In Search of the Twyford Code

  And so, we've reached the end of a Twyford quest. We've travelled to Hampshire, Shropshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Oxfordshire, Buckingham, Berkshire and Norfolk. We've seen four St Mary's, one St Michaels, two St Andrews, and one St Nicholas. We've driven about 600 miles, stayed in five different Premier Inns, and one excellent AirBnB in Norfolk. We've met herds of cows, some arrogant sheep and some friendly - if slightly baffled - goats. My favourite church was the riverside beauty in Derbyshire; Becky was impressed by the scale and grandeur in Oxfordshire. We both were in awe of the history in Buckinghamshire, and if we'd visited on a different day it could easily have been the best of the lot. So have we found the Twyford Code? No, which was a relief in many ways. If there was fish symbology everywhere and the hint that other treasure hunters might be trampling over the landscape that would have been a shame because we found some untouched beautie...

The last leg, and by some margin the farthest from home, of our journey saw us in North Norfolk, staying just outside Fakenham and taking in all the traditional seaside pleasantries (crazy golf and crab sandwiches) alongside a trip down the Norfolk road to find our final Twyford trapped between the salubrious sounding locations of Bintree and Foulsham. I'm sure they are a lot nicer than they sound... Twyford in the bottom-right The church is located right by the roadside with a convenient layby to park in. And here it is: The church as seen from the gate A slightly less austere view from the south  side of the churchyard As you can probably tell from the subsided bell-tower, St Nicholas' church is not really in active use any more. I expected on the outset that we'd find churches that had been left to moulder, but it was still depressing to see the church noticeboard propped up on a gravestone and read - on the comprehensive North Norfolk churches website - that the place...

Our Home Counties experience continued with a trip to probably the largest and most self-contained Twyford on any of our trips, a commuter town on the outskirts of Reading. Here come the maps... The essential navigation guide Twyford on the map - to the right The observant among you will note that our ford-finding might be somewhat easier on this journey. There is an actual, real, honest-to-goodness traversable ford marked right there on the map! And so it was that our visit began with a trip around to the delightful and unpretentious Heron On The Ford pub in neighbouring Charvil, and a look at probably the best-surviving ford on our journeys: How's that for a proper ford? I have to say, if you're ever in the the region of the River Loddon, then The Heron is well worth a visit. Great welcome, tasty food, well-kept beer and a never-ending procession of dogs, kids, and horses playing in the ford. I was sorely tempted, before arriving, to see if the VW Golf would make it over th...

  Another map, another Twyford. I was amused by the neighbouring village of Marsh Gibbon, Becky less so. We pressed on from Oxfordshire, for our next Twyford was just 18 miles away, between Bicester and Buckingham, an area known quite well by Becky from her childhood, and the journey was punctuated by shouts of 'I know that stables!' and 'I used to climb up that hill!'. We got a good look at the village on the way in, driving right up the main street from south to the edge of the churchyard at the far north. And so beheld our third St Mary's (this time, strictly speaking, The Blessed Virgin of St Mary, but the signwriter had apparently forgotten that detail). The tower looks more impressive close-up St Mary's Church, Twyford, Bucks We are finding that different churches radiate different energies when you step inside. Some churches feel reverent. Some feel brusque and efficient. Some feel cosy. This one just felt OLD. In a good way.  It was not difficult to feel...