Compared to last month when we did just one, five week sit in the sleepy town of Horley, April was a whirlwind of activity.
We managed to squeeze in three sits. The first in a area of London that was new to us. Then we headed south, to the very touristic city of Winchester where we had two more pet and house sits lined up.
House sit number one. Dollis Hill, London
For our first house sit in April we left Horley and travelled north to Dollis Hill, a suburb of North West London.
Dollis Hill is a quiet, residential but vibrant area. We got the feeling that it is a safe and friendly neighbourhood. and had a small, busy High Street.
The location was excellent. The high street was within walking distance and the train station, with excellent links to central London, was just ten minutes walk from our front.
Also on our doorstep was a real hidden gem – Gladstone Park. One of the largest parks in the area.
Within the park there is a beautiful walled garden and a dog-friendly café for when we wanted to rest our weary legs.
I have to admit, there was a time I thought of London only as one large, hectic, polluted, over crowded, built up, metropolis. However, since we started pet and house sitting and having now stayed in many different areas of London I realise how wrong I was. My view of this amazing city has changed completely.
Once again we found ourselves in yet another really lovely, leafy, suburb of London that we had never previously heard of.
Who wouldn’t love the large green spaces, cool bohemian vibe, and beautiful, well kept, Edwardian houses that lined the streets.
Dollis Hill was yet another place we had discovered that we could easily live permanently.
Not just yet though, for the moment we are loving our nomadic lifestyle far too much!
The Home
The house we stayed in here was a lovely family home, modern and spacious. On a quiet street, with the train station, high street and Gladstone Park all within easy walking distance. The perfect location for us to call home for the next couple of weeks.
The Pet
In our care for this house sit was a dog named Ned.
Ned was one of our favourite dogs to date! You will be hard pressed to find a more lovable, easy going dog. He was really well trained and walked great both on and off his lead. He loved is daily run-around in the park and particularly enjoyed his occasional roll in fox poo!
Even Neds appearance was a delight. He was a scamp of a Jackapoo who turned four years old during our stay.
If you were to draw a generic comical caricature of a lovable dog, you would have Ned to a tee!
At home Ned was like a shadow and loved to be wherever we were. It was really comical every day to see him dragging his bed around the home until he found himself his current favourite spot to rest for a while. Every day was a different spot.
If everyone had a Ned in their lives, the world would be a much better place!
We absolutely loved spending time with Ned but time waits for no one and, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, it was time for us to move again.
Our next Stop was to be one of the oldest cities in England – Winchester.
Meeting Family
A downside of our nomadic lifestyle is that we don’t get to see family and friends as often as we would like.
However, whilst we were sitting in Dollis Hill, I noticed a Facebook post from Mark, my brother saying that he and Deb, his wife, were in London for the weekend to see a show at the West End.
We had not seen each other for three years so were delighted to be able to meet up for drinks after the show.
Little did we know at the time that this would be a lovely evening, and a terrible evening too!
Unfortunately during the evening some toe-rag stole Deb’s handbag literally from right in front of our eyes!
We were standing in a circle chatting and Deb put her handbag on a table right next to us. Unbeknown to us, some thief spotted the opportunity and did their dirty deed.
She was really upset as her phone was in her bag which contained many photographs that were of great sentimental value.
Thankfully, it was not a total disaster, after reporting her phone stolen, due to the wizardry of technology and with a little help from a nice man in the phone shop, she was able to retrieve her photographs – Phew!
Winchester
After Dollis Hill we travelled to Winchester. We had two house sits booked here which would take us to the end of April.
Winchester House Sit Number One
Our first sit in Winchester was actually in an area called Badger Farm which is a suburb to the south of the city centre.
The home was a comfortable semi-detached property, located on a residential housing estate.
A big bonus was of this home was its close proximity to the countryside.
There was a pathway running behind the home that led directly to acres of fields, woodland and pathways, as far as the eye could see.
From here were amazing views of the city below.
Although on the outskirts of Winchester there was a bus stop a few minutes walk from our front door. From here, a two pound bus ride took us directly to the city centre in less than fifteen minutes.
The Pet
In our care on this sit was ‘Rosie’ – a very photogenic miniature Schnauzer.
Rosie was a dream dog, Independent, very friendly and extremely well behaved.
She was a pleasure to take for a walk, always off lead and never far from our side.
I have to admit, we were a little sad when it was time for us to leave this sit, we would return in a heartbeat if asked.
Winchester-House Sit Number Two
The second of our Winchester house sits could not have been more different than the first.
This time we were staying in a 16th century house right in the very heart of Winchester city centre.
We were so central that Winchester Cathedral was literally a stones throw from our front door, quite a view from our window!
On the plus side, the house was brim full of character and original features. The negative was, unfortunately one week of our stay coincided with a really cold weather snap. The ancient heating system in this old house found it impossible to keep the home warm.
It was so cold, we found the best option was to live in just two rooms, the living room, and a bedroom. These we heated with portable radiators which were kindly provided by our hosts.
It was so unlucky for us as we felt we did not get to experience living in such a grand old house properly for much of our stay.
Thankfully, the sun came out for the second week of our stay which made for a much more pleasant experience.
The Pet
For this sit, we were looking after ‘Hettie’, a beautiful black Labrador.
Hettie was four year old and still jam-packed full of energy! Two long walks a day were essential for this dog.
We did have two things in our favour.
Firstly, Hettie was obsessed with fetching a ball. This really helped us giving her the amount of exercise she needed as we could stand in one spot and Hettie would happily run back and forward chasing and returning her ball a hundred times over if we’d let her.
Secondly, There were so many really beautiful and varied walks to take Hettie within very easy walking distance from our front door. From casually strolling along the city centre pathways next to the River Itchen to hiking up St Catherine’s Hill, a 58-hectare nature reserve. The choice was endless!
Winchester
Once the ancient capital of Wessex, Winchester now welcomes over five million tourists a year, making it one of the top touristic destinations in the UK.
There is so much to see and do in here. Most people cram it into a daytrip or a long weekend. We however, had the luxury of a month long stay to explore the city at our leisure.
The High Street
The High Street is the heart of the city centre. It is full of historic charm, unique shops, restaurants, pubs, and, on certain days, local traders with their market stalls.
You could easily spend a whole day in Winchester and never leave the high street if your retail-therapy willpower was weak!
Abbey Gardens
Abbey Gardens is a beautiful park with flower beds, lawn areas, a stream, and lots of seating available to enable tourists to enjoy this oasis of calm. It’s entrance is situated directly on the High Street.
Alfred The Great
In the 9th century, Alfred the Great made Winchester the main town of his kingdom of Wessex. As the most famous king of Wessex, a seventeen feet high bronze statue of him stands proudly at the top of the high street.
The Butter Cross
The ancient monument of The City Cross (Butter Cross) is located in the high street. The cross was built as a Market Cross in the early 1400s and was restored by George Gilbert Scott in 1865.
The four figures on the Cross are believed to be William of Wykeham, King Alfred, St John the Evangelist, and former mayor, Lawrence de Annehester.
Winchester Cathedral
The most well known landmark in the city is without doubt, Winchester Cathedral
Not many cathedrals can boast that they have a song dedicated to them!
The song ‘Winchester Cathedral’, was released in 1966 a British novelty pop group, The New Vaudeville Band.
Instantly putting Winchester cathedral firmly in the pop trivia hall of fame.
The song only reached number 4 in the UK charts, but hit the number one spot in America. It remained there for just one week, then was immediately knocked off the pole position by the Beach Boys with ‘Good Vibrations.
Not to be defeated though, it surprised everyone when a week later it rebounded back to the top spot once again!
Since then it has been covered by many artists including Petula Clark, The Shadows, Frank Sinatra.. and many, many more!
The cathedral is an architectural masterpiece and is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe. and has stood here for over a thousand years. It is the seat of the Anglican bishop of Winchester as well as a major tourist attraction.
The present cathedral was built between 1079 and 1420. It is the world’s longest intact medieval cathedral, and we were lucky enough to have it as the view from our window!
Fun Fact – Netflix’s The Crown filmed in Winchester on several occasions. The cathedral stood in for St Paul’s Cathedral during scenes of the funeral of Prime Minister Winston Churchill and again for scenes of the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Inside the cathedral also stood in for the Vatican in 2005 during filming of The Da Vinci Code.
The Great Hall
Just a short walk from the cathedral, is the Great Hall, the only remaining part of Winchester Castle.
Once part of Winchester Castle this 13th century medieval hall is home to the legendary King Arthur’s Round Table, which has hung there since 1348.
The Table, which has the names of 24 of the knights written around the edge, with King Arthur on his throne at the top, has been dated to the 13th or early 14th century and was probably constructed inside the Hall.
Wolvesey Castle
We passed the ruins of Wolvesey Castle, also known as the Old Bishop’s Palace every morning on our walk with Hettie.
This English Heritage site gives a fascinating look into the lives of the medieval bishops of Winchester.
The ruins are free to enter and with a little imagination, wandering around the remnants of the grand halls and private chambers, it is easy to visualise the grandeur of the building that once stood here.
Winchester City Mill
Situated on the River Itchen , Winchester City Mill is a working water mill with a history dating back over a thousand years. This is a National Trust property and it’s really interesting to see the mill still in action. There is a nice café here too, where you can rest your weary feet with a coffee and cake whilst enjoying the beautiful picturesque riverside setting.
The Water Meadows
Across the road from the water mill are the Water Meadows, a peaceful area of pathways, meandering parallel to the River Itchen. We walked along here every day. It was a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Perfect for a leisurely walk with Hettie.
St Catherine’s Hill
St Catherine’s Hill is a is a 110 acre chalk grassland nature reserve on the outskirts of Winchester and is a fabulous place to go to enjoy a walk in nature.
A fairly easy 220ft climb up St Catherine’s Hill’s wooden stairs gives stunning views of Winchester city, as well as the Itchen Valley floodplains and the downland it nestles in.
There are lots of wildlife to be seen on St Catherine’s hill including over 25 species of butterfly. Some rare species of orchids grow across the hill’s slopes and meadows.
Meeting Friends & Fellow Sitters
You’d think staying in such a touristic city, with so much to see and do, we would have no time to meet up with anyone else. Well, nothing could be further from the truth.
In reality, during April we managed meet quite a few friends, old and new.
Friends
Before now, we had only visited Winchester once before. That was just for a day back in August 2023 . At the time we were on a house sit in Brighton so we arranged to meet our friends, Mark and John, who live in Bristol, at the half point which happened to be Winchester.
We hadn’t expected to be back in Winchester so soon but it did give us the ideal opportunity to all meet again.
This time we had Hettie as a four legged companion. We all enjoyed walk along the water meadows then a hike up St Catherine’s Hill.
Finally returning to our house sit for a well earned lunch before they headed back home.
Fellow Sitters
When we tell people that we are pet & house sitters, their response is often along the lines of “we’d love to do it too, but we can’t because…”
There is a myriad of reasons why people think they could not do pet sitting themselves may be single, female, have children, have pets of their own etc,
Well, the mixed bag of inspiring sitters we met whilst we were in Winchester proved that it is possible for almost anyone to give pet & house sitting a go if they really want to.
Raven
On the day we met Raven she was on a quick one night visit to Winchester as she had a spare night in between her scheduled sits in and around Winchester.
Raven is a lady from the USA. She travels alone on her house sits and was currently on a three month house sitting visit to the UK
As she had a train to catch, we only had time for a coffee and an hour strolling along the riverside whilst chatting about our various house sit stories.
Raven proves being single does not have to be an obstacle to stop you pet & house sitting if you want to give it a go!
Shannon, Colin and Bella
Shannon and Colin used to live in Winchester but have always been travellers at heart and, like us had been full time pet sitting for quite a while.
They are still registered with a doctor in Winchester and so happened to be in the city for the day to attend an appointment.
With an afternoon to spare they asked if we would like to meet. Of course we said yes and spent a lovely afternoon getting to know them, and their lovely dog Bella, wandering around the country paths on the outskirts of Winchester.
Bella is twelve years old and always accompanies Shannon and Colin on their pet & house sits
Shannon and Colin prove having a pet of your own does not have to be an obstacle to stop you pet & house sitting if you want to give it a go!
Debbie, Will and Ed.
Debbie contributes often to a pet sitting Facebook forum that I follow. I always find her posts really interesting so was delighted when she contacted us to say she was passing through Winchester one day and would like to meet us in real life!
She is a regular pet and house sitter and her unusual situation is that she has two teenage sons. She also has a husband but he works unusual hours so rarely gets to join them on their sits.
Debbie’s sons, Will and Ed are pet lovers too so they sit as a ‘mother and her boys’ family. Sitting on weekends and during school holidays.
We loved meeting Debbie, Will and Ed. It was obvious they were a really close family and I’m sure the extra family time they get together whilst pet and house sitting is a big contributor to that.
A great day was had by us all, walking the country paths and streets of Winchester, ending at our house sit for coffee and cake.
Debbie proves having a family does not have to be an obstacle to stop you pet & house sitting if you want to give it a go!
What Next?
Brighton – Birmingham – Manchester…. and a visit from the mother-in-law!
With three pet and house sits booked during May, and Karyo’s mum flying in to visit, it’s going to be another busy month, but more on that next time.
Until then, as always, thanks for reading.
Hugs, Colin & Karyo xx
