From Neolithic stones to Cotswold beauty

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Geo: 51.8592, -1.37178

Steven, Tom and I had a dreadful night, abandoning all pretenses of sleep at 4am. That did, however, mean we were up and out of the cottage quickly (by 8.15am) - we hadn't understood that the breakfast provided the first day wouldn't be repeated, so we were also looking for a feed!

Silbury Hill, the barrows, the stone circle of the Sanctuary, and the long Avenue of standing stones leading into the Avebury Stone Circle - there was something major going on here 5000 years ago! The Neolithic people built these stone henges, and huge mounds and we really don't know why. The frost was thick and the grass icy white and crunchy, and we had these sites all to ourselves!!

Breakfast at a roadside truck stop cafe - just brilliant, bacon and egg and sausage rolls!

Then to Lacock, a village owned by the National Trist, with most of the village 18th century or earlier (14th century tithe barn, medieval church). There had been an Abbey here since 1200s until Henry VIII gave it to the Sharington family, who owned it until 1944. The Abbey became the manor house after the dissolution, and whilst the house isn't open in winter, we walked through the grounds and the cloisters, used in filming Harry Potter! The inventor of photography (first to fix an image using silver notate as negatives) was one of the family.

Lunch at a bakery (hot pasties this time) then a drive to Castle Combe, an outstandingly beautiful Cotswold village. By 2.30pm, the late afternoon glow on the honey stone buildings had me in raptures. The kids were more excited about the number of marshmallows in their hot chocolate.

We drove through Cotswold villages to Woodstock (stopped to photograph one manor house that had dodgem car ride at its front door!) and after a bit of a hunt, found our pub. Sunset at 4pm is taking some getting used to! Dinner at the pub in front of the roaring fire, and an early-ish night.

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Comments

[Cathy]

Fabulous photos of s fabulous day.