Leaving England today.
What a wonderful trip it has been, and what a lot we have seen! When we returned to hire car, we had travelled over 2,000 miles in it. I am sure that there will be other trips in the years to come, and there is certainly an awful lot that I haven't seen, but there will be no other trip quite like the first one back.
I think that we have probably been very lucky with the weather, and have seen some parts of England at their best. We had beautiful weather in the Lake District, and some fine days in the Cotswolds. There were really only 2 days in which rain made it difficult for us. Over the 6 weeks that we were here, I call that pretty good!!
What was the best bit? That's a very difficult question; especially after doing so much in such a packed schedule. The family would have to be high on the list. It has been wonderful to see all the people that we have been able to catch up with; that is definitely one of the highlights for me. And to go back to Borth and find it so unchanged and unspoiled was another. Finally seeing the Lake District was a real treat as well. I loved York, with its old "gates" and lovely little shops. Such an historic town.
But for now, it's time to go home!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A few days in Hampshire
We have spent the last few days staying in Hampshire with family. We have had a lovely time, and have also done quite a bit of sight-seeing.
On the first day, we went to Stonehenge. Very crowded, but I'm glad we got there before all the Summer Solstace gatherings. These were reported on the news a few days later, and it sounds very big!!
It's hard to get a concept of the sheer size of the stones from the viewpoint from which we could see them. Staggering to think of how they might have been moved to the position in which we find them. Some have been identified as coming from hundereds of miles away, and might have been transported by sea and then rolled over logs inland. Massive pieces of stones, which were then shaped to the requirements of the people and assembled. Some have "knobs" carved into them to interlock with other stones. Remarkable really.
In the afternoon, we went across to Salisbury and walked through the town. Another Cathedral here. Some very new additions within the ancient buidling; have a look at the water feature in the nave.
As we walked back through the town, we also stopped to look at the Church of St Thomas, nearby. This one has fifteenth century painting over the chancel arch, and also medieval murals around the wall of the Lady Chapel.
Friday was my "Jane Austen" day. It began with a drive to Chawton, and a tour of the house there in which Jane Austen lived with her family. Chawton is a very pretty Hampshire village. In the Jane Austen museum, there is a lot of memorabilia relating to the Austen family. They were obviously a very close family, particularly Jane and her sister Cassandra.
We went from there to Winchester, to yet another Cathedral (still finding them interesting - each one is so unique). This was Winchester Cathedral. We began our tour with a visit to the Crypt, which was very interesting as Winchester Cathedral is built very low and close to the water table. The crypt frequently floods; the water marks are plainly visible. As the Cathedral was built on swamp, its original timber foundations began to sink in the late nineteenth century. A diver spent around 7 years replacing the timber foundations with concrete from 1906 to 1911. The crypt also contains 3 Roman wells, and a number of ancient stone sarcophagi from the burial grounds of the original church. A modern sculpture, "Sound II" by Anthony Gormley stands at the entrance to the crypt.
The west windows of the Cathedral were unusual; they have a very "piecemeal" appearance. This is because they were destroyed by the Puritans under Oliver Cromwell, and then the glass was pieced together and returned to the window following the restoration of the monarchy.
In the nave is the tomb of Jane Austen, together with a window dedicated to her. Further up, in the north transept, there is a chapel still retaining medieval painting on the walls and ceiling, whilst in the trinity chapel the largest area of medieval decorated floor tiles remaining in England can be seen. As I said, each Cathedral has its own areas of interest.
Winchester is a lovely old town. We walked from the Cathedral, up through the town centre to the Great Hall. There are some remains of the old castle there, but really only the Great Hall is left. On the wall is a round table, created in the fourteenth century and decorated in Henry VIII's time. The table has the names of the knights from the King Arthur legends painted around it.
Saturday was a very pleasant day; much more restful. In the morning we walked into the village of Odiham and then we had a family lunch.
Sunday was the last real day of sightseeing, and it wasn't wasted! We went to Portsmouth to the historical docks where there are several museums, as well as the nineteenth century ship Warrior, Nelson's ship Victory and the recovered wreck of the Tudor warship Mary Rose. Boat tours of the harbour are also available. The hull of the Mary Rose is being treated with a water based wax solution, and this process can be viewed through glass panelling. This was a really interesting display. Warrior and Victory are both open for viewing, and can be walked through - which, of course, we did! It gives you a real sense of the closeness of the conditions for the crew on the gun decks. They are both beautiful ships. We also saw the enourmous surviving top sail of the Victory.
We finished this visit with a boat tour of the harbour......from old to new; we saw several modern warships from the British fleet.
This morning, it was packing. There was just time for a walk along the canal in Odiham to a very pretty little lake. One last look at the English countryside. Hampshire is another lovely part of the country.
On the first day, we went to Stonehenge. Very crowded, but I'm glad we got there before all the Summer Solstace gatherings. These were reported on the news a few days later, and it sounds very big!!
It's hard to get a concept of the sheer size of the stones from the viewpoint from which we could see them. Staggering to think of how they might have been moved to the position in which we find them. Some have been identified as coming from hundereds of miles away, and might have been transported by sea and then rolled over logs inland. Massive pieces of stones, which were then shaped to the requirements of the people and assembled. Some have "knobs" carved into them to interlock with other stones. Remarkable really.
In the afternoon, we went across to Salisbury and walked through the town. Another Cathedral here. Some very new additions within the ancient buidling; have a look at the water feature in the nave.
As we walked back through the town, we also stopped to look at the Church of St Thomas, nearby. This one has fifteenth century painting over the chancel arch, and also medieval murals around the wall of the Lady Chapel.
Friday was my "Jane Austen" day. It began with a drive to Chawton, and a tour of the house there in which Jane Austen lived with her family. Chawton is a very pretty Hampshire village. In the Jane Austen museum, there is a lot of memorabilia relating to the Austen family. They were obviously a very close family, particularly Jane and her sister Cassandra.
We went from there to Winchester, to yet another Cathedral (still finding them interesting - each one is so unique). This was Winchester Cathedral. We began our tour with a visit to the Crypt, which was very interesting as Winchester Cathedral is built very low and close to the water table. The crypt frequently floods; the water marks are plainly visible. As the Cathedral was built on swamp, its original timber foundations began to sink in the late nineteenth century. A diver spent around 7 years replacing the timber foundations with concrete from 1906 to 1911. The crypt also contains 3 Roman wells, and a number of ancient stone sarcophagi from the burial grounds of the original church. A modern sculpture, "Sound II" by Anthony Gormley stands at the entrance to the crypt.
The west windows of the Cathedral were unusual; they have a very "piecemeal" appearance. This is because they were destroyed by the Puritans under Oliver Cromwell, and then the glass was pieced together and returned to the window following the restoration of the monarchy.
In the nave is the tomb of Jane Austen, together with a window dedicated to her. Further up, in the north transept, there is a chapel still retaining medieval painting on the walls and ceiling, whilst in the trinity chapel the largest area of medieval decorated floor tiles remaining in England can be seen. As I said, each Cathedral has its own areas of interest.
Winchester is a lovely old town. We walked from the Cathedral, up through the town centre to the Great Hall. There are some remains of the old castle there, but really only the Great Hall is left. On the wall is a round table, created in the fourteenth century and decorated in Henry VIII's time. The table has the names of the knights from the King Arthur legends painted around it.
Saturday was a very pleasant day; much more restful. In the morning we walked into the village of Odiham and then we had a family lunch.
Sunday was the last real day of sightseeing, and it wasn't wasted! We went to Portsmouth to the historical docks where there are several museums, as well as the nineteenth century ship Warrior, Nelson's ship Victory and the recovered wreck of the Tudor warship Mary Rose. Boat tours of the harbour are also available. The hull of the Mary Rose is being treated with a water based wax solution, and this process can be viewed through glass panelling. This was a really interesting display. Warrior and Victory are both open for viewing, and can be walked through - which, of course, we did! It gives you a real sense of the closeness of the conditions for the crew on the gun decks. They are both beautiful ships. We also saw the enourmous surviving top sail of the Victory.
We finished this visit with a boat tour of the harbour......from old to new; we saw several modern warships from the British fleet.
This morning, it was packing. There was just time for a walk along the canal in Odiham to a very pretty little lake. One last look at the English countryside. Hampshire is another lovely part of the country.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
1066 and all that
(With apologies to Sellar and Yeatman)
This morning, we went to Battle Abbey. Site of the Battle of Hastings. Not much remains of the Abbey - surprise, surprise, it fell into ruin following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. After this trip, I don't think I'll ever forget the date 1538!! It has popped up all over the country!
Walking around the battlefield, it is hard to imagine what it would have looked like in 1066. There would have been no Abbey on the hill - it was built afterwards.
Afterwards, we drove back through Rye to Romney, for a visit to the narrow guage Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. We caught one of the trains to Dungeness; good fun. There is nothing like a steam engine, even a miniature one. The ride was a little disappointing, as houses have now been built between the railway and the sea, and the view is largely gone. One of the good things about the Talyllyn Railway was that it was a great way to view the countryside. This aspect of the RH&D Railway is now gone. I suppose some changes in 40 years were to have been expected!!
This is our last day in Sussex. Tomorrow, we drive to Odiham and will be staying with family for the rest of the trip. Checking the odometer in the hire car today, we have driven over 2,000 miles up and down the country - no wonder I'm tired this evening!
This morning, we went to Battle Abbey. Site of the Battle of Hastings. Not much remains of the Abbey - surprise, surprise, it fell into ruin following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. After this trip, I don't think I'll ever forget the date 1538!! It has popped up all over the country!
Walking around the battlefield, it is hard to imagine what it would have looked like in 1066. There would have been no Abbey on the hill - it was built afterwards.
Afterwards, we drove back through Rye to Romney, for a visit to the narrow guage Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. We caught one of the trains to Dungeness; good fun. There is nothing like a steam engine, even a miniature one. The ride was a little disappointing, as houses have now been built between the railway and the sea, and the view is largely gone. One of the good things about the Talyllyn Railway was that it was a great way to view the countryside. This aspect of the RH&D Railway is now gone. I suppose some changes in 40 years were to have been expected!!
This is our last day in Sussex. Tomorrow, we drive to Odiham and will be staying with family for the rest of the trip. Checking the odometer in the hire car today, we have driven over 2,000 miles up and down the country - no wonder I'm tired this evening!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Canterbury and Rye
This morning, we went into Canterbury. I am really sorry that we didn't have more time to spend here, as it looks like a really lovely town. A real regret is that we didn't have time to look at the library (I know it's a temporary library, but I would have liked to have seen it). Unfortunately, the one-way system on the way out of Maidstone added quite a bit of unscheduled time to the morning, and we simply ran out of time today.
We left the car at a Park and Ride, and got a bus right into the centre of the town, and then walked through some of the streets for a little while.
Our main objective in Canterbury had been to see the Cathedral, and this did not disappoint. I had seen some photos on Flickr recently which showed how the restoration work is cleaning up the old stonework, and this work was evident as we approached the Cathedral.
I was interested to see Canterbury not just because of its age, but also for the story of Thomas A'Beckett of course.
We left Canterbury at about 2, and drove to Rye. More Malcolm Saville country here! We are staying at the famous Mermaid Inn, which was rebuilt in 1420 after the original twelfth century building was destroyed by fire. Elizabeth I stayed here. It's a truly marvellous building. My room overlooks Mermaid Street - I've put a couple of photos on Flickr. Funny to be sitting here in such an old room, using wi-fi!!
We had a lovely walk here this afternoon, around the old, cobbled streets. We went up to the tenth century church, which has a clock tower above the North door. Each quarter hour, the "quarter boys" strike the bell. I climbed the clock tower (braving ladders and a trap door) and was rewarded with a marvellous view over Rye and the surrounding area.
The walk back took us down Traders' Passage and back to Mermaid Street.
So - another great day. Apologies again to Canterbury Library.........maybe next time!!
We left the car at a Park and Ride, and got a bus right into the centre of the town, and then walked through some of the streets for a little while.
Our main objective in Canterbury had been to see the Cathedral, and this did not disappoint. I had seen some photos on Flickr recently which showed how the restoration work is cleaning up the old stonework, and this work was evident as we approached the Cathedral.
I was interested to see Canterbury not just because of its age, but also for the story of Thomas A'Beckett of course.
We left Canterbury at about 2, and drove to Rye. More Malcolm Saville country here! We are staying at the famous Mermaid Inn, which was rebuilt in 1420 after the original twelfth century building was destroyed by fire. Elizabeth I stayed here. It's a truly marvellous building. My room overlooks Mermaid Street - I've put a couple of photos on Flickr. Funny to be sitting here in such an old room, using wi-fi!!
We had a lovely walk here this afternoon, around the old, cobbled streets. We went up to the tenth century church, which has a clock tower above the North door. Each quarter hour, the "quarter boys" strike the bell. I climbed the clock tower (braving ladders and a trap door) and was rewarded with a marvellous view over Rye and the surrounding area.
The walk back took us down Traders' Passage and back to Mermaid Street.
So - another great day. Apologies again to Canterbury Library.........maybe next time!!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
From Gloucestershire to Kent
On Saturday, we drove down to Kent. We stopped en route at Blenheim Palace, home of the Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Winston Churchill.
Blenheim Palace is a lovely place, set in magnificent grounds. It is not far from the village of Bladon. Churchill is buried there, in the graveyard of St Martin's Church.
From Bladon, we continued our drive to Kent, mainly on the motorways. This is the county that I was born in, and so I was interested to visit it.
Today we have visited another Churchill landmark. This time his family home at Chartwell; a lovely spot overlooking the Weald of Kent - a magnificent view. It was a lovely warm day, and the gardens were looking their best. We spent a very pleasant afternoon there. There are also some great examples of Churchill's painting there; I hadn't realised the extent of this hobby.
Earlier, we drove through to Tunbridge Wells and out into Hartfield in East Sussex, to see the area where AA Milne lived and wrote his wonderful Winnie-the-Pooh stories and poems. We went for a walk through Ashdown Forest to Pooh Corner and saw the famous bridge from which Pooh played Poohsticks - naturally, I played it too!
Blenheim Palace is a lovely place, set in magnificent grounds. It is not far from the village of Bladon. Churchill is buried there, in the graveyard of St Martin's Church.
From Bladon, we continued our drive to Kent, mainly on the motorways. This is the county that I was born in, and so I was interested to visit it.
Today we have visited another Churchill landmark. This time his family home at Chartwell; a lovely spot overlooking the Weald of Kent - a magnificent view. It was a lovely warm day, and the gardens were looking their best. We spent a very pleasant afternoon there. There are also some great examples of Churchill's painting there; I hadn't realised the extent of this hobby.
Earlier, we drove through to Tunbridge Wells and out into Hartfield in East Sussex, to see the area where AA Milne lived and wrote his wonderful Winnie-the-Pooh stories and poems. We went for a walk through Ashdown Forest to Pooh Corner and saw the famous bridge from which Pooh played Poohsticks - naturally, I played it too!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Cheltenham and Gloucester
A busy day in the Cotswolds today. We jumped around from Norman architecture, to music, to Roman remains.
The day began with a look at yet another Cathedral. This time the lovely Gloucester Cathedral. We toured this with some family friends who live in Gloucester and who know the Cathedral really well, and they were able to point out many features that we might otherwise have missed; particularly the different styles of architecture that are reflected over the period of its construction. This was also the first Cathedral that I have seen which has fully enclosed cloisters, with stained glass around the outside walls. It also has a particularly large Lady Chapel behind the East window; this is as large as a small church.
From Gloucester, we drove back to Cheltenham, to visit Gustav Holst's birthplace and the Holst Museum which has been created there. This is the house in which Holst was born and lived. It has been refurnished in the Victorian style as it would have been in Holst's time. The museum also holds the piano on which part of "The Planets" was composed.
The final visit for today was to Chedworth Roman Villa, one of the largest Roman villas in England. It took us a while to find it - not an easy place to get to, but we persevered and I am really glad that we did! Some fine examples of Roman mosaic floors have been uncovered here.
The day began with a look at yet another Cathedral. This time the lovely Gloucester Cathedral. We toured this with some family friends who live in Gloucester and who know the Cathedral really well, and they were able to point out many features that we might otherwise have missed; particularly the different styles of architecture that are reflected over the period of its construction. This was also the first Cathedral that I have seen which has fully enclosed cloisters, with stained glass around the outside walls. It also has a particularly large Lady Chapel behind the East window; this is as large as a small church.
From Gloucester, we drove back to Cheltenham, to visit Gustav Holst's birthplace and the Holst Museum which has been created there. This is the house in which Holst was born and lived. It has been refurnished in the Victorian style as it would have been in Holst's time. The museum also holds the piano on which part of "The Planets" was composed.
The final visit for today was to Chedworth Roman Villa, one of the largest Roman villas in England. It took us a while to find it - not an easy place to get to, but we persevered and I am really glad that we did! Some fine examples of Roman mosaic floors have been uncovered here.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Shakespeare and the Cotswolds
A Shakespeare day today. Our travels have brought us to Gloucester, and we drove here via Stratford-on-Avon and through the Cotswolds.
The first stop was at Anne Hathaway's Cottage, and as good luck would have it the sun came out, and the cottage and it's grounds looked very pretty.
From here, we went into the town centre, and had a bit of a walk around. Only one short shower, so it was a pleasant few hours generally! Fairly obvious where most of the businesses found the inspiration for their business names, with the names of Shakespearian characters and famous actors abounding on the shop fronts!
We went to Shakespeare's birthplace and looked through the house in which he was born and lived with his family. The house is only a few metres from the Stratford Public Library also!!!
After visiting Shakespeare's birthplace, we went for a walk along the River Avon which brought us to Holy Trinity Church, in which both Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway are buried.
Then it was a drive through the Cotswolds; we stopped briefly at Bourton-on-the-Water, which is a pretty little town, on the way through.
The first stop was at Anne Hathaway's Cottage, and as good luck would have it the sun came out, and the cottage and it's grounds looked very pretty.
From here, we went into the town centre, and had a bit of a walk around. Only one short shower, so it was a pleasant few hours generally! Fairly obvious where most of the businesses found the inspiration for their business names, with the names of Shakespearian characters and famous actors abounding on the shop fronts!
We went to Shakespeare's birthplace and looked through the house in which he was born and lived with his family. The house is only a few metres from the Stratford Public Library also!!!
After visiting Shakespeare's birthplace, we went for a walk along the River Avon which brought us to Holy Trinity Church, in which both Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway are buried.
Then it was a drive through the Cotswolds; we stopped briefly at Bourton-on-the-Water, which is a pretty little town, on the way through.
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