Stone Circles

STONEHENGE


AVEBURY STONE CIRCLE

We had hoped to get an early start for a visit to Stonehenge but the first seating for breakfast at our B&B was at 8:30. We were there promptly, but breakfast wasn't. We didn't leave till 9:30 a.m., the opening time of Stonehenge, but as it turns out it was not as crowded as we had feared. The drive from the B&B to Amesbury where Stonehenge is located was very scenic. We were relieved that most of the roads were not too narrow. When you arrive at Stonehenge you park in the car park then walk through an underground passage to where the stone circle is situated. You must remain behind an unobtrusive barrier about 50 ft. from the henge. The terrain is such that it is quite possible to view the henge without other people in your viewpoint. The weather was overcast when we first arrived but about 10 minutes later the sun broke through the clouds giving us some excellent photo opportunities. It is possible to book ahead for stone circle access during which you can go past the barrier and walk right up to the stones. During February stone circle access is only allowed for one hour starting at 8 a.m. but all days were booked up during our visit. They allow about 30 people for stone circle access. Looking back, I'm not too disappointed we weren't able to book stone circle access. 8 a.m. would probably be too dark for good pictures, plus I'm worried it would have been more difficult to take photos without other people being in the way.

We spent a good hour at Stonehenge, then hit the road again, this time heading for nearby Salisbury. We had a very easy approach into Salisbury. I must admit that the direction signs in England are usually very good. You just follow the signs for the place name you are destined for. Once in the town, you immediately see signs for parking for the city center. Easy peasy. Salisbury was yet another picturesque town, or I guess city in this case. We made our way over to the cathedral, walked around outside and then followed a tour guide in the interior. We learned that Salisbury Cathedral, with its towering spire, was one of the tallest buildings in Europe upon its completion in 1315 and its cloisters are the largest in England. We visited the Chapter House and viewed some magnificent medieval carvings and one of the best preserved copies of the original Magna Carta. After lunch in Salisbury we headed over to Avebury to view another prehistoric stone circle.

We arrived at the Avebury Stone Circle car park around 4 p.m. and were alarmed to discover that the park gates would be locked up at 4:30 p.m. Brad graciously offered to move the car to the village car park while I went ahead to explore the stone circle. (Turns out you cannot legally park in the village car park until 5 p.m. a clever but cruel tactic to discourage tourists from parking in the town, but Brad parked there anyhow. Well, I guess it wouldn't have been so bad if we could have parked in the other car park later than 4:30 p.m.! How terribly inconsiderate of the National Trust.) The standing stones at Avebury Circle are not as large as those at Stonehenge but the circle itself is much larger, about a mile in circumference. You can walk right up to the stones which was a treat, but I was chagrined to notice some modern graffiti on one of the stones. Shortly after we had arrived it began to rain. I tried taking some photos but my new camera was getting wet so I put it away. As is the case in England we only had to wait a few minutes before the rain stopped and the clouds puffed up and revealed some blue skies. In the distance we could see Silbury Hill, the largest neolithic earthwork in Europe.

We drove back to our B&B but were running so late that we parked in the park and ride car park and hopped immediately on the bus into town. This was at 6 p.m. The reason for the rush was that we had called ahead and booked a table at The Moon and Sixpence for 6:15 p.m. Even though we hit Bath rush hour traffic we made it to the restaurant with minutes to spare. What a fabulous meal we had there. The restaurant features "modern English fusion cuisine" or as some may put it "mouvelle cuisine". It was gourmet and it was delicious and the portions were not skimpy.