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Published: August 22nd 2013
Three Abbey Green
Our guest house in Bath, in this abbey, behind the tree on the left. HIGHLY recommend this place.Monday, August 19
Off to Bath today by train. It was a 2 1/2 hour ride through beautiful countryside and past quaint, and some ancient, towns and villages. Arriving in Bath was like going back in time about 500 years. Little in this city has changed since then! We are in Bath to visit Kelsey Strass and Mark Parsons and also for the historical sightseeing within Bath and for a tour to Stonehenge.
The city was first established as a spa with the Latin name, Aquae Sulis ("the waters of Sulis") by the Romans sometime in the AD 60s about 20 years after they had arrived in Britain. They built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the River Avon around hot springs. Edgar was crowned king of England at Bath Abbey in 973. Much later, it became popular as a spa town during the Georgian era, which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of exemplary Georgian architecture crafted from Bath Stone.
The City of Bath was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1987. The city has a variety of theatres, museums, and other cultural and sporting
venues, which have helped to make it a major centre for tourism
We arrived about 3:15 and walked the few blocks from the train station to our guest house "Three Abbey Green". It's a beautiful old historical building in a great location right in the downtown core, just around the corner from the Roman Baths. The owner is very nice and welcoming, they serve a nice full breakfast, it's a three storey walk-up but the rooms are a good size and very comfortable.
We wandered around the city for a couple of hours listening to the many buskers singing in the squares, exploring the hundreds of little cafes, pubs, and touristy shops all in Georgian era buildings. We had dinner at the Sally Lunn restaurant which is in the oldest house in bath. Sally invented the famous Sally Lunn bun in the basement kitchen in this building. This was basic, low-cost cuisine for good value although it did take over an hour to receive our meal. Not surprising as this house is crammed full to the rafters with guests at all times.
We spent the evening going through the Roman Baths. We chose to do this in
Sally Lunn house
Sally created the famous Sally Lunn Bun here. It's now a museum and very popular restaurant in an original Georgian house. the evening as the lighting is very dramatic and makes for a more authentic feeling. This is the only Hot Springs in the U.K. and was originally developed by the Romans 2000 years ago. The main out door bath is still intact and full of water but not in use. There is a new hot springs spa in town for people wanting to experience the waters.
The Roman bath is surrounded by sculptures that have stood there since the original construction. This is an incredible museum building with the main, original plumbing system still in working condition although the other bathing and changing rooms, etc. are mostly in ruins. The museum exhibits are set up to show you what life was like when the baths were in use, how everything was made and worked and they have a lot of artifacts found on the site. This is a definite must see when you visit Bath.
Tuesday morning we set out with Mad Max Tours for an all day adventure through the Cotswalds to Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock and Castle Combe. We booked this on the internet in advance for $32.50 GBP per person. We were a small group of
The Roman Baths
You can see the Abbey in the background. about 16 in a mini-bus. Our tour guide, John, was really nice, funny and informative. We started at Stonehenge (an additional $8 GBP per person) and I was surprised at how strong the emotions were, how moving it was to see Stonehenge come into sight as we walked along the path towards it. Unfortunately, it is roped off keeping you a few dozen yards away but you can walk all around it and they have a great audio guide that you carry along.
History: The first Stonehenge was a large earthwork or Henge, comprising a ditch, bank, and the Aubrey holes, all probably built around 3100 BC. Shortly after this stage Stonehenge was abandoned, left untouched for over 1000 years.
The second and most dramatic stage of Stonehenge started around 2150 BC. Some 82 bluestones from the Preseli mountains, in south-west Wales nearly 240 miles away were transported to the site. It is thought these stones, some weighing 4 tonnes each were dragged on rollers and sledges to the headwaters on Milford Haven and then loaded onto rafts. They were carried by water along the south coast of Wales and up the rivers Avon and Frome, before being
dragged overland again to near Warminster in Wiltshire. The final stage of the journey was mainly by water, down the river Wylye to Salisbury, then the Salisbury Avon to west Amesbury. Once at the site, these stones were set up in the centre to form an incomplete double circle.
The third stage of Stonehenge, about 2000 BC, saw the arrival of the Sarsen stones, which were almost certainly brought from the Marlborough Downs near Avebury, in north Wiltshire, about 25 miles north of Stonehenge. The largest of the Sarsen stones transported to Stonehenge weigh 50 tonnes and transportation by water would have been impossible, the stones could only have been moved using sledges and ropes. Modern calculations show that it would have taken 500 men using leather ropes to pull one stone, with an extra 100 men needed to lay the huge rollers in front of the sledge.
These were arranged in an outer circle with a continuous run of lintels. Inside the circle, five trilithons were placed in a horseshoe arrangement, whose remains we can still see today.
The final stage took place soon after 1500 BC when the bluestones were rearranged in the horseshoe and
circle that we see today. The original number of stones in the bluestone circle was probably around 60, these have long since been removed or broken up. Some remain only as stumps below ground level.
Our next stop was Avebury, the less known and less visited other stone henge type place. It's actually much larger, perhaps ten or twenty times larger and you can walk amongst the stones and touch them. Somehow, not as moving an experience though.
History: Avebury is a henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. Unique amongst megalithic monuments, Avebury contains the largest stone circle in Europe, and is one of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain.
Constructed around 2600 BC during the Neolithic Age, the monument comprises a large henge (that is a bank and a ditch with a diameter of 420 metres) with a large outer stone circle and two separate smaller stone circles situated inside the centre of the monument. Its original purpose is unknown, although archaeologists believe that it was most likely used for some form of ritual or ceremony.
Our next stop was the village of Lacock,
a medieval town with many buildings dating back to the 14th century. We had a pub lunch of fish & chips here then wandered through the village. Some interior sequences in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets were filmed at Lacock, including the cloister walk where Harry comes out from Professor Lockhart's room after serving detention and hears the basilisk. During four days in October 2007 Lacock was also used to film some scenes for the sixth Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Warner. Bros. announced that the spooky nights of Hogwarts were also filmed here with most of the main characters including Daniel Radcliffe. The Abbey was one of two major locations for the 2008 film version of the historical novel The Other Boleyn Girl. Lacock appears in the "Robin Hood and the Sorcerer", "Cromm Cruac" and "The Pretender" episodes of Robin of Sherwood. It was also used in the 1995 BBC/A&E production of "Pride and Prejudice". In the Spring of 2012, it was a filming location of the fantasy adventure movie Mariah Mundi and the Midas Box, which is scheduled for release in 2013. It really was a trip back in time walking the
streets of this small town.
Our final stop was the village of Castle Combe which was voted the prettiest village in England and it sure has a lot of charm.
History: By the Middle Ages this village in the valley had become an important centre for the wool industry. The spinsters and weavers lived in the cottages and the river, still known as By Brook, provided the power to run the mills.
In more recent times the village has played host to many filming activities, the most famous of these being ‘Doctor Doolittle’ filmed in and around the village in 1966. More recently the village has had a major role in 'War Horse', 'Stardust' and 'The Wolf Man'.
The village houses are all of typical Cotswold type, constructed in stone with thick walls and roofs made from split natural stone tiles. The properties are many hundreds of years old and are listed as ancient monuments.
The recurring theme from Bath to Castle Combe is OLD buildings, ancient Roman structures, everything in Bath is Georgian style while the towns we went through were more medieval. The roads are so winding and narrow with no shoulders; it's
hard to believe that they are two-way.
We got back to Bath a little before 5pm, wandered around the town, power napped, then got a taxi for the 15 minute ride a little out of town to The Wheatsheaf restaurant in Combe Hay, to meet with Kelsey and Mark. The Wheatsheaf is a warm and inviting restaurant with local ciders, a nice menu with a lot of local ingredients and top quality food. The building was originally a farmhouse built in 1576. I shot a few engagement photos of Mark & Kelsey before dinner and we had a lively visit over a great dinner then called our cab driver to pick us up at 10:30. The drive there and back was on some of the narrowest and most winding roads yet and much of it was practically through a tunnel of trees as the growth across the top of the roadway was so dense through the old-growth forests and the greenery on the sides of the road are almost like a solid hedge 50 feet high.
Wednesday morning, Chris and Sue went to visit an original Georgian house on Royal Crescent in the wealthy part of town, while
Garth and I explored the town centre area a bit more. We took the train home at 12:43 on a more direct route, cutting over an hour off the time it took to go there.
Arriving back at our home in Hackney, the cats (Ed and Miss Kika) were sure happy to see us. The neighbour fed them while we were away. We took Stef and Leanne's advice for supper and walked to The Fish House for the "best fish and chips in London". So we all bought cod (from Scotland) and chips take-away and walked into Victoria Park to find a bench and eat. We sat there pigging out on the fish and chips while runners, cyclists and skaters passed by. We all agreed that the fish was really good so we didn't feel the least bit guilty! The garbage can nearby was stuffed full of Fish House containers from everybody else stopping there all day!
We spent the evening relaxing at the house and making some calls home.
Thursday, Aug. 22
Woke up to a rainy day and took our time getting going this morning. Chris and I caught the train and tube to
Piccadilly Circus for the afternoon.
Piccadilly Circus is a busy square in the heart of London. It is famous for the fountain that was installed here at the end of the 19th century and for the neon advertising that turned the square into a miniature version of Times Square. The name 'Piccadilly' originates from a 17th century frilled collar named piccadil. Roger Baker, a tailor who became rich making piccadils lived in the area. The word 'Circus' refers to the roundabout around which the traffic circulated. Piccadilly Circus is now partly pedestrianized and a favorite place for people to congregate before going to the nearby shopping and entertainment areas. Soho, Chinatown, Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square are all within walking distance. We spent the afternoon walking around the area including Regent Street and Carnaby Street. Carnaby Street, one of the pedestrianised shopping streets is home to numerous fashion and lifestyle retailers, including a large number of independent fashion boutiques. The entire area for several blocks in every direction is full of major brand name storefronts and numerous alleyways filled with coffee shops and retailers.
On the way home our train broke down a couple of stops from the
house so we walked the last half hour. Chris bought some wonderful, fresh wild salmon from Scotland for supper and we enjoyed a nice, relaxing evening at home.
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