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Bath, Somerset, England, continued
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| Pulteney Bridge and the weir. Bath has always had flooding problems. In the 1700s, the town was raised 18 feet above the river. I took this picture at town level. | Another Vermont immigrant, Orvis, occupies the prestigious address of No. 1, Pulteney Bridge. Looks like Vermont is moving into Bath! |
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| Parade Park is at river level, just off the long riverside walk. I took this from the town level street above. | For less than a pound, you can use a sling lawn chair and bask or read in the park all day. |
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| There's a little tea takeaway near these tables. We had tea there a couple of times. | Nothing is so nice as an afternoon in the park. |
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Our view here was the River Avon. It was a fine spot to work on my trip journal.
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Buses and tour vans picked up people here on the north side of the abbey. We took two day-long tours out of Bath, both in 14-person mini-buses with a driver/guide. |
| Day trip from Bath: Stonehenge and Avebury Circle | |
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| Stonehenge was as advertised. The parking lot was on one side of the highway, and the stones on the other. We had to go through a tunnel under the road to see it. But that will be gone. They hope to reroute the road and present Stonehenge in the midst of a grassy plain, as it was in history. | This is as close as you can get to Stonehenge, though you can walk all the way around it. It's a incredible feat of building from a primitive culture. s |
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| The countryside drive from Stonehenge to Avebury was pastoral and pleasant. Ahead here is one of the famous Wiltshire White Horses, hillside sculptures from times ancient and modern. | Longboats line the towpath at a countryside bridge. |
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| The Red Lion in Avebury is an outstanding example of a thatched roof. Thatchers do well in Wiltshire, where thatched cottages abound. | The Avebury Stone Circles are far bigger than Stonehenge. The henge itself is a mile around, and surrounds the village of Avebury. |
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| Some of the stones from the circles have been hauled away over the ages. The known missing ones are replaced by markers. | Many Pagan rituals and events are held here at Avebury throughout the year. |
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| This church in the little village does double duty. | The front of the building is still a church, but the chancel area is now the town information center. |
