26 June – Tuesday
Woke to weak sunshine and to discover that many places in England had suffered major flooding, many districts that we had been in only days ago. The country is very flat and waterlogged already so it is easy to understand how quickly floods can occur. Today was mostly fine, with just a short shower mid-morning.
Discovered today that the long barrow we saw yesterday was a burial mound 3700 years old and what we thought was a hill fort is actually a mound nearly 5000 years old. Amazing to think they have survived development and bulldozers!
Bath was our first visit today, with the Roman Baths high on our list of “must sees.” Bath University were holding their graduation ceremonies in the Abbey today, so the city was full of students in full cap and gown, plus parents-in-tow. The Roman Baths were much more
comprehensive than imagined – the actual swimming pool would be about the size of the Kingston pool. However, the excavations of the site are quite extensive, with parts of the temple (walls, altar, columns, steps, etc) and a number of pools, including the sacred pool (the actual hot spring) and various plunge pools. The drains and lead pipes are clearly visible and still in use draining the hot water from the spring to the main pool and then to the outside. The Romans even centrally heated their buildings! The spa water (warm) was available for us to try, but we did forego the pleasure.
A visit to the Jane Austen Centre was also very enjoyable and informative. Whilst not the actual house Jane lived in whilst in Bath, it was only a few doors away. Lunch was at the Regency Tearooms in this house, with Mr Darcy watching from above the fireplace. Following which we had a short walk to The Circus – a complete circle of terrace houses, all identical and with acorn decorations along the roof line – and the Royal Crescent. In fact, Bath architecture is all Georgian terrace houses, many of which are showing the ravages of coal fires. Bath would have to be the most difficult place we have found for driving and finding our way about. Not only are the streets narrow, the don’t seem to have been set out in any sort of order and signposting isn’t the best.
Decided to drive out to the southern Cotswold district, especially once we found out Prince Charles lived nearby at Tedbury. Took the scenic route through Badminton, home of the famous horse trials. Very pretty village and a large estate which we discovered belonged to the Duke of Beaufort. We couldn’t drive onto his property but could walk onto it, so had a little walk past his foxhound kennels and onto his parkland where the horse trials happen. Continued on through an obviously prosperous (and definitely horsy) region to Tedbury, passing a property with very high walls and notices warning about security, so perhaps this was Highgrove? Tedbury was a very old village with lots of small shops in the High Street, and the odd tourist bus! Returned to Saltford via many more similar villages, all made from Cotswold stone (similar colour to sandstone), many of the houses with the typical English cottage garden.
Woke to weak sunshine and to discover that many places in England had suffered major flooding, many districts that we had been in only days ago. The country is very flat and waterlogged already so it is easy to understand how quickly floods can occur. Today was mostly fine, with just a short shower mid-morning.
Discovered today that the long barrow we saw yesterday was a burial mound 3700 years old and what we thought was a hill fort is actually a mound nearly 5000 years old. Amazing to think they have survived development and bulldozers!
Bath was our first visit today, with the Roman Baths high on our list of “must sees.” Bath University were holding their graduation ceremonies in the Abbey today, so the city was full of students in full cap and gown, plus parents-in-tow. The Roman Baths were much more
comprehensive than imagined – the actual swimming pool would be about the size of the Kingston pool. However, the excavations of the site are quite extensive, with parts of the temple (walls, altar, columns, steps, etc) and a number of pools, including the sacred pool (the actual hot spring) and various plunge pools. The drains and lead pipes are clearly visible and still in use draining the hot water from the spring to the main pool and then to the outside. The Romans even centrally heated their buildings! The spa water (warm) was available for us to try, but we did forego the pleasure.A visit to the Jane Austen Centre was also very enjoyable and informative. Whilst not the actual house Jane lived in whilst in Bath, it was only a few doors away. Lunch was at the Regency Tearooms in this house, with Mr Darcy watching from above the fireplace. Following which we had a short walk to The Circus – a complete circle of terrace houses, all identical and with acorn decorations along the roof line – and the Royal Crescent. In fact, Bath architecture is all Georgian terrace houses, many of which are showing the ravages of coal fires. Bath would have to be the most difficult place we have found for driving and finding our way about. Not only are the streets narrow, the don’t seem to have been set out in any sort of order and signposting isn’t the best.
Decided to drive out to the southern Cotswold district, especially once we found out Prince Charles lived nearby at Tedbury. Took the scenic route through Badminton, home of the famous horse trials. Very pretty village and a large estate which we discovered belonged to the Duke of Beaufort. We couldn’t drive onto his property but could walk onto it, so had a little walk past his foxhound kennels and onto his parkland where the horse trials happen. Continued on through an obviously prosperous (and definitely horsy) region to Tedbury, passing a property with very high walls and notices warning about security, so perhaps this was Highgrove? Tedbury was a very old village with lots of small shops in the High Street, and the odd tourist bus! Returned to Saltford via many more similar villages, all made from Cotswold stone (similar colour to sandstone), many of the houses with the typical English cottage garden.
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