Gillingham Dorset to Exford Somerset to Newport Wales

Today, Penny and Peter, Kevin and I set out for Exford Somerset where at St Mary Magdelane church the Pearse family during the lat 1700's to mid 1800's worshiped. The family was baptised, married and buried in this church. We were amazingly surprised to find it's doors open for us to wander around inside. Immaculantly preserved and still in use, I found it amazing to think that my ancestors had been in this very spot over 200 years before me. From the church we travelled through narrow country roads towards Newport Wales. What normally would have taken about 2 hours took us over 6 hours to arrive. We stopped along the roadside for a picnic by a narrow bridge 6' 6" with a little babbling stream flowing through, it was so beautiful there, not that there was very much room to pull over. We travelled on towards Newport through little villages dotted along the way, with their narrow streets they were bustling with people. Admiring the old thatched roofs of many of the homes, and the commercial businesses fronted right on the roadway, mostly of tudor style. We arrived in Newport to St Julian's Courage (previously Inn) where Penny, Peter, Kevin and I sat for a refreshment (or 2). We were joined by my cousin Eddie and his wife Susan who's email I had found through a genealogy program just days before leaving Ontario and had arranged for the meeting. There were several family stories shared and the promise of meeting up again in the future as we parted our ways. Kevin and I had a 7 p.m. train to catch to Port Talbot to meet up with another cousin Anne and her husband Dennis and to begin another leg of our journey.