It was a day like this one that inspired the birth of this travel blog and thus my first entry for Tuckedawaytravel. And this kind of day was proof positive to me that walking down that little alley or pulling off to the side of the road to park on that lay-by is completely worth it. This is exactly what happened one day last year in the county of Wiltshire…

My family and I were looking for a new place to walk and found a little village that seemed sweet. What would the walks be like, we wondered? And so, we parked in a wee car park and began to traverse the little roads. And I am so very glad we did! We ended up walking down a little side alley that led to one of the most beautiful church buildings I had ever seen, a hidden gem indeed!

Hidden Gem at the end of this alleyway

Walking through that church’s grounds, we came to the open meadows. Oh my. It was like coming into the land of Jane Austen. Stately home after stately home on one side and beautiful Wiltshire plains on the other. Talk about a wee walk through 1811.

a view worth stopping for

And this is the core of my blog: encouraging us all to stop, to head off the beaten path. Encouraging us to investigate that which we had always desired to. Because I reckon, most of time, we will be so glad we did.

So creates my new series called Hidden Gems: sharing my photos of when my family and I have walked down that little alley and stopped at that lay-by and the beautiful discoveries that we came across. Although this first gem was found in Wiltshire, I will be taking you through more of West Country’s beautiful treasures in the next wee while. I would love you to join me on this journey of seeking the unexpected delights that await…