Avebury and Salisbury

26th May - Sunday

Aren't they pretty? 

 Cars parked down the middle of Marlborough's High Street now, instead of buildings

Silbury Mound, near Avebury 

Obviously very pampered doves in Avebury 

The reborn manor house 

The Monks' Garden 

A meal fit fur a Tudor cat! 

No one was interested in tackling the washing up 

Being a gentleman, 1930's style 

Hand painted Chinese wallpaper - just exquisite 

Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite! 

Queen Anne's bed 

Queen Anne's withdrawing chamber - good tourists never miss an opportunity 

Part of the Victorian garden

Part of the formal garden 

A very small part of the stone circle and henge

A tourist retreat 

Thatched village 

Salisbury Cathedral 

Rather spectacular baptismal font

A beautiful, clear, sunny morning and not too cold. Opening the curtains also revealed a hare, a rabbit and a pheasant just beyond the fence. After breakfast, served at the kitchen table in the large farmhouse kitchen, we just felt we should check the quality of the bluebells growing in the woods behind the farmhouse. After walking along the edge of the paddock and finding a safe way to enter the woods through the stinging nettles, we agreed that the flowers were pretty spectacular. Even though we are a little early in the season for the hanging baskets, the spring flowers, both wild and cultivated, have been stunning.


Following our constitutional, it was into the car for the short drive through Marlborough – the High Street originally had a row of houses down the centre, which burnt down and were never rebuilt – and past Marlborough College and Merlin’s Mound, reputed to be the burial site of Merlin. We continued on to Avebury, arriving as intended, before the hordes descended on the stone circle and henge, as well as Avebury Manor. As entrance to the Manor is by timed ticket, that was our first priority and we were lucky enough to be given tickets for the first entrance of the day. A short film in the extremely chilly dovecote explained the history of the manor and the work undertaken by the BBC to film “To the Manor Reborn.” We thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the house and being able to actually touch, sit and lay on the furniture and furnishings – apart from the gorgeous handpainted Chinese wallpaper. An exercise chair in one of the rooms provided some light relief to onlookers, although the exerciser didn’t seem so keen! The gardens were also rather good, with the kitchen garden currently being planted out with vegetables for the summer, and all the topiary (and there was plenty of it!) had recently been trimmed.

After leaving the Manor, we walked part of the way around the stone circle, but didn’t attempt the very steep henge. The circle is so large that the village is actually built inside it. The Red Lion appeared to be a very popular watering hole with many of the tourists – and there were most assuredly many of them by lunch time!

Despite a local guide extolling the virtues of many of the local pubs and their wonderful food, especially for Sunday lunch, we decided to head for Salisbury instead. If we ate in all the recommended posh restaurants and "best food around here" pubs, we wouldn't fit into our jeans by this - or have time for sightseeing!  Being a holiday weekend, we thought it would be a good idea to use the park and ride service and after turning into the car park, realised we were the only ones there! So it was a case of having to drive into Salisbury and hope to find somewhere to park; Doris did a wonderful job and we ended up next to the Avon River and only had a short walk through the old town to the Cathedral. After seeing so many cathedrals in the last month or so, we are getting a little “cathedralled out” but can still admire and be amazed at the structures.

As lunch had somehow not eventuated and it was getting late in the afternoon, we headed back across the Salisbury Plain, with its many warnings of tank crossings, and had a late afternoon tea in The Polly Tea Rooms in Marlborough. A very pleasant way to end the day. We had believed that Dorset was the county with all the pretty villages with thatched cottages, but we have seen far more in this district of Wiltshire that we saw further west.