Dorchester Abbey

On Saturday, I photographed this detail from a late 13th/early 14th Century glass roundel in the Dorchester Abbey chancel's SE window - "reputedly the oldest stained glass in England, possibly inported from a church in France," according to Simon Jenkins. The two characters could almost have emerged from a 20th Century cartoon strip. The window sits beneath an elaborately carved sedilia, and opposite the magnificent Jesse window - greatly trickier to photograph. Discovering the Abbey's rich chancel was unexpected: the nave (and indeed the exterior) seemed unpromisingly austere, particularly given that preparations were in full swing for that evening's concert by Showaddywaddy. "Who are they?" I asked: well, according to the pre-publicity, "they have long been established as Europe's most successful ever exponents in the art of rock and roll. 23 Top 40 hit singles including 10 Top 5 hits (Under The Moon Of Love, When, I Wonder Why, 3 Steps To Heaven, Hey Rock and Roll.....), 15 massive selling albums - including 3 multi-platinum, over 50 Top of the Pops appearances..." and so it goes on - under my radar.

St Peter's, Tiverton

We have been travelling South and West today, and - being a bit ahead of schedule - were able to make a short detour into Tiverton. Caroline used to shop there, and Simon Jenkins gives two stars to the parish church: its salient feature is a series of stone reliefs on the South side of the exterior, carved nearly 500 years ago and depicting sea-faring scenes. My photograph shows the astonishing degree of detail remaining in some of them, despite the effect of the weather: there’s even a seaman climbing up the rigging.

Walking amongst the churchyard trees, we disturbed a host of spiders’ webs.

Cycle North

My five-day bike trip, from Cheltenham to Ampleforth, began today in glorious Spring sunshine. After mass in Prestbury, I tackled the steepest hill I am likely to encounter, Cleeve Hill, and then freewheeled down into Winchcombe, where I was given coffee by friends in their garden.

On to St Michael's, Buckland, as recommended by Simon Jenkins - a shrine of woodwork. Then lunch in Broadway, where I photographed this amazing wysteria, and on to Mickleton. St Lawrence's there is encircled with trees in blossom, and fields with frollicking lambs. Halford was a surprise: a village I'd been through many times on the Fosse Way, but beyond that containing an ancient bridge across the Stour and a host of pretty stone and brick houses. And a beautiful mediaeval Gabriel typanum over the North doorway of St Mary's church.

Traffic was mainly other bikers, motor bikes, sports cars and the vintage brigade: no lorries of course. Geese, pigs, horses I saw, but not one cow.

The best part almost was having cups of tea with two 90-year-old friends of my parents, who I dropped in on en passant - and finding asparagus for sale just before I arrived here at Little Kineton, with no present for my welcoming hosts.

Dorset glass

Laurence Whistler engraved this window, one of a full set in the luminously light church of St Nicholas, Moreton, between Wareham and Dorchester. I paid a visit today, after staying last night with a second cousin in Swanage. (Thanks are due once again to Simon Jenkins for his invaluable "England's Thousand Best Churches".) The quality of the engraving is remarkable, and must be justly described as Whistler's masterpiece.

The subject matter is appropriate for today too, as I was on my way to Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dorchester, to pay final respects (along with some hundreds of others) to our good friend Giles Gleadell: who would contest his claim to be the only member of Cheltenham (Racecourse) also to be a member of the Royal Cruising Club? It was the best send-off I've ever had the privilege of attending: Giles must be cooing quietly up there.

Altarcation

Today, we have been exploring North Wiltshire, so near (from home), and yet so far. Caroline had never been to the Swindon Museum & Art Gallery before - and indeed I only went there last year for the first time: currently, they have an Arts Council touring exhibition of Matisse's Drawing with Scissors lithographs. This was interesting, as are some of the Modern British works in the permanent collection, and indeed the 20th Century pottery.

The Gallery feels rather a sad place to visit though. Swindon's population is nearly twice the size of Cheltenham's, but its arts facilities bear little comparison.

Things looked up as we left to visit three churches nearby, Simon Jenkins's guide in hand. St Mary's Lydiard Tregoze was luckily open, but only briefly: I should like to return, to look longer at the extraordinary array of memorials, and some rather tantalising mediaeval glass fragments.

St Mary's Purton we thought was probably less likely to get a second look, though the setting is delightful, the twin-towered church alongside a fine late Elizabethan manor house and enormous L-shaped barn. There's some mediaeval wall painting, and a 17th Century "Last Supper" over the main altar: Jenkins describes the reredos as an "awful tapestry", but he visited at a time when the Flemish painting had been stolen, and a local artist had lovingly created a version to fill the gap. (It now hangs at the West end of the church: Jenkins was not too cruel.)

Finally, to St Sampson's in Cricklade. Its disproportionately large tower dominates the Upper Thames valley, and should certainly be seen from within, so we gathered. But the church was locked. Happily, a kind Churchwarden came rapidly along to open up for us in response to my phone call: most impressive. St Sampson, a rare bird, appears in a Kempe West window.

The cat accompanied us as we explored the church: it apparently lives locked up inside.

Bredon and Overbury

Colin and Jessica Russell generously took us out to lunch yesterday at the pub in Bredon. Very good it was too. Although it's only about 10 miles from home, and we must have driven past on the M5 a hundred times, I had never before discovered what went on in the village itself.

It seems Bredon has quite a number of houses of character, as well as the Tithe Barn and St Giles' Church - two stars in Jenkins. I photographed (see above) one of the scenes depicted in a locally-made tapestry which hangs in the nave of the church. It tells a story, along the lines of the Bayeux Tapestry. A monastery was founded in Bredon in AD 716: its Abbot Tatwin – splendid name! – became one of the earliest Archbishops of Canterbury. But in the mid-ninth century, Vikings sailed up the adjacent River Avon, burning the monastery and murdering or deporting the monks. A touchingly related tale: Burma in 2007 had its precedents.

After lunch we drove a couple of miles East. We had made an appointment to visit the garden of Overbury Court, which is in the Yellow Book. Again, we had driven past many times, but I had no idea what lay behind the high Cotswold stone wall that runs beside the road round Bredon Hill.

Until we caught sight of the enormous, partly-ornamental swimming pool in front of the house, it felt rather as if one was back in the 18th Century. Here we were, permitted to stroll in this beautifully landscaped garden, and to admire the prospects towards the Hill and Southwards to the Cotswolds. Nobody else was about – not even one of the three gardeners that it hardly surprised me to hear were needed to look after it all.

It wasn't a surprise either that it should start raining hard before we had seen it all, given what a wet month this has been. We took refuge in the pretty village church, St Faith's – an unusual dedication. It stands just alongside the garden. The narrow nave is flanked with fat, squat Norman columns, each adorned rather incongruously with what look like bedside lights. I liked the 11th Century goblet-shaped font, with strong carving. At the other end of the historical spectrum, there is Victorian stained glass with unusual subjects: Jesus stands barefoot in a garden, weeping at the death of Lazarus: a richly-clad Noah cradles his ark, which appears to be fitted with gun ports. Was he expecting Vikings?