One is impressed by its ancient character.

The cottages are old, stone-built and thatched; older still is the church with its grey square tower, and all about are scattered the memorials of antiquity--the chantry on the hill, standing conspicuous alone, apart, above the world; the vast old abbey barn, and, rough thick stone walls, ivy-draped and crowned with beautiful valerian, and other fragments that were once parts of a great religious house.
Looking back at the great round hill from the village it is impossible not to notice the intense red colour of the road that winds over its green slope.

One sometimes sees on a hillside a ploughed field of red earth which at a distance might easily be taken for a field of blossoming trifolium.

Viewed nearer the crimson of the clover and red of the earth are very dissimilar; distance appears to intensify the red of the soil and to soften that of the flower until they are very nearly of the same hue.

The road at Abbotsbury was near and looked to me more intensely red than any ordinary red earth, and the sight was strangely pleasing.