Blogs from Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 2

So now it was time to go back to Salisbury, the reason for this trip, Winter Solstice! We got to Salisbury on Monday afternoon and went back to the Chapter House where we had reservations. We were tired and knew that the following 2 days would be busy, like super busy, so we just had soup brought up to our room and blobbed. Tuesday, the 21st was actually solstice, but it occurred late morning so the morning sunrise would not be celebrated until Wed a.m. This was a change as, originally, I’d found that it would be celebrated on the 21st. We were going to spend the night of the 21st anyway so the only way it changed anything was to make the 22nd very busy. I had reserved a walking tour for us to walk ... read more

We had to go get our 8-day mandatory Covid test then, catch a train to Salisbury, and be in Stonehenge by 3 pm. We left our bags at the hotel, got our mandatory test, picked up our bags and off to the train station for Salisbury. We got to Salisbury and Google said that it was a 10-minute walk to the hotel, which was fine. And it was fine until the hotel wasn’t where it showed it to be on Google. We asked a passerby who said we had to turn right and walk a few blocks more. Then Google showed another 10 minutes. The walk wasn’t bad and we were early. The hotel, “The Chapter House” is a very old building. One article dates it back 800 years. The building itself is not straight, stairs ... read more

After dropping off my colleagues, I made my way to Avebury. One of my biggest gripes about driving in England are the roads themselves. They make just enough roads to accommodate traffic, which in theory is fine; however, when construction is necessary, you're basically screwed. So I got completely turned around in Marlborough and I was frustrated further when my GPS crapped out again. I was able to see my location, but no further directions, so I had to use a map - normally I like, but the tiny country roads with fast moving cars added to the stressful experience. One of the saving graces was that due to the change in approach to town, I was able to see the Alton House White Horse on the side of the hill as I made my way ... read more

The big,black pot from where all the magic portions where churned by the little wizards of Hogwarts school in Harry Potter. Yes, I visited the Lacock abbey which was the site for this magical film shooting. Pride and Prejudice, The other Bolyen girl, Fantastic beasts, Harry Potter etc were filmed in Lacock and in the surrounding little village, now preserved by National Heritage Trust of England. "It is our choices, Harry that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter. It was a splendid choice to visit Lacock from Swindon by changing two buses ( approximately 2 hours) on a week day because of good bus service and sunny weather. I observed the the pleasant countryside of Calne, Royal Wootton village and others, all once belonged to the old wool ... read more

Malmesbury is a mouthful; sounded like marmalade in a bun. Motivated by a historical novel, I followed the protagonist who travelled to Malmesbury abbey on a horse to find answers to a riddle during those turbulent times. I took local 40 minutes bus ride from Swindon to Malmesbury with a bag of crisps and bottled water. During the reign of the Henry the eighth, Malmesbury abbey was one of the monasteries which got dissolved to fill the royal treasure. Geographically, it is set on top of a small hill with the two tributaries engulfing the town to join River Avon. The vast meadows with the fresh water was ideal for sheep husbandry. Wool was a major export and this town prospered. Malmesbury abbey was an ancient hermitage set up by an Irish immigrant, Maelduph in 600-700 ... read more