England 2025- Laughton-en-le-Morthen our home for the week

 There are just some places that hit you in the face with that feeling of home the first time you see it, like your heart knows. But some are a surprise that slowly envelope you in their charm and before you know it your heart is anchored and you never want to leave. I’ve have been hit hard with emotion in Cashel in Ireland, and Bath, England. The kind of emotion that comes out of nowhere with an intensity you can’t prepare yourself for. In Cashel I found myself unexpectedly running down a hill with laughter bubbling in my throat towards a ruined Abbey that I just had to reach. I *knew* it beyond a shadow of a doubt and I knew happiness. Again in Bath the feeling of utter joy, like my soul knew it and knew nothing but sweetness and contentment from that place. I described it in a previous post as my tingly hobbit feet. I genuinely get a tingling sensation in the soles of my feet when this happens. Like my feet know the familiarity of a place and feel grounded. Literally itching to connect. (Bath post HERE)

Hore Abbey as seen from the Rock of Cashel. I’ve never run down a hill so fast in my life. My photo from 2000

My first view of Bath and the tingly feet started. 2018

Proudly standing in front of Bath Abbey, so happy to be there. 2018

When in Louth, England I was charmed, but it was a slow burn. I didn’t get the feeling that I knew it but I did feel that my heart could be very happy there. It felt like it could be home. It still feels like it could be home. I have already written my love letter to Louth (found HERE). We had a chance to revisit on this trip and I’m pleased to report the piece of my heart that I left there in 2018 is still there, tucked away near St. James Church. 

So excited to be in Louth. 2018

This particular love letter is reserved for the village of Laughton en le Morthen. Located in South Yorkshire very near to the ruins of Roche Abbey. Laughton en le Morthen is just a tiny dot on the map- one I had not given any thought to on our previous trips. Although it is just 11 miles from where my in-laws live it might as well have been 100 miles away. The only reason I now know it’s name is because of the airbnb we chose. We chose this particular one for it’s proximity to Roche Abbey, a favorite place from our previous trip. I wish I could say I had gotten the tingly feet there, or felt the intense joy that hit me like a crashing wave when I saw Hore Abbey in Cashel, instead I felt the happiness and peace that comes from appreciating a truly wonderful location but not a sense of knowing. It wasn’t a sense of having been there before, but a feeling of wanting to come back, again and again. 

Because my husband and I both felt that way about Roche Abbey I felt strongly about staying as close to the site as possible. This area is not a tourist hotspot, and while the closest hotel in a town called Thurcroft was only 2 miles away, it didn’t suit our needs. In comes airbnb. Outside of big towns and cities airbnb doesn’t seem to be as widely available in England as it is where I live in California. As I mentioned, my in-laws are not in a touristy place so there is not as much need for vacation rentals. We were incredibly fortunate on our previous trip to find one just 5 minutes from my in-laws house, but as luck would have it (good or bad) the host had pulled it off of the app. My back up location in Oldcotes was also eventually pulled before we could book it which left me starting the search anew. 

Everything happens for a reason they say and for us the unavailability of the other houses meant I widened my search area and Laughton en le Morthen popped right up like a beacon. I was unsure at first because the airbnb located there was a converted stable on a working farm with a bustling cafe. That was either going to be lovely or terrible. But we took our chances because it boasted a public footpath from it’s doorstep directly to Roche Abbey. 1.7 miles of one of the loveliest walks I’ve ever been on. I regularly dream of this walking path and the absolute joy we felt every time we stepped foot on it. 

Driving into Laughten en le Morthen to the airbnb we gradually left the tightly packed houses of the village and narrow warren of side streets to the open fields of our home for the week: Dolly’s Stable at Leger Lakes.

Located off of East Field Lane, surrounded by gently rolling agricultural fields and the King’s Wood, Leger Lakes is purpose built with stables converted to apartments, a barn cafe, fishing ponds, cabins and docile animals that love a pat on the head. You feel like you’re truly out in the countryside but modern conveniences like grocery stores and launderettes are less than 2 miles away. It was the perfect mix of town and country. 

View from our Airbnb 

I didn’t have much of an opinion about Laughton en le Morthen when we first arrived but by the end of the week we were both beginning to put down roots, ready to settle in for the long haul. There is just something so charming about a place with a population of 1200, with one main street, an Anglo Saxon church, endless fields and a king’s wood. 

The known history of Laughton-en-le-Morthen primarily starts in the 11th century, though we know it had some prominence throughout early history due to the nearby presence of Icknield Street (an ancient long distance Roman road that ran north-south, a vital link for travel and communication). It’s hard to find much definitive information about the village before the mid-11th century when Edwin, Earl of Mercia built a hall or manor in Laughton. This structure no longer exists but has been found through archaeological investigation. Edwin and his brother Morcar were central figures in both the Viking invasion of 1066 and the eventual Norman invasion of the same year and subsequent transfer of power to William the Conqueror upon his victory at the Battle of Hastings. Edwin was brother-in-law to Harold Godwinson, otherwise known as King Harold II- the last crowned Anglo Saxon king of England.  Harold was slain at the Battle of Hastings and his brothers-in-law Edwin and Morcar took up his cause. They quickly submitted to William when faced with his army, but they did attempt to raise a rebellion 2 years later- their last ditch effort to keep an Anglo Saxon ruler on the throne. This rebellion was squashed and Edwin was killed in an ambush by Norman soldiers on his way to Scotland. 

Little Laughton en le Morthen’s connection to William the Conqueror doesn’t end with Edwin’s death. Roger de Busli, a loyal supporter of William was given the land that Edwin’s residence sat upon. I don’t know if the residence had already fallen into disrepair or if Roger had it demolished  but he built a castle over the site of the manor, which is no longer standing. You can see the remains of Laughton Castle, now just a mound and the outline of a ditch adjacent to All Saints’ Church, obscured from view as you enter town. I’m ashamed to say we did not know of this feature while we visited- so I did not know to go and explore it. Hopefully we have time to walk around and explore that whole area on our next trip. 

                               Driving into Laughton en le Morthen- All Saints’ Church to the right

The church structure that we see today dates primarily from the 14th century but portions of the building and grounds date to the 10th century when the current building’s predecessor was probably a private chapel of Edwin and his family. Laughton en le Morthen was once a medieval aristocratic power center but now it a sleepy village that seems to serve as a bedroom community to the larger towns. It’s charming and it’s peaceful, just the way I like it. 

As we pulled into our Airbnb we noticed that the tearoom had already closed for the day and we were now the only car in the car park. It was lovely to arrive at our home for the next week and find that we had it to ourselves. Eventually we would have neighbors to the left of us that arrived in the coming days, but those early days in Dolly’s Stable were quiet and just what we needed. A great place to start our week with my husband’s family. 

Our purple beauty all alone in the car park of our Airbnb