Bath, Windsor Castle & Stonhenge

---

We took a day trip outside of London with Golden Tours. My experience with Golden Tours went above and beyond as far as our tour guide, the bus drive, price, trips offered and convenience. I highly recommend Golden Tours.

The trip to Bath, Stonhenge, and Windsor Castle seemed like a great way to spend the day. Looking back, I wished we could've spent 2 days in Bath as there really is so much to see!

Our first stop was Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world. It is one of the official residences of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

The first castle was built in 1080 by William the Conqueror. Over the centuries many kings have lived at Windsor, adding or altering buildings, and a serious fire in 1992, and the subsequent restoration and rebuilding, continued this process of change and renewal.

The main areas of the castle that we visited included the State Apartments, where visiting dignitaries are entertained, Queen Mary's Doll's House, the Lower Ward, where you can see the changing of the guard most days at 11.00am, St George's Chapel and the Albert Memorial Chapel. Since Windsor Castle is a working palace and official engagements take place there, it may limit your sight seeing.

Our next stop is Stonhenge. It a cold and damp day with rain mist. We walked around there fairly quickly. I would've loved to have seen this mass of stones as the sun goes down, that must be a photographer's dream!

Archaeologists have agreed that Stonehenge was built in four distinct phases: The first phase began around 3200BC.

The second phase began around 2200BC, blue dolerite stones with their origin in the Prescilly mountains in Wales, were erected in two concentric circles.

The third phase began around 2000BC, first the blue stones were removed, and the large sarcen blocks erected in the pattern still visible today.

The fourth phase began around 1600BC, when the blue stones were re-erected from an unknown storage place to the centre of the great horseshoe.

Our last stop for the day was Bath. There is so much to see and do in Bath. The city goes back about 2000 years. If you love shopping, walking, and site seeing, this is the place to visit! The Roman Baths were re-discovered in 1880.

---

Photos

Gates of Windsor Castle
It was a cold and damp day. It made the castle more appealing in a weird way.

Queen for the day
Yours truly - my teeth were chattering.

Come to my castle
I'm really in awe at this castle, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't photograph it in one picture!

Round Tower
The gardens around Windsor Castle were beautiful! I can imagine climbing up this steep side in the middle of the night.

Residence
The Queen and her family come here on weekends, over Easter, and for a week in June. She is known to host State visits from overseas Monarchs.

Guards
Get ready for the change of Guard. It takes place at 11 a.m.

Another view
Here is another view of Windsor Castle

Stonhenge
This is not a rolling stone.

A different view
It's interesting as you walk around Stonhenge to see how the scape seems to change.

Roman bath
The water seemed a bit murky when we were there. The inside is pretty cool!

Bath Abbey
This is the west end of the abbey. It dates back to the 16th century.

Church in the country
The fall was beginning to set in on the country side of Bath. The golden leaves of autumn gave the country more of a splash of color.

Bridge
Designed by the Scottish architect Robert Adam and built between 1767 - 1774. His friend Sir William Pulteney commissioned the bridge to enable the expansion of the city across the River Avon on to his Bathwick estate.

Wales
We drove briefly through the country side of Wales. I understand why the country side of the UK is so loved!