Oxford, Henges, Bath

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We took a road trip, Oxford was our first stop. We wandered through the town and down to the Avon River and did some punting. We thought it would be better to get one with oars, and headed out on the river. The scenery was lovely.

We stopped for lunch at the 'Head of River' then did some touristy looking around. I have learnt that if you hold the camera in one hand and look up at the buildings, people will walk around you. They might be cursing, but you dont have to dodge the crowd. Claire and Charlie hopped in a train for London, while us lads headed off exploring.

We visited Avebury where we found the Avebury ring of stones. Avebury is the site of a large henge and several stone circles surrounding the village of Avebury in the English county of Wiltshire. It is one of the finest and largest Neolithic monuments in Europe, about 5,000 years old. It is older than the megalithic stages of Stonehenge that are located 3.2 kilometres to the south.

We stayed the night at Marleborough, in the smallest hotel room I have stayed in ever. apart from its compactness, it was warm and I had a good nights sleep, which is surprising given that the floor from one end of the room to the other dropped over 12 inches.

Next morning, Woodhenge was next on the trail of discovery. Constructed from wood, this is a Neolithic henge and timber circle monument located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, England. It is 2 miles north-east of Stonehenge in the parish of Durrington, just north of Amesbury. Woodhenge was identified in 1925 after an aerial archaeology survey by Alexander Keiller and OGS Crawford. Currently there are bollards positioned where the original henge timbers stood. The site has significance beyond the henge, with identification of a major colony located nearby, which has little remaining identifying its location. It was discovered during the construction of a highway where civil earthworks uncovered evidence of the past. Nevertheless, they built the highway regardless of its historical significance.

Stonehenge was next. This site imparts a feeling that extends far beyond a collection of stones. We dont know how they got here, why they were brought, and by whom. They dont understand the purpose of it, and many other things remain a mystery. It is a prehistoric monument from the bronze age. After taking the tour, I join Mark at the collection of barrows (burial mounds) around the site. We identify the position of the cursus and return to the car.

We drive to Bath which is simply the prettiest town, located in a valley amongst a ring of hills. After checking into the hotel (Avon guest house) we explore a bit of the town before heading into the baths. We spend the most relaxing 2 hours in the thermal baths, saunas, spas and pools. I then take a tour of the original Roman baths (water runs but is not suitable for use) before an amazing dinner at Fynes. We took a self conducted night tour of the town, which is very pretty at night. The queens circle and circus are on prominent display by the people who have strived for this level of society.

Next morning (18th) we take a trip to Farleigh Castle (ruin). Farleigh Hungerford was begun in the 1370s by Sir Thomas Hungerford, Speaker of the Commons, and extended in the 15th century by his son Walter, Lord Hungerford, distinguished soldier and statesman. The remains of their fortified mansion include two tall corner towers and a complete castle chapel.
We travelled some distance north to the Gloucester airfield where mark took a ride in a tiger moth (been on hold for over a year). We drove back to London to complete our trail of discovery

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