Hello there
This weekend we hired a car and hit the road. Our destination was Bath, a city situated above the only hot springs in Britain. Having our own set of wheels meant we could also visit the iconic rocks of Stonehenge on the way.
Stonehenge dates back somewhere between 3000-2000BC. Alot has been said about the monument. As a structure, it is impressive (the heaviest stone in the henge weighs about 45 tonnes). But the real allure (apart from getting a great new facebook photo) is the tangible sense of history. It’s sobering to stand in front of something that has been such a presence for some 4 to 5 thousand years.
The other thing to note about Stonehenge was that it was bitterly cold. The wind was absolutely fierce, so we walked around the monument at a relatively brisk pace (see below). Our faces were going numb. Ryan was taking a leaf out of Monty Python’s Ministry of Silly Walks – obviously Stonehenge affects people differently. After we had retreated to the warmth of the car it was on to Bath. Bath’s warm and bubbling waters have been drawing bathers for healing, worship or pleasure for thousands of years. The Romans were the first to establish the city (AD60s), building a substantial complex of baths and a temple. Much later it became popular with the Georgians (for the same reasons), leading to expansion and ultimately an abundance of amazing Georgian architecture. These days Bath is a World Heritage Site.
Once we had checked in to our accomodation (8 bed dorm in a decent hostel), we were off to explore. A happy coincidence – Bath was having a cheese festival the day we arrived, so we indulged on freebies (see below). Exploring the back streets was quite something. Many of the buildings are made from Bath Stone, which has a unique warm honey colouring. The results are spectacular, and perhaps none more so than the Royal Crescent (pictured).
Heading down the slope we reached the River Avon. The river is very picturesque, particularly with the Autumn colours. Our plan had been to go and take a dip in the springs, but at 25 pounds a pop (cheapest ticket) we thought better of it, and hit a pub instead. The rest of the night was whittled away over drinks and food, before heading back to our hostel to crash. On the way we passed Bath Abbey, which looked great lit up…
Next day we visited the remains of the Roman Spa complex. This was very impressive, particularly the main pool with views back over the Abbey (see picture). The steam rising from the turquoise-green coloured waters was very atmospheric. All sorts of things have been found in the pool, as bathers throughout the century lost jewellery or made offerings to the gods. Alot of this stuff is now in display in the adjoining museum.
We all stopped for a while to soak in the healing vapours…
After the Baths Lesley head off to the Jane Austen centre, whilst the guys took a walk by the river. The picture below shows some of the gardens and Autumn colours – the River Avon is just behind the trees.
After a brief stop at an antiques market, we jumped in the car and head home via Bristol (to check out a cool suspension bridge and grab some lunch). All in all, a great weekend away. Monday morning was tough though! This weekend coming we will take a bit of a break…we bought a TV last week and are getting internet / cable this week, so we should be well provisioned for a couple of days in.
In two weeks we are flying to Stockholm for a few nights to check the place out 🙂 Gotta love cheap flights in Europe!
As always, will keep you posted, and planning on doing a blog post showing the apartment before then.
TL