Day 4 - Bath

Today started with breakfast at the hotel (included) and then and early visit to the famous Roman Baths. The baths were just a short walk from the hotel and we arrived as the doors were opening at 9:00am. An audio guide is included with price of admission. These guides related the entire history of the baths, from construction and their hey-day, to their decline and eventual rediscovery and renovation. It is a fascinating story and the quality of the Roman construction is unbelievable. The floor of the main pool is made of lead and still holds water today - an amazing feat considering it was first laid down about 2000 years ago. We spent a couple hours touring the baths and then we made our way to the Bath Tourist Information Center. Most of the information centers that we went to along our trip were quite helpful, but they varied considerably when it came to the price of the information available. Some readily provided free advice, hints, suggestions, etc. While others would much rather sell you guidebooks, pamphlets and maps. This seemed to vary country and country and even city to city within the same country. In Bath, we purchased some information on the city itself as well as the nearby stone circle of Avebury. We bought a walking guide to Bath and followed its points of interest around town. We had fun navigating some of the less traveled streets and enjoyed walking and people-watching (probably as much as they enjoyed people-watching us!). Midway through our walking tour we stopped for an hour or so at the Museum of Costume - well worth a stop. It contains clothes and wearable accessories from just about every time period in which Britain has been inhabited. We also had the good fortune to be there for a special exhibit of some of the Queen's dresses. After finishing our walking tour, we grabbed a couple sandwiches and drinks from a small deli and made ourselves a picnic in the Parade Park Gardens next to the Avon River.

After lunch and a stroll around the park, we packed up the rental car with a few snacks and hit the road. We drove to Avebury and got our first introduction to the incredible Neolithic stone monuments that are scattered across this part of England. The Avebury stone circle complex is one of the largest, covering over 28 acres and the massive un-worked sarsen stones stand up to 14 feet high and weigh over 20 tons. The circle is thought to be constructed sometime between 2600 and 2100 B.C. We picked up a guide, to add to the one we purchased in Bath, and walked amongst the giant stones as we read about the history of the area. This circle differs in several ways to the more famous Stonehenge. One significant difference is that you are allowed, basically, free range of the complex. We hiked around the entire circle, gathering a real sense of the place and how it might have once been. We were able to touch the stones that were brought here centuries ago. There are also other interesting monuments nearby - barrows, man-made hills and stone lined avenues. We spent several hours here, and it would be easy to spend most of the day enjoying and learning about Avebury. Knowing, for sure this time, the hours of the Stonehenge site, we rolled down the road in the direction of Salisbury. Along the way, we stopped at Woodhenge, another lesser known monument. Today, not much remains of Woodhenge. Short cement pillars have been erected where wood timbers once stood in concentric circles. There are a few signs with brief history and explanations of the henge, but it is nothing compared to Avebury.

Stonehenge is one of those magical places, which I will never forget. It is absolutely awesome.

We planned to be here in evening for the best photographic light and we were not disappointed. It was a beautiful evening and one of the highlights of our trip. We picked up our entrance tickets and audio guides. Again, the audio guides do an excellent job of explaining the history and making of the monument. A roped path in the grass encircles the stones and the audio guide leads your way. You can no longer walk amongst the stones as you once could. Thoughtless vandals arrogantly defacing the stones and too many visitors have ruined this possibility for future generations. I could only dream what it would be like to wander through the massive stones as we did in Avebury. Still the sight of these giant stones on the Salisbury plain is one that should not be missed. It was an awe inspiring experience.

We had an unplanned detour returning to Bath after missing a turn-off and not discovering it until miles down the road. We drove some more back-roads through quaint small villages and drove by the famed Glastonbury Hill intertwined with the legend of King Arthur. We arrived in Bath a bit later than planned, but still had time to catch up on email at a local internet cafe and have a great dinner at the Mai Thai Restaurant - highly recommended!