The Beautiful Stourhead in Winter

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru 

Today's adventure on the way home from Bath was to be determined by the weather, if it wasn't going to rain we were heading for Longleat alternatively if it looked like rain we would head to Stourhead. By some miracle Emma woke us after eight telling us we had all slept in and when we looked out the window at breakfast time we realised Stourhead it was.

The drive from Bath in Somerset to Stourhead in Wiltshire took us through such beautiful countryside from the Mendip Hills to the farmlands around Frome and in under an hour we arrived in Stourhead.

Many people continue to ask us why we would possibly come to England in the winter, there seems to be a national preoccupation with the weather. But regardless of the intermittent rain England is beautiful in winter, we can always get a table for lunch and we don't have to share theses special places with hoards of people. As you can see from the lovely views of Stourhead (above) even rainy days have lovely periods of blue sky.

The walk from the visitor centre over to the main house took us first through some of the kitchen gardens and past greenhouses. The kids caught sight of a tunnel created out of bent canes and they were off. It was so lovely to see their enthusiasm, it was obvious they had some energy to burn off after the car ride. They were so excited to see the beautiful trees along the approach to the house, which we later found out were six hundred year old chestnut trees.



We had found Stourhead in the National Trust Ipad App, a very useful resource, and the kids had been keen to come for "winter warmers - board games in the entrance hall". Many National Trust properties close their houses over the winter whilst leaving the gardens open to visit but Stourhead keeps its entrance hall open with a roaring fire and you guessed it, board games and more dress ups.

We had the three National Trust volunteers to ourselves which was a great way to get advice on were to go but also to chat with these very well informed and enthusiastic people. It was very interesting to peek through into the next room, which had been packed up for winter with all the furniture and rugs kept under covers. In all honesty we were not disappointed at not being able to see more as it really was time for an outdoor day, the kids preferred to get out into the gardens rather than carry on the board games.

 

Stourhead gardens are such a delight, and while it is near to impossible to get the kids to come for a bush walk at home, once let loose in these gardens we could have spent a whole day without any complaint. Julian has spent many of our sightseeing days in Paris and London complaining to be picked up, but as Rob sagely pointed out he was having no problem walking today.

 

We found wonderful things as we explored such as ice houses for storing ice cream in the days before refrigeration, temples designed to a Roman style, a huge lake, bridges, and paths leading through beautiful trees. Rather than feeling like a formally laid out garden this was a glorious wilderness, with every tree, chair and building carefully planned to look as if it occurred by nature rather than by design.

We played our usual game of hide and seek and then Rob and Julian decided they couldn't resist trying a few handstands on the lovely lawn. We loved seeing the beautiful Snow Drops in bloom we were careful not to go off the paths after this so we didn't step on these beautiful babies.

 

When we arrived we had been warned that the usual walk people take, two miles around the lake and past the temples, was closed half way for maintenance. It was suggested we walk halfway and then come back and then go the other direction and return again.  We didn't think the weather looked safe enough for a four mile walk, not the mention the fact there is no way any of us wished to walk so far, so we took the abridged version which still allowed us to see all the sights from a distance and ended by passing a pub we had read about on Trip Advisor which we wanted to visit for lunch.

 

As it happened the weather stayed dry until the last five minutes and with our wet weather gear on it caused more fun than any problems when the heavens opened at the end of our walk. Though I will admit to being glad that we were within sight of the exit as the map I was carrying disintegrated in the drenching rain. 

The Spread Eagle Inn was a welcome sight and proved to be a wonderful find serving the very best lunch we have had in England. We all ordered the Sunday Roast, a delicious pork loin served with apple sauce and lots of lovely fresh vegetables. Rob enjoyed trying the local beer and I had a lovely pear and apple cider which went perfectly with the pork. Despite the fact that we had eaten enough to feed an army we couldn't help but order desert, encouraged by the quality of the superb main course. And so while the kids enjoyed ice cream and sorbet Rob has a decadent chocolate brownie and I had the most enormous serving of apple crumble and custard that words can not describe.

Now that's what I call a kids meal!

 Our lunch was so good that we asked to see the B&B rooms they have on offer with the plan to come back in the spring to see the place again, and of course to again sample their food. The rooms were lovely but after spending this weekend sharing a small room with the kids we are keen to stick with holiday homes with a separate bedroom for the kids so we don't get woken at the crack of dawn.

 

The trip home from Stourhead took only about a hour and a half, the highlight being seeing a group of kids ready to tackle the steepest zigzag road I've seen riding in their home made billy carts. I would have loved to see if they made down the hill but we wanted to be home before dark and the kids had school the next day. I do hope to come back to Stourhead but having consulted my diary there are few weekends left for overnight visits and there are so many terrific places to see. And this is where I have to ask you the reader if you have any suggestions for must see day trips and weekends away while we are living near Bournemouth. I look forward to hearing any suggestions you may have. Until next time it's goodbye from us and I hope you're enjoying the journey and Happy Australia Day to everyone.

(Day of visit to Stourhead 26 January 2014)

"I really believe I shall always be talking of Bath, when I am at home again–I do like it so very much"…. Jane Austen (Northanger Abbey)

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” – John Steinbeck

In Bath we learnt an important lesson, you can not be married to the plan, you have to give it up if it is not working for you, learn from it and move on and be sure to carry no grudge about what you feel you have lost as there will always be something else to be gained along the way.

 

We had arrived in Bath the previous evening, checking into the Holiday Inn Express where we were to share a room for the next two nights. We were tired from the drive and after enjoying a really good meal at a local Italian Cafe and Pizzeria the kids crashed for the night. The hotel was cheap and clean and while I would avoid having to share a room with the kids if we have a choice, Bath is an expensive place to visit and it was perfectly good enough for our needs. And of course the kids loved the basic all you can eat breakfast buffet that is included in the room rate. For some reason the kids were up by six o'clock and after staying up late, watching Doctor Who, Rob and I were very tired in the morning. 

We set out for our day in Bath starting with the free Mayor of Bath's Honorary Guided Walking Tour. Making our way down to the square in front of Bath Abbey we caught our first view of the Pump Room, that iconic place in Bath every Jane Austen fan wishes to visit, completely covered in scaffolding. Oh dear not a good start but never mind.

 

Last week I began reading Northanger Abbey to Emma in order to really bring Bath to life for her. I have read some terrific books by a lady by the name of Ina Caro, who suggest you need to know somebody who lived in a historical place before visiting in order to make it a real place rather than yet one more old building. It was wonderful introducing Emma to Catherine Morland, admittedly a fictitious character, yet I'm sure a true to life example of the young ladies in Jane's day. Not only was it terrific for familiarising Emma with Bath but also she thoroughly enjoys it and I get such a kick out her laughing at the irony and thoroughly despising John Thorpe. 

 

The Kings Bath - Norman not Roman Bath

Today however my enthusiasm got in the way of my common sense and as soon as we joined the tour Julian started saying that he didn't want to go. He was really looking forward climbing the tower at Bath Abbey and following a group of people around town listening to a lot of historical information did not appeal to him. We did manage to see the Norman Baths adjacent to the Pump Room as well as seeing the outside of the Theatre. While this was very interesting for the rest of us for a little boy of four it was thoroughly boring and he let us know, loudly. Rather than giving in at this point, after attempting to bribe, cajole and eventually threaten, Rob took Julian down the road to buy him a bottle of water and then come back. When Julian realised he had to come back his moans turned into screams and wails which I could hear in the next street.   At this point I came to my senses and realised it was time to excuse ourselves from the tour, which the guide, the very lovely Beryl, agreed was for the best. She thanked Emma for her attention and ensure us we were welcome to stay, as did the other members of the group but it was obviously time to go.

 

I walked away frustrated and annoyed and Julian was well aware that I was "grumpy Mummy" until I said "okay guys sorry that was my fault it wasn't fair taking you on a tour like that, lets start over as if we have begun the day again". Then Rob had the terrific idea of standing in the middle of a pedestrian island in the road and spinning around, Sound of Music style, and told me to join in. There is nothing like your parents embarrassing themselves to make a four year old laugh and an eight year old cringe and we all ended up laughing and indeed we started the day over. Plus it was a great reminder that we must always make allowance for the kids age and even if we want to see something more interesting for adults we must try to make it interesting for the kids too. My advice would be to read as much as you can about where you are going, because I know we won't be doing this kind of walking and talking tour again, but also these little bits of information can make it more interesting for the kids too.

 

Poultney Bridge

And so we started over again and this time decided to go and take a look at the Poultney Bridge, which we found along with the full to the brim Avon River flowing under it. Both kids thought this was great and wanted a closer look so we walked over the bridge and down onto the other shore. You would have no idea the Poultney Bridge was a bridge as you cross it, with it's shops stretched across the length of it on both sides. The kids wanted to go into a café to get a better view but once reminded that they had only recently finished their breakfast they were happy to keep going.

 

On the other side of the river we found what looked like a park and so in the spirit of keeping the day running smoothly I told them we would play hide and seek and when I finished counting and turned "coming ready or not" I could see all three of them walking around the park with looks of great concentration on their faces. It turns out that they has found a maze, not one the amazing hedge mazes the kids are so keen to find as some stage, but a simple maze of paving stones in the grass. After completing the maze a few times, and may I add with the odd cheeky leap from one path to another, we walked down to have a look at the complicated looking sluice gates in the river and then to watch all the rubbish the flood upstream had sent down into Bath.

 

Assembly Rooms - The Upper Rooms

 Emma had recognised Poultney Street as the residence of Catherine Morland whilst in Bath and so while I could not show her which house she had lived in, being fictitious and all, I asked her if she would like to make a visit to the Upper Assembly Rooms and she was very keen to go. So off we went at a quick pace, telling Julian we were off to a Ball and so once we arrived we had to deliver on this promise and much to the surprise of the seven or eight other visitors, Emma and I danced in the Assembly Rooms, though not with the skill or spritely step that this magnificent room has known in the past.



The lower floor of the Assembly Room houses the Fashion Museum and Emma was desperate to visit it and so bribing Julian with the promise of "dress ups" we went to take a look. The new Georgian Exhibition was stunning, I had no idea of the total change in fashion over this period, from elaborate to flat out crazy (though Emma claims she would like to wear some of these strange creations) to the simple elegance one expects to see in a Jane Austen dramatization.

The fun really began in the dress up room where a number of tourist were trying on corsets and hoops, top hats and frock coats and let me tell you Emma was in heaven. The little boys outfits were pretty boring so Emma and I wanted to get him into a dress but Rob wouldn't hear of it and eventually we found some little coats for him to try. He is going through a "I don't want to be photographed" period and so I cant show you how cute he looked but it appears Emma was born in the wrong time period as she loves these fabulous dresses and looked just gorgeous.

 

As usual the day was getting away from us and we realised that it was time for lunch,  before taking the tower climb at three and the Roman Baths at four, it was a crazy pace to set but we were all really keen to fit these things in. There was no question that we had to dine at the Pump Room, no visit to Bath is complete without having visited to see and be seen, and while there is no longer a book to record your attendance it was a lovely place for people watching.  

It was too early for afternoon tea, which would have been my choice, but we enjoyed a very tasty lunch anyway. I wasn't excited over the kids menu and was really pleased when they chose a delicious cauliflower and leek soup with a basket of fresh bread which was topped up by our very nice waitress. It seemed she was really pleased and surprised at the kids choice for lunch. Rob and I had delicious but very small servings, Rob a traditional English pie and I had a pulled pork salad with rocket, apples and walnuts. Very nice but both of us were ready for an early dinner that night, however the atmosphere in the Pump Room, with live music provided by a very skilled pianist, made up for the small portion sizes.

To add to some extra drama to the day we found that Emma's camera and the beautiful woven bag she made in kindy were missing, we felt sure that they were in the Fashion museum so we made a quick call and had no luck. We encouraged Emma to stay positive and hoped for the best.

 

The kids were very keen to get back to the Abbey so not to miss our tower climb and we entered the Abbey just as they were closing it for a private ceremony, so only got a very brief glimpse of this lovely church and was left with the impression of beautiful stained glass and fan vaulting. With a group of perhaps fifteen or so others we were quickly ushered out the back of the church and into a tight spiral staircase and told we had a one hundred and forty steps to head up to the first landing where we could rest. Going up is definitely easier than down, not on your legs but definitely on my nerves. The kids ran up without any problem and the whole way up I kept thinking "how will we get them down again without having them roll head over heels the whole way."

 

 

 

 

 On the landing we saw the bell ropes hanging from roof and we were told how they can be rung manually (picture the hunchback of Notre Dame hanging from a rope in the ceiling), or by hand using a simple rope pull system on the wall, or by using a now decommissioned machine that looks like a hand wound music box or finally using an electronic devise on the wall programmed to play around twenty four different songs. We were then taken to see the inside of the clock face that faces the council chambers, rather than the town square, as it is the council that pays for the upkeep of the clock. We were told to be sure that we didn't touch anything or we could inadvertently change the time, so we kept a eagle eye on the kids. We also got a good sense of how high up we were when we could see the top side of the fan vaulting from our vantage point in the roof space and through a peep hole in the bell room we looked down upon the church floor way way below.

 

After peeking into these special spaces, with doors so low even I had to duck and Rob was bent double, we where told we could climb the last eighty or so steps up to the roof terrace. We could hear the wind howling and we were warned that we couldn't stay out long as it was just too windy. Also they warned us that the bells might ring as we climb to the top of the tower and whilst not loud enough to deafen you they can give you quite a shock, and you wouldn't want to take a tumble down those stairs. So out we walked onto the roof and the wind was so strong it literally blew me off my feet much to everyone's amusement.

The kids were contented to stay quite close to the door but we all got a terrific view of Bath, including the Roman Bath's and a nearby rugby match. Julian made my day but announcing "mum this is the funnest day", "really Julian that's great I'm glad", "yeah mum everything else today was boring but this was the funnest".

 

I am pleased to say we made it down all those tiny spiral stairs in one piece and moved next door to the Roman Baths. My cousin, who has travelled much of the world as an airline pilot, told me that the Roman Bath's are best visited in the evening by torchlight and she was absolutely right. It was still light when we arrived at four, with last entry being four thirty, but by the time we had made our way slowly through this wonderful complex of ancient Bath's and fabulous artefacts twilight was closing in. Once we arrived at the Great Bath the torches had been lit and it was just perfect.

 

 You could imagine the ancients coming here to bathe, gossip and worship at the temple of Sulis Minerva. It is harder to imagine how such a big complex, the roof of the Great Bath once stood forty metres high, could have collapsed and been buried from the sixth century until the nineteenth century.

Sulis Minerva 

The Bath's close at five thirty so we had to continue around the complex when it would have been very nice at this stage just to sit and rest. It had been a very long day but before we left however we it was time to take the waters, something we had overlooked while in our rush to leave the Pump Room for our Tower Climb. Perhaps the water would revive us after such a long and busy day, or perhaps not as both kids decided the warm water with a metallic taste was decidedly "yuck" in their opinion.

 

 

Having seen the Sacred Spring, the remains of the hypocausts, the fabulous artefacts, the various baths and terrific displays that brought the complex to life and finally tried the waters it was time to leave. It was lucky we had finished seeing everything as we were chased from the building by a grumpy guard with a decided lack of a sense of humour as it was closing time.

 

The Sacred Spring

 

In retrospect we owed Julian a real debt of gratitude as if we had stuck with the walking tour we would not have had time for all the other wonderful things we did on this day in Bath. As usual everyone was hungry and so we walked quite a distance to a pub recommended on Trip Advisor, which it turns out has the best Sunday Roast apparently but does not serve meals on Saturdays, good grief. There was one thing left for us to do, and that was to return to Café 84 on Lower Bristol Road, that we had so enjoyed the night before. It reminded us of being home in Fremantle, with great pizza and pasta and friendly service. It is unusual for us to go to the same place twice but it was really good.

A final footnote on this wonderful but exhausting day, a number of phone calls to the Assembly Rooms later and it didn't look good for Emma's camera and bag, but we decided to drop in on the way out of town the next day and lo and behold there it was at the front counter waiting for us, and quite surprisingly there were a number of photos of other people in dress ups. Apparently it had been found at the end of the day in the piles of clothes but strangely no one had handed it in. Emma has sworn to never let it out of her sight again, perhaps we should start labelling our belongings because it may be the first but surely wont be the last time we leave things behind.

 

But now its time to leave Bath behind on our journey home to Dorset but first perhaps a stopover at Stourhead, but that is a story for another day.

 

(Date of visit to Bath : Saturday 25th January 2014)

 

Lacock Abbey with stopovers in Godric's Hollow, Budleigh Babbington, and at Hogwarts on the Way to Bath

"Before we begin our banquet I'd like to say a few words. And here they are, Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"  - Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

On Fridays Emma and Julian finish school at lunchtime which is perfect for weekends away and for our first weekend adventure we decided on Bath. I have had a partiality for Jane Austen novels since my teenage years and so a weekend of introducing the children to Jane's world sounded wonderful.

 Okay I will admit it, in fact I'm sure to have let on before, that I also have something of a Harry Potter addiction.  So I begin with this warning, if you are not a Harry Potter fan you may wish to stop reading at this point, but you will miss a visit to a marvellous place with much more to it than it's frequent use as a movie set. I solemnly swear that when I pulled out the guide books in order to find the perfect place to visit on the way to Bath I had no idea about the connection between Lacock Abbey and the Harry Potter movies. It was a course a lovely unexpected bonus and our literary weekend was expanding.

Lacock Abbey

 

We picked up the kids and set the TomTom on Lacock and we were off. Our route took us out of Dorset back into Wilshire and back to Stonehenge and then turned west in the direction of Devizes but we did not stay on main roads for long. We love how "Barbara" (the voice of our TomTom) sends us off the beaten track and into lovely little villages and woods which we assume must be shortcuts but you can never be sure.

The kids did really well on the journey, we find that planning to be in the car no longer than two hours at a time is a good plan. We listen to music or play "eye-spy" and talk about the places we are going. If patience is growing short and tempers fraying I will let them look at photos on the Ipad or as a special treat do a jigsaw on there.

 

 

After an hour and three quarters we arrived in what felt like a time capsule from another century or perhaps a movie set as Lacock is a perfectly preserved village that we have discovered has appeared in many movies over time, including a number of my favourites.  Rob pointed out the lovely golden colour of the stones of the buildings which we noticed again in Bath, which I have since found out is typical of Cotswolds Villages.

The Cloisters, Lacock Abbey

 

We had arrived at Lacock Abbey an hour before closing so we made our way in quickly around the beautiful front of the Abbey to the door. The main family rooms of the Abbey, which had been converted to a manor house by the lay owners of the property since the dissolution, were not open at this time of year but the Cloisters and rooms leading off from it were. At the door before we went in Emma turned to me and said "oh Mum this is where they used to walk around" I asked her who she meant and she didn't know but told me she found the place very spooky.  We walked in and found ourselves in the Cloisters which indeed the Sisters used to walk around. The first room we went into, the priests room (?) she could not stand to be in for even a moment. The quiet church music they had playing added to the spooky feel of the place for the kids but for me I found it quite serene.

 The Sacristy

 

Emma and I immediately began to recognise the place from Harry Potter scenes and excitement took over as we imagined the place covered in snow with a fountain placed in the middle. We walked down the very familiar Cloister's which were the hallways of Hogwarts and into the Sacristy. In the days before the dissolution the Sacristy was used to house the sacraments of the church and is said to be one of the oldest rooms in the Abbey with traces of 800 year old plaster. It was here that Snape taught students “How to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death”.





The Chapter House

 

The next room we came to was the Chapter House where the Sister's gathered to hear a reading of the daily lesson or chapter. By this stage after a quick look Rob and Julian had gone on alone, probably a little over hearing Emma and I carrying on about this being Professor Quirrell's classroom. But by taking our time Emma and I found marvellous carvings and ancient paintings in the plaster ceiling. This room felt very special and we enjoyed spending a little longer here. We were really surprised to learn that there were only around fifteen sisters at a time living here, we decided that there must have been a lot of lay sisters or servants also to do the work because the sisters were praying from two o'clock in the morning and the Abbey was large.

 

 The Warming House

The founder of the Abbey, Ela, Countess of Salisbury, was married to King Richard the Lion Heart's illegitimate half brother, William Longespee. She founded the Abbey in 1232, when after his death she decided to withdraw from the world for a life of prayer. We decided that such high ladies were not scrubbing the floors and doing the washing.

 

In the next room we found something that seemed to have been left behind when the movie makers left but has in fact been at the Abbey since the fifteen hundreds, a huge metal cauldron. In this room, known as the Warming House, there was also a enormous limestone trough which they are unsure the use for, perhaps storing live fish or salting meat, however Julian was definitely not keen on the idea of it being used as a bath. The Warming House at one time was also the home of the Mirror of Erised and the cauldron also made an appearance in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.

 

With time growing short we quickly finished walking around the Cloister's enjoying the coloured lights they were installing for a nightly illumination show beginning the next day. On our way out the kids tried peeking into rooms of the Abbey not currently open to the public. The kids had been given a worksheet to complete at the ticket desk and they had yet to find one of the six stars they were sent to find. Luckily when we started our hide and seek game amongst the trees we began to find the stars as well which made the game even more fun.

 

We were aware that not only was the Abbey shortly to shut but also that our daylight was running out and we wanted to see the village as well. Therefore we cut short our game and headed back to the visitor centre where they encouraged us to take a minute to look at their photographic exhibition, which we were glad we did. The kids loved these photos all themed around the stars and planets and they were very beautiful. Then we head off down the street, with the huge doors locked behind us and we had a mission to find a few famous houses. I know I know I'm on about Harry Potter again but I just couldn't help myself.

 

 We had no idea which direction to head and I forgot to ask at the visitors centre and so we just walked to the end of the street where Rob suggested we turn right as left seemed to head out of town. The next intersection I recognised not just as the town centre of Budleigh Babbington but also as Meryton from Pride and Prejudice. Now we had no idea so when I saw an elderly lady who seemed out for her evening stroll I said loudly to Emma "Oh Emma I wish we had a map". I know I was being such a chicken but luckily the lovely lady called out to us to offer her help. She seemed to really enjoy telling us about all the occasions the movie people had come to town. She told an interesting story about the time "Gandolph came to town" and they had blackout curtains installed and a huge barrage balloon had been floated over an area "Just behind Slughorn's house" and filming had gone on until two in the morning. So now I had Tolkien, another favourite author to add to my ever expanding literary weekend.

Slughorn's House - Budleigh Babberton 

Armed with instructions we were easily able to find the house another Budleigh Babberton landmark, the house Slughorn was hiding out in in the movie Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. And then down a wonderful street of thatched and half timbered houses we passed the village church and arrived at the Potter's house, interestingly enough next door to the Lacock Pottery.

 

 The Potter's House - Godric's Hollow

 

Twilight was closing in and we were still about forty minutes from Bath so it was time to return to the car and the beautiful drive through the Mendip Hills to Bath. And as this has already gone on quite long enough thank you very much I shall sign off there and return with our day in Bath as soon as possible. Once again many thanks for joining us on our journey. 

 

 

 

(Date of visit to Lacock: Friday 24 January 2014)

New Friends, Perfect Winters Days and Two Very Special Old Piles of Stone..Stonehenge and Old Sarum

"A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles." - Tim Cahill

I often marvel at Emma's ability to make friends wherever she goes. It's happened time and time again that she will gravitate towards the nicest girls you could hope to meet, just like her, and suddenly they are firm friends.  Rather than having lots of friends Emma has special friends, while Julian simply doesn't understand the concept and everyone is his friend. With a smaller class it seems that all the girls in Emma's class at school are friends and two weeks into term we have already had one afterschool play which was lovely. But Emma seems to have already formed one of those special friendships, and so we get to introduce Miss Meli, Emma's friend from ballet and the added bonus is she comes with a lovely family we have already spent special days with.

This Saturday the school hall hosted a local theatre companies performance of Anne of Green Gables and Meli's mum Jo recommended we come along. I'm glad we did as it was very clever, witty and heart warming with four adult actors taking all the parts in the play. There were lots of quick costume changes and funny scenes where the audience was rolling in the aisle at characters calling off stage for another character who was in fact played by them and a men playing precocious little girls. This was even funnier with Julian whispering loudly a few minutes later "Mum I think she's a boy". If you have the opportunity to watch a performance by Forest Forge you shouldn't miss it.

On Sunday we were ready for another day trip and this time we decided to bring Meli along to share the fun. The kids were thrilled by this idea and it was such a shame we didn't have room in the car for Meli's brother Evren. It was such a gorgeous sunny day and Stonehenge was only an hour away and so we took  advantage of the sunshine and head off early for once. After consulting our English Heritage and National Trust guidebooks we added Old Sarum as a second stop with a plan to stop in Salisbury on the way home.

 

Stonehenge Visitors Centre

 

There has been a lot of talk, both positive and negative, about the recently opened visitors centre at Stonehenge. It would appear that this mostly because so many people have been visiting in these early weeks since it opened, a very rainy period, and the artfully designed roof has holes cut in it which would not stop the rain. I'm guessing long queues for the land train shuttle from the visitors centre to Stonehenge coupled with pouring rain would be quite off putting. But no such disasters for us, we had sunny sky's and a gentle breeze, no queue for tickets thanks to our English Heritage membership and after maybe five minutes of waiting for the shuttle we were off to Stonehenge. It was just perfect.

 

The shuttle looks like a small train carriage coupled with a few others, pulled along by a Landrover. The trip took only about ten minutes and after a short walk Julian let us know we had arrived "look Mum a pile of bricks".

With audio guides in hand the kids were ready for fun. We had chosen the family audio guide and we all had to listen to the commentary until the adults were told to turn off and the kids continued to listen and then retold us a range of information, from the Slaughter Stone being red due to it's iron content, not from the blood of ancient sacrifices, to the contents of ancient burials. Running from marker to marker and listening to the commentary I'm not sure the kids spent much time actually looking at Stonehenge but it certainly gave us time to take it slowly and appreciate the fabulous effect of the light on and through the stones as you walk around the trail.

 

While you cannot actually walk amongst the stones, at the end of the circuit you are able to come quite close and, even with other tourists milling around photographing themselves, it is undeniably  a very special place just some spend some time standing quietly. We even met a druid who spent some time talking quantum physics with the bemused kids and showed us how to connect with the energy of the place, as very special experience.

 

 For the return journey we had the choice of a regular bus or waiting a few minutes for the land train, which of course was our choice. Back at the visitors centre we really enjoyed the new exhibition, including various artefacts and a fabulous collection of original books from various periods of time which make mention of Stonehenge. The highlight for the kids came when we stood in a room and images of Stonehenge over various periods of time were beamed onto the walls so that it felt as if we were standing right at the centre of the stones.

Before we departed for our next stop Rob and the kids had a go, unsuccessfully, at dragging home one of the stones and lastly we had to check out the very impressive new loo's. Not only where they very clean but the toilets are also self flushing, which was very disconcerting for a young boy when it flushed while he was still seated and he wasn't waiting around for it to try and flush him again.

Yet again we found that times flies when your having fun and it was already after two o'clock so we snacked on muffins and fruit in the car while planning to find a nice place for lunch on the way to Old Sarum. Unfortunately we found Old Sarum before we found somewhere to eat so we gave up on lunch and decided on early dinner after the castle, a pattern we seem to be getting into.

It was much windier at the top of this ruined castle near Salisbury than down on the Salisbury Plain at Stonehenge. The wind and our hunger had us racing around to start with but it didn't take long for Old Sarum to win us over. While there had been hill forts at this site since roman times Old Sarum became another royal palace built in stone by William the Conqueror and it was from here that he paid off his men after the Norman conquest. Another interesting fact we learnt was the it was here that Henry II kept his wife Elinor of Aquitaine prisoner.
 

In total ruin this castle was great for playing "what do you suppose that used to be", such as "mum I think that was the bathroom", "no darling the sign says it was a chapel".  We were amazed to discover that only about twenty people lived on the top of the hill in the castle with everybody else camped around the base of the hill ready to move inside the walls if there was trouble brewing. While the history of the place was very interesting it was also very short. When the church decided to relocate to New Sarum, or Salisbury as it was later known,  in the early twelve hundreds the towns people went with them. By the days of Henry VIII Old Sarum had fallen into disrepair and was sold for building materials.

 

We walked around the remains of the castle walls and enjoyed the gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside and Salisbury. It was so beautiful that the kids broke into their best Julie Andrews impersonation, except somehow the song became the "the hills are alive with the sound of mooooosic".

After behaving beautifully all day it was time to reward these terrific kids, not with five star cuisine but with burgers, salad bar and knickerbocker glory's. I've never seen three kids eat so much so quickly, I'm not sure whether it was the fresh air, loads of walking or the lateness of the meal but they certainly did justice to it. When Julian decided he didn't like his icecream the girls were beaten and had to leave it to Rob as they were in fear of bursting. Meli had been telling us all day how great Salisbury is to visit, and having seen the glorious cathedral dominating the landscape from various vantage points throughout the day we were keen to go but had run out of time. We agreed on a taster and set the TomTom to the cathedral and managed to see it close up from the outside in the twilight. It was an awesome site and we have vowed to come back and attempt the tower climb before the end of our holiday.

 

After we dropped Meli home there ended another perfect day. And now for the first time I am up to date and looking forward to our trip to Bath this weekend and will be back here to tell you all about it as soon as I can.

(Date of visit to Stonehenge and Old Sarum: Sunday 18th January 2014)