Blogs from Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Upon arising and looking outside it became apparent that today was likely to be somewhat different from a weather standpoint. Our fears were well founded. By the time we got to the parking lot for the visitor center and to catch the shuttle bus to Stonehenge it was spitting rain. The air was noticeably cooler, and with the blowing wind and rain it had become the sort of raw day that you want to avoid as much as possible. Having previously had an extensive visit to Stonehenge, I would have skipped it entirely on a day like this. But Jm had never seen it, and since it is one of the iconic travelers' destinations in the world, we all felt we should go. By the time we stepped off the 5 minute shuttle ride, the wind ... read more

Miguel has brought some treats with him from Argentina for us and so I'm super happy to try dulce de leche spread on my toast from breakfast. For anyone who has never tried this, it's like a milky caramel taste. We also have a box of Alfajores, which we look forward to eating later on in the week. Our trip today is a short drive of some 20 to 25 mins down the A303, so we left the house a bit later and enjoyed a slight lay-in. Forgetting that it is Easter half term, we end up stuck in traffic on the A303 and a 25 min journey turned into a 1 hour trip. Today's itinerary is a trip to Stonehenge and then a visit to the nearby city of Salisbury. By the time we reach ... read more

I admit that the last few weeks I’ve been feeling increasingly fretful about my three-month reconnaissance. I’d become resigned to returning home with no clear favorite place, and certainly no plausible ”home base” to which I’d want to return. There are some fabulous places to visit, but they were too big/small, too congested/remote, or lacked infrastructure/amenities to tempt me to stay for long. Then I arrived in Salisbury - and everything changed! Now cautiously optimistic, I won’t say it’s the “be all, end all,“ but it’s certainly ticking a lot of boxes.... It’s a compact city with a cathedral and college, plenty of shops and eateries, myriad attractive and historical buildings strewn about, and ample green space, with the rivers Avon, Nadder, Ebble, Wylie and Bourne veining the downtown and countryside. Named url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/salisbury-... read more

Thursday morning I took the full suss out for a bit of an explore, and the bike was in its element. All the rocks and ruts that had tried to break the 920, were simply rolled over with very little problem. So I started trying a few routes that split off from the main tracks and found some amazing views of small beaches along the coast, all the while trying my best not to go to far to the bottom of the hill, as 1300 feet is a long way to go back up. I'd also decided to do the laundry that morning as the MET office had said it would be dry till the evening, but no, it rained off and on, pretty much from the time I put the washing on the line, till ... read more

So, it's about 24 hours now before I leave my house for the last time until December. It's come round ridiculously quickly, and I feel like there's still so many people I'd love to see or see more of before I go but unfortunately the clock has run out. I'm going to have a lot of postcards to send. For the most part it still doesn't feel like this is really happening to me, it doesn't feel real. I imagine when my folks leave me at the airport and I'm truly on my own and really doing this it will hit like a tonne of bricks. I can't wait to see the world.... read more