On The Up

HIDDEN GEMS

If you are looking for a great place to stay and eat while on your travels, some of Britain's history-rich country Inns are arguably amongst the best in the world for offering friendly service, comfortable accommodation and sumptuous fare. 

Driving through quaint villages on medieval coach roads - long since used as major routes and passed over by the masses on busy motorways, these long-standing abodes are the little gems where that bit of magic awaits those who venture out along the roads less travelled. 

The Roads To Discovery

There's something very special about that feeling we get, stumbling across a new place never visited or known about before. Having a 'discovery' moment is up there as one of my greatest feelings as it ignites the adventurer spirit in me. It's not that these ancient places haven't been around for hundreds of years before hand, but the feeling that you've 'found' this special place - a diamond in the rough, a sanctuary for the weary in that time of need - feeds a satisfaction that expectations can never deliver. 

Great Expectations

When something is really good - the hardest thing possible is to keep it consistently up there. Renowned chefs like Gordon Ramsey, who are furiously working at very high levels under close scrutiny, will vouch for this. The fact is, very few can keep to these sustained levels, especially in the food and hospitality industry. There are just too many variables to consider and it's almost impossible to deliver consistently over and over again, keeping everyone happy all of the time. That's why discovery delivers positive results over expectation fro delivery the vast majority of the time. 

Up and over

The places that I consider to be the best - are either those that offer such good value for their modestly understated excellence (like a simple cafe called Pumblechooks in Wapping does consistently well) or those that are working fervently towards it and therefore deserve accolade for their passion attaining it. These are the the 'UP' or the 'ON THE UP' places that we seek. 

Diminishing returns

Because I find the thrill of discovery so rewarding, I refrain from going back to the same places for fear of diminishing a special memory. There's so many new discoveries to be made, why be lazy and relive something that can't possibly deliver the same or better quality as first experienced? 

There are exceptions to the rule however - and these places just have something that much more to give, that they can be visited 2, 3 or more times without losing their appeal - but they are very rare. One such place that we love, is The Kings Arms in Hurley. An Inn located near Winchester, steeped in British history, connected to Cromwell and royalty. 

However, as with many great discoveries, they eventually get discovered by the masses. They peak to greatness and eventually fall to complacency - and hence, the magic inevitably diminishes. It's strange, but you can actually feel the spark has gone the moment you arrive in a diminishing 'UP AND OVER' place, as we did today. Under new management means on this occasion that the person holding the magic has moved on to pastures new. It's saddening but as a chapter closes on this once great place, the quest for discovering an exciting new 'UP' place begins once again.