Appledore is a picturesque village on the banks of the military canal. It is steeped in history which is told on the picture below ;READ. situated outside the church.

As we walked through the village you can see that the high street has many listed buildings covered in white weather boarding. Many are homes and some are being run as businesses. There is plenty of free parking at the village hall. Villagers are gearing up to Christmas and a tastefully decorated tree stands at the end of The Street.

There is a cafeteria to cater for visitors and locals a like. You can buy a lasagne there for around £12.50. However outside space is in demand ,it’s a busy time for Santa as you can see.

Further down The Street on the same side of the road is the Old Forge Antiques emporium .

On the opposite side of the Street is the post office and general store ,further down the Street is the local pub The Black Lion. The village has always had a pub and the new pub was opened in the 1930s.

We had lunch here ,I recommend the steak and ale pie £16 and a pint of larger. The landlord was very knowledgeable about the pub and pointed out some of the history on the walls.

As a pub I would give it 7/10.

Next to the pub is the church.

I make no apologies about posting the picture again as it reinforces the importance of the church at the time.

We walked from the church down to the military canal and entered to the left. A sign was at the entrance.

Finally the military canal is 28 miles long and served as a defence from Napoleon and later invasion during the second world war .It is now managed by the environment agency to look after the water levels.

Appledore is great for dog walking or hiking .I will visit again in spring for a birdwatching adventure where kingfisher and Osprey have been sighted.