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We woke up early in preparation for our loooong drive from Whitby south down towards Salisbury. It was anticipated to take 6 hours and we dreaded any repeat of our drive from London the first day. However, it was a bright sunny day and we made it in time and as planned. We had filled up the car the night before (about £75!) so we only made one stop for lunch and bathroom breaks. It was also a gorgeous drive down. We went along the west side of the country, through Birmingham and down through Bristol. We drove right through Bath, which while very congested, was also quite lovely. Next time....
We found our next cottage, The Barn, easily enough. The first place still was unbeatable but this was a close second. Lots of room, fresh eggs, and a cozy little courtyard. It was very near an adorable village by the name of Semley, which had a cute and friendly cafe and a very down-to-earth pub. We brought our stuff in, rested for a few, then decided to journey just up the road to Old Wardour Castle.
This was also part of the English Heritage, so we went right
Long drive
Granny between the kids (and tsum tsums) and Grandpa in the backit. Since it was late in the day and they would soon close, we had the place all to ourselves. And the ruins were very expansive. It was a lovely site and inside the castle were so many places to explore - lots of stairways, many rooms, beautiful views. Very, very impressive. It is surprising that this place is not well known because it was probably one of my favorite sites of the whole trip.
Apparently, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (Kevin Costner movie) was filmed here. The castle served as the backdrop for Robin of Locksley's old home. They also filmed some courtyard scenes here. We got the boys some foam axes, as well as one for Leona, and they let loose running around the castle grounds.
And I also must say that so far, every single staff member at English Heritage for our first three sites was so incredibly friendly. I was super impressed. While we were exploring the castle, Mom was sitting on a bench talking to the guy. He was a wealth of information about the site as well as the trees and plants that grew there.
After we left, we made our
way to Shaftesbury, about 10 minutes from our cottage, for dinner. We were looking for a recommended restaurant, but when we finally found it saw they closed at 5. Of course. Why would a restaurant be open for dinner? Anyway, we found a pub nearby with similar views of the "Golden Hill" - a lovely view and near sunset. We ordered a couple of big plates to share and some low alcohol content beer. By this time, we were beat and made it back to the cottage just to get ready for bed. We had a big day planned for Thursday.
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