On our home exchange in England, we took a side trip to the West Country. Our first stop was Stonehenge. Due to the muddy conditions, the path was restricted so you could not walk a full circle around the stones. The upside is that it was possible to take photos without any people in the background.
Then onto Salisbury Cathedral which boasts the tallest spire in England; intricate statutory; and an elegant chapter house that is home to one of four copies of the Magna Carta.
Inside a children’s choir was rehearsing and the lights cast a festive glow:
We stayed at a cosy gastropub in the middle of nowhere. The mincemeat pie treats were very yummy:
The next day in Bath, we walked to the iconic Royal Crescent and Circus. I didn’t take photos – too hard when you are holding an umbrella in one hand and clutching a handkerchief in the other. Yes, by then, I had succumbed to a head cold and was feeling pretty miserable. I curled up in Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights while my travel companions visited the Roman Baths.
Despite leaving Bath in good time, park and ride facilities in many UK centres are a great way of avoiding getting tangled in downtown traffic, it was pitch black by the time we reached our accommodation in Lower Slaughter. This model village in Bourton-on-the-Water gives you an idea of the Cotswold stone charm:
All over England, there are Pyracantha berries: yellow, orange and red.
And I liked the other-worldliness of this winter growth.
On our way home, we got caught up in horrendous congestion on the M25 and the windscreen got chipped with a random stone. From now on, we will be sticking to trains!