one of the owners (Tim) and a couple "characters" from the club. There's also an awesome old yellow lab, snoozing contentedly on a leather chair near the fireplace.

After getting a set of earphones for protection and a nice shotgun, Tim leads us out onto the range. While John and Mark continue on to a more advanced shooting platform, with a nice variety of traps, Tim begins our instruction at the novice traps. Think "bunny run" for skeet shooting. Fine with us!

We learn basic skeet shotgun placement on the shoulder (slightly different than anything we've done before, so very glad to have an experienced instructor!) and some guidance on tracking the clay pigeon up to and after the actual trigger pull. It's time to step into the cage and let loose!

I'm up first, so stepping into the cage, full of confidence, I say my first "PULL!" and the pigeon flies.

Not for long, though, as my first shot is a direct hit and the pigeon explodes into satisfyingly small pieces!

Three more shots, three more hits ... and I'm starting to get a little overconfident. Now, I know, gentle readers, that you're both shocked and surprised by this admission. "Surely not you, Roger!", you think to yourselves politely, "You've never in your life heard this foul accusation!"

Well... yes... shockingly... overconfident me loads up two more shells. PULL! BLAM! MISS! (repeat)

I hear Tim behind me chuckle slightly as I know immediately that I had forgotten his earlier instruction on tracking the pigeon all the way through the shot. He nods knowingly (who knew that someone could nod with an English accent, but it's true), hands me two more shells, and I blow the next two clay pigeons to clay pigeon heaven.

Now it's Andrew's turn, and with headset firmly in place and his jacket looking every bit the fine English country gentleman shooter, he steps confidently into the cage... and promptly misses his first four shots.

Tim motions Andrew out of the cage and, after confirming the gun is 100% safed, has Andrew show him how he sights down the barrel. A quick check, by having Andrew track his raised finger, shows that Andrew has a dominant eye!

A minor adjustment by Tim, a reinsertion into the cage for shooting, and Andrew starts picking off clay pigeons from the sky like he's been doing this all his life!

Okay - now it's getting fun! We each get a couple more turns on this trap (pigeons launched directly towards us in a straight line) - definitely getting the hang of this and hitting more than we miss!

John and Mark are both having fun down at their trap, about a hundred yards or so away from us.

The steady "Blam! Blam!" is an interesting contrast to the nearby sheep who seem to just ignore it all, knowing they're not made of clay and, as such, aren't in any danger. 🙂

Tim moves Andrew and me down to the next novice trap, slightly more challenging - as this is a "launch away from you" configuration. While it's still a straight line, you have to be slightly faster on your target acquisition, tracking, and firing timeline - because once that clay pigeon gets too far away, it's even harder to hit!

Andrew and I each repeat our more-hits-than-misses score, so it's a great afternoon defending the English countryside from those pesky clay frisbees.

We head back to the lodge to await John and Mark using up their day's allotment of shells and enjoy a coffee with Tim and a couple of the regulars by the fireplace. It's a chilly and slightly damp morning, so both the hot beverage and the fire are very much welcomed!

We have a great conversation with the gun club guys, as they ask us about Texas and the USA. Lots of fun memories as we wait for John and Mark.

Once they've depleted their boxes o'shells, we depart for our lunch destination - the nearby village of Ratley. Like with most classic English villages, there's a beautiful old church and an awesome pub. Ratley has both!

The added bonus is that they both date from the 13th Century!

Our lunch destination is the traditional pub, The Rose & Crown. Stepping in, it's everything we wanted from a local public house - low timbered ceilings, a well-stocked bar with several beer taps, and a comfy fireplace surrounded by several tables.

We select one near a window across from the fireplace and settle in to make our orders. A pint of BB Ale (local Cotswolds brew) is for me! We each make our lunch orders (Steak and Bombardier Ale pie for me, please!) and settle in to chat and laugh about the morning until the food arrives.

It's every bit as good as the photo makes it seem. 🙂

After enjoying each bite, Andrew and I leave John and Mark to relax in The Rose & Crown, while we head over to the parish church - St. Peter Ad Vincula (in Latin, "St Peter in Chains").

Surrounded by old, crumbling, and leaning grave markers, the old stone church just exudes "history". Walking through the outer courtyard, we walk past an almost unrecognizable, but obviously old, stone pillar.

It turns out to be a 13th Century Medieval Cross, listed in various English historical registers.

Once inside, the feeling of history is palpable. Given the centuries of memories that have pass through the stone arch and into this church, it's really cool to just "absorb" some of it. From the stone altar and leaded and stained glass windows to the rather more recent pipe organ, there's a definite sense of the passage of time in here.

Andrew finds a plaque that describes the age of the different walls of the building, as various additions and reconstruction efforts have shaped the church into what it is today.

...and, while we probably could have just sat there for longer, we head back over to The Rose & Crown to gather John and Mark to head back to Charingworth.

After a brief "recovery period" (read nap/shower), we meet up again to head out for dinner!

Tonight, we're off to one of their favorite seafood places - a "small" English chain, Loch Fyne, that has some excellent food. Andrew and Mark decide on the "all you can eat" mussel entree, but wave the white flag of surrender after three (massive) portions... each with a very distinctly different (and yummy) sauce.

A great day in England as we return to our room at Charingworth... and it's just starting to rain.