30 Sep 2014. <GB-ENG> Bath, & Bradford-on-Avon, Somer —

Virginia creeper in Bath

Buildings in Bath

Traffic in Bath

The hill in Bradford

A confrontation in Bradford

A mixed day. Started off with a little time in a Macca's in West Twerton, a suburb of Bath. Got some blogging catch-up done, and Susie did some emailing — discovered that some of the emails she thought had been sent had not in fact gone. This is probably because Macca's, most frustratingly, drops our connection from time to time, and when she originally sent the emails, she didn't notice that we were offline. Anyway, hopefully, we've caught everybody up by now.

Came out after two hours, to find that we had left the headlights on. Another call to RAC, a most obliging mechanic, and we were on our way about an hour later. We went to the only Park and Ride for Bath that is not size restricted, only to find that the road leading to the P&R is not only width restricted to 6 feet, but is an 18% grade up to it from both directions - more than Gertie is currently capable of. So we went down to a local Sainsbury's, had lunch in the carpark. We called Richard from there — it was going on 3pm — and found that the engine he thought he had acquired had fallen through, so the plan is now to take the van up to him tomorrow, and to hire another van for the 2 weeks it will take to get the job done. We should have done this three weeks ago!!

We've gone back to our White Horse layby. On the way, we passed through Bath and were most impressed by its rows of Edwardian buildings, and the Virginia creeper kissing some of its buildings with red. But we were not impressed by the traffic, which was chaotic in parts!

We also passed through Bradford-on-Avon, coming down a very steep (18%), long narrow slope into the town, at the foot of which is a one-lane section in which we met a horse-trailer coming the other way. The roads in the UK depend for a large part on the goodwill of those driving on them.

We will probably do a little Macca's in Trowbridge tomorrow before driving up to Bourton-on-the-Water where there are a couple of interesting museums, and which will put us in range of Richard for about 3pm.

Distance driven — today, 106 miles ( 171 km ); to date, 8,211 miles ( 13,215 km )

29 Sep 2014. <GB-ENG> Dyrham, S Glos —

Started the day with about an hour at Macca's, Warren using his computer to Blog, Susie using hers to catch up on her email. We then went up, via a Sainsbury's and a Lidl, to the Trowbridge Odeon in the hope of taking in a movie — but nothing doing till about 3pm! Decided to move on to Dyrham Park, a little east of Bristol, and do some exploration there.

Site of the Battle of Deorham (or Dyrham) between
the West Saxons and the West Country Britons in 577 — yes, another battlefield.
Also the site of an early hillfort, that you can still see in the landscape.

Susie in discussion with Liz

The day had started off rather grey, but at least it wasn't raining. We got to Dyrham Park, had a bite to eat (with Lidl bread rolls - can't recommend Lidl for much, but their bread rolls are second to none!), and then went over to the visitor centre at about 2 o'clock. There was to be a guided Deer Park Walk at 2.15, so we decided to wait around for that. Turned out that we were the only two takers, so Liz (the guide) and we had a lovely walk through the Park, chatting the whole way. Apparently the deer were a little more active today than on some days — perhaps because it was a little grey — and we were able to walk very close to herds of does and fawns, and later on past some of the 'boys' — the bucks. They're very placid, considering they are getting into rutting season! Liz was able to give us a run-down of the history of the estate, including some of the quirks of its early owners. The original garden included, for a large part, a formal Dutch water garden (similar to what we saw at Westbury Court Garden, but on a much grander scale). There was a huge cascade, coming down from a statue of Neptune. William Blathwayt (the builder of Dyrham between 1692 and 1704) took great delight in taking the ladies to the foot of the hill and, when they were in the right place, secretly signalling his gardeners to turn on the cascade. Presumably an early form of the wet T-shirt competition!

Liz left us at the entrance of the house, so we continued inside. Won't go through every room in detail, but let's just say that this was magnificent living at its best. The rooms are superb, although a little dark for our own taste. The family itself were most influential, at least in the early days, with two brothers, George Wynter and Sir William Wynter, financing Drake's world circumnavigation in 1577, and prominent in Drake's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. William Blathwayt I, who married George's granddaughter Mary, and who moved in the highest political circles, built the house and had the grounds laid out in the early 1700s. One interesting element of the house is the locks on William Blathwayt's private rooms, which are most ornate, and have a key and at least six latches, but moreover, one of the decorative buttons is in fact a secret combination lock — he really was security-conscious! Although Blathwayt had built a house fit for aristocrats, his descendants had less ambitious aspirations, content to live as simple Gloucestershire squires. This is to our benefit, as they made few changes to the house. The other thing their laxity led to was the reversion of most of the formal Dutch garden to typical English Country Garden.

In some ways, this is a loss, in other ways a definite gain — the deer herd is today able to roam the entire estate, and just by walking about you can come to close quarters with them, as we found earlier on. There is a thriving orchard, and a strong colony of bees working in the gardens to the side of the formal water garden in front of the house, whose lake (a remnant of the Dutch water garden) has become the home of a rather splendid juvenile male swan, who should be in peak breeding form next year.

We had a lovely day at Dyrham, and then left to get a little further north, towards Gloucester. We stopped off in a layby just a mile or so north of Bath — a slight slope, but we can cope with that!

Distance driven — today, 17 miles ( 27 km ); to date, 8,105 miles ( 13,044 km )

28 Sep 2014. <GB-ENG> Stourton, Wilts —

Okay. Still at Stourhead. We got ourselves moving early, and out for a "estate walk". We decided to do the "King Alfred's Tower Walk" — about 5½ miles, or about 2½ hours. This took us through woodlands, and through the Stourhead Western Estate — not actually National Trust, but run by the Hoare family, pioneering the use of Continuous Cover Forestry in the UK, avoiding clear felling, and replacing trees by natural regeneration. We noticed many trees with red ribbons or red paintspots, apparently scheduled for felling, but noted that their loss would do little harm to the overall woodland. We walked through a mixed conifer forest, through gates, over stiles — meeting dog-walkers all the way! — until we got out to the Terrace Walk at the edge of the property, where we turned left, walked half a mile, and found this most incredible folly! A tower, built on the site where King Alfred is said to have rallied his troops in AD879. Unfortunately it is under repair, so we weren't able to climb to the top of this 160ft tower.

St Peter's Pump

We then walked back along the Terrace Walk — meeting dog walkers and horse riders — and round to a field where we found St Peter's Pump, a medieval well-head that was moved here from Bristol in the 1700s. It was placed at the site of the spring that is the source of the River Stour — hence 'Stourhead'. In this field are six wellsprings, which account for the well symbols in the Hoare family coat of arms. We walked down by them (not entirely managing to miss all the cow-pats!), past the medieval fish ponds, in which a couple of dogs were having a wonderful time, and up to the 'obelisk', which was erected in 1746. We were wondering why it had such a substantial lightning conductor running from top to bottom, until we found out that it was struck by lightning in 1839 and had to be fully restored. From here, we walked across the meadow behind the house, round to the front, and back up to the visitor centre.

The visitor centre today, and various other places around the estate, were a hive of activity. Each Sunday in September (and over the Christmas period) the National Trust invites local choirs to come and sing to the crowds. We sat in the restaurant and were regaled by at least three groups, each doing a 30-minute gig. The choirs sing in five sites — Visitor reception, the Walled Garden, the Spread Eagle Inn courtyard, the Bristol Cross, and the Pantheon. There are performances running all day, from 11am, with the last ones finishing at 4pm.

Susie went back in, while Warren 'recovered' from the walk! She went in to the Walled Garden, and found the Bourne Valley Quartet, who were a very good acapella ensemble!

After a most enjoyable two days at Stourhead, we left, and returned to our layby beneath the White Horse.

Distance driven — today, 34 miles ( 55 km ); to date, 8,088 miles ( 13,017 km )

27 Sep 2014. <GB-ENG> Stourton, Wilts —

Started the day at Macca's — not blogging, but finally getting Susie's new computer up and running.

We then drove out to Stourton and the nearby estate Stourhead. This place surprised us. It's a National Trust site (although the Hoare family still has a presence). By the time we got there, some time after 12, the place was alive. There is parking available for over a thousand vehicles, and that's roughly what was there!

We went in, and up to the House, which we went through, marvelling at what we saw. The house itself is a copy of an Italian villa designed by the renaissance architect Andrea Palladio — from whom we get the architectural style "Palladian". It contains an amazing Regency library, a Salon filled with Chippendale furniture, paintings that would be the envy of the British Museum, and a cabinet, made for Pope Sixtus V, that just has to be seen to be believed.

But that's not the most amazing thing about Stourhead. The gardens are just breath-taking. Designed by Henry Flitcoft in the 1740s, they use the natural valley of the River Stour to create a stunning landscape. There are classical temples, bridges, all set around a superb lake, and designed to reveal themselves piece-by-piece as you stroll around the lake (preferably in an anticlockwise direction). There is a grotto, containing statues of a nymph and of Poseidon. There is a Pantheon, a quarter-scale copy of the Pantheon in Rome, there is a Temple of Apollo, a Temple of Flora — it just goes on! And there are swans in the lake, just to add a little more theatre. Altogether, a most stunning classical landscape garden! We're lucky to be here for indian summer autumn days — we have the balmy weather, and the magnificence of the autumn tonings in the trees, all reflecting in the waters of the lake!

We wandered the gardens for quite a while, and it was getting on past 5pm. We decided we had not yet done the place justice, so elected to continue tomorrow. Luckily, the Trust allows overnight parking — for a £10 fee — so that's just what we did!

Distance driven — today, 20 miles ( 32 km ); to date, 8,054 miles ( 12,962 km )

26 Sep 2014. <GB-ENG> Warminster, & Trowbridge, Wilts —

Today started with a little shopping. Susie wanted to check out B&M at Warminster. Went back to the Trowminster Odeon — nothing of interest showing right now. Did some clothing shopping at Matalan in Trowbridge, then went out towards our layby, but instead pulled in to the Clanger & Pickett Wood (yes, that really is the name!). Walked through the woodlands for about 45 minutes, communing with the various dog-walkers we met along the way, and then we went back to the Odeon in time to go in to The Guardians of the Galaxy. As the film started up we were thinking "what the hell have we let ourselves in for?", but it soon took shape and turned into a rollicking space opera, much in the style of E.E. "Doc" Smith, but with the Marvel sense of humour permeating it all.

After this, we went back to our layby — finally realizing that it is overlooked by the Westbury White Horse that we visited a couple of weeks ago! Tonight for a movie, we opted for an oldie but a goodie — Bell, Book and Candle, from 1958, with James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Jack Lemmon.

Distance driven — today, 24 miles ( 39 km ); to date, 8,034 miles ( 12,930 km )

25 Sep 2014. <GB-ENG> Trowbridge, Wilts —

Nothing much happened today. We had our laundry done at the Rainbow Launderette in Trowbridge, while we went to the Odeon Theatre to see The 100 Foot Journey — a really delightful movie with Helen Mirren and others. Came out of the movies, picked up our laundry, returned to our layby and settled in to watch Mr & Mrs Smith and an episode of Due South.

Distance driven — today, 30 miles ( 48 km ); to date, 8,010 miles ( 12,891 km )

24 Sep 2014. <GB-ENG> Trowbridge, Wilts —

We're marking time, waiting to hear about the engine from Richard. Spent a couple of hours at Macca's to bring the Blog up to date, then went to Tesco for a 4-day shop. We followed this by going round to suss out the launderette situation. Found one, the Rainbow Launderette, not open today, but looks good for tomorrow. Went back to the layby for dinner, followed by the show The Code Breakers: Bletchley Park's Lost Heroes — this really put our two days at Bletchley into perspective! — and an episode of Due South.

Distance driven — today, 15 miles ( 24 km ); to date, 7,980 miles ( 12,843 km )

23 Sep 2014. <GB-ENG> Salisbury Plain (Stonehenge), Wilts —

Bizarre! That's the word for it. We woke at 5am, got ourselves moving, and then drove through the dark and fog towards Stonehenge. As we arrived at the site, there were people on the road issuing parking permits for the byway just beside the stone circle. We drove the 2 miles in and found — a motley crowd, parked along the road and then milling excitedly. There were witches and wizards, druids, even a girl dressed as an American Indian! It was dark and foggy, so torchlight and the headlights (and taillights) of the arriving cars provided the only light, with the frequent punctuation of camera flashes going off.

At 6.15 the stones were opened up to the assembled crowd, and we moved in to the inner circle of the stones themselves. The whole ceremony, as ceremony it was, was run by the Druid Uther Pendragon. It was all quite entertaining, to the sound of drums. The skies slowly lightened, but the sun was hidden in the mist. Nevertheless, the proceedings went on. There were invocations for peace, there was chanting, there were naming ceremonies, there was a handfasting ceremony. All to the strangely familiar scent of burning hemp being wafted about the place. Not our neolithic picture of stonehenge, nor even a fully druidic one, but somewhat wiccan. By the way, someone filming around the stones caught your two intrepid trippers in his movie! We also appear in this photo album on Flickr.

But we got to walk amid the stones, for the first time appreciating how truly huge — H-U-U-U-U-G-E — they are! We were able look closely at some of the fallen lintel stones — in one we could see the mortise (the hole) into which the stone tenon would have fitted. We walked, wandered, wondered for about an hour and a half, until the festivities drew to a close and the cold started to penetrate, at which time we returned to the van and left for our layby again (it really was close), until the main carpark opened at 9am.

Susie surveying the Cursus

The Long Barrow

The Cursus from the Long Barrow

We came back to Stonehenge for its general opening at 9.30, but instead of making for the stone circle this time we went over to the Cursus, the 2-mile long structure defined by earthen banks. We walked its length, up to the Long Barrow at the end, and then across King Barrow Ridge, and then back along the Avenue, coming up towards Stonehenge on the ancient processional route. A fascinating walk — about 4 miles of it — which really gives you a feel for the extent of the Stonehenge site. You also get to see the henge from different angles!

The Henge from the Cursus

Approaching the Henge via the Avenue

Vale Stonehenge

We left and went up to Trowbridge for a little Macca's time, then went back to a deep layby we had noticed a couple of miles south.

Distance driven — today, 14 miles ( 23 km ); to date, 7,965 miles ( 12,819 km )