Out and about in England

Yes, well considering that we live here we thought we should probably go and check out some of the local sites that we have been meaning to see for a while. After getting back from Scotland we headed off to a few places like Winchester, Salisbury (annoyingly pronounced S-AUL-sbury, the English should really learn how to spell) and Bath.

On the way we visited Stonehenge and Avebury both sites of 3000-4000 year old mysterious man-made rock constructions. Stonehenge is good but a little disappointing due to the main road that is built right next to it and of course the £5 fee that lets you get about 20m closer than just standing at the fence and looking through. Avebury is much better but the stones just aren’t as iconic as Stonehenge, though you can go and touch them all. The West Kennet Long Barrow burial chamber is also really cool and spooky! Our day in Avebury was not just about the stones it also involved lots of mud and swampy marshes and a pair of Strugnell’s that were two wimpy to get their feet wet! Boo Hoo!

Aside from the ancient stones we also saw a bunch of Cathedrals, took a wander around the wonder of Bath, visited the ancient Roman baths and even got to drink the famous Spa water! Apparently it contains 43 minerals and 7 trace elements including radium! Yum! Actually not really that tasty so I certainly feel sorry for the people who had to drink 5 litres of the stuff before breakfast everyday thanks to their doctors and the wonders of modern medicine 200 odd years ago!

Winchester Cathedral

The crypt in Winchester Cathedral, currently housing a piece of installation art.

St Mary's Cathedral in Salisbury

Stonehenge

The ancient stones at Avebury

Walking out in Avebury... and getting very muddy

Finally, we all made it across the HUGE flood plain (all 3m of it), to see the huge man-made hill (Silbury Hill, in the background), they have no idea why they made it, probably just because they could!!

The Ancient Roman Baths in... Bath

The River Avon in Bath