Strolling through a deep tangle of beech trees after a long drive, I recall the scene in Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in the Willows' where Mole gets lost in the Wild Wood. I have come to South Oxfordshire to explore Grahame's old stomping ground, an area close to suburbia yet wrinkled with pockets of wildness. It is a spring day when daffodils brighten the verges of muddy lanes, and as the moon rises, I head back to my accommodation, Bonni B&B, in Hill Bottom.
Run by Koo and Denny Akers, the B&B is a spin-off from Bonni Outbuildings, a cabin business set up during the pandemic. The B&B, located above a smart timber garage, features the same fittings and furnishings as the cabins. It is a one-bed apartment with an open-plan kitchen and living room, a shower room with underfloor heating, and a king-size bed below a round window. The decor includes shades of clotted cream, terracotta and powder blue, with vintage mirrors and stripped pine drawers adding cosiness. The star feature is the shower with bottle green corrugated panelling. Guests can pre-order a DIY breakfast, and I enjoy avocado on toast with smoked salmon while looking out into morning mist.
After breakfast, I borrow one of the couple's bikes for a gentle 10-minute pedal to Whitchurch-on-Thames. I visit the Modern Artists Gallery, where owner Peggy Brodie tells me of the farmhouse where the seeds of Womad music festival were sown. I also stop at Lin's Veg Shed for fresh vegetables. Cycling through Pangbourne, where Grahame once lived, I pass a cheese shop, bakery and Italian deli that echo the world of Ratty.
Returning to Hill Bottom, I finish my day on foot, walking to Goring-on-Thames and Streatley along a riverside route through the Goring Gap. The landscape feels timeless as I pass brick and flint cottages, ancient churches, a mossy-roofed mill and pubs with elbow-polished bars. Back at Bonni B&B, I enjoy a pre-ordered Riverford recipe-box meal of romesco chickpeas, a perfect end to a day exploring the Chilterns.
