Bath ….. King Arthurs Realm Tour

September 11, 2017

We are up bright and early as we have signed up with Lions Tours for a full day of visitations leaving Bath at 8.30 am and getting back around 17:00. Breakie at 7:30 and it is pouring outside…we ask Steve the host to order a taxi and confirm same during the meal…as we are leaving to get our things …he asks us if want him to call the cab for us…YESS PLEASE >>> 5 minutes later he knocks on the door to say the cab cannot come for 30 minutes which means we will miss the tour, this has never happened before he wails ….what an ARSELING…we gather our stuff, mercifully the rain is letting up and we run (sort of) down the hill and to the meeting site …17 minutes later we are there > the first ones !! Chat with Mark driver/guide and we are off. It will be a busy day, first on the list is:

Stonehenge: a sacred, pre-historic site, built more than 5,000 years ago, yet it still inspires mysterious wonder today. The stage is set for the rest of the day as it pours lets up, sun peaks through, pours >>> you get the picture. At the site, the same pattern continues but we get to see the Heal Stone ….

….and view the great stone circles…..

….and the rain never seems to let up for to long…

I leave the reader to google Stonehenge, but no matter how you look at it, it is certainly a curious place….whoever built/erected this had a lot of skill sets leaving us with many unanswered questions…as an aside for such a monument the Brits have done a terrible job of providing access, visitor center etc…..the access road is dirt with potholes and the visitor center is a mile away with parking inadequate for cars/buses…

Salisbury was next , whilst one could have easily spent a half day wandering the medieval streets of this market town, we only had 1.5 hours and focused on the Salisbury Cathedral (Anglican), formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of the leading examples of Early English Gothic architecture, possessing the tallest spire in Britain. We of course also viewed one of the 4 remaining copies of the Magna Carta (pics not permitted)….

Walked a few streets to get the flavour of this town….these are really charming towns worth visiting……we  noticed that the plants and flowers grown here are virtually identical to those we have in our own garden…quite cool !!

…the house below illustrates the materials used locally a mix of stone/brick and flint….

Then on to Nunney Castle, this was not on the original program, but the guide felt it was an interesting site to see, not on the beaten path. It is a medieval castle built-in the late 14th century, the moated castle’s architectural style, possibly influenced by the design of French castles, was damaged during the English Civil War, and, now lies ruined but still is quite interesting to view. Surrounding it is the village of Nunney, which in itself would have been fun to walk around…alas, we only had 20 minutes…..

Running into traffic problems, we eventually reach Glastonbury: kind of hard to put a label on this place……an ancient town dating back to the neolithic age… there are many legends with Pagan twists and bits of Arthurian legend thrown in for good measure: Legend has it that King Arthur, along with his wife Guinevere, are buried in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey. In any event, every type of new ageism e.g. energy lines et al is in evidence as the pics will attest to…..not my speed, as I feel that this hippy dippy stuff is b.s. but what the hell, if it keeps people employed, so be it.

Lunch at a Tearoom …scones with clotted cream/strawberry jam >>>unfortunately not as good as in Grassington. Then, a walk up to the top of the Glastonbury Tor ……. this landmark offers magnificent views of the Somerset Levels, Dorset, Wiltshire and Wales.

But more importantly it is steeped in history and legend, excavations at the top of the Tor have revealed the plans of two superimposed churches of St Michael, of which only a 15th-century tower remains. The Tor is known as being one of the most spiritual sites in the country, where two ancient sacred geomagnetic lines of Michael and Mary combine – the only male and female energy lines found together and further the Tor is thought to be the Isles of Avalon. Clearly, its pagan beliefs are still very much celebrated. In any event, I again leave it to the reader to see where they fallout on these beliefs.

When we were on top the wind was fierce but at least it did not rain and we were able to enjoy the views mentioned above and think of some of the beliefs/hocus pocus……then back down to the mundane job of touristing…

What is certain is that every year the Glastonbury Festival takes place…a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place near Pilton, Somerset…..apparently it is the largest such festival in the world attracting some 200m devoted fans. In addition to contemporary music, the festival hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, and other art…..a sort of Woodstock with a bit more sophistication (not my pic > the Tor in the background) but gives the reader a sense of the goings on…

Our last stop is Wells …

…… dating back to Roman times and named for three wells dedicated to Saint Andrew, one in the market place and two within the grounds of the Bishop’s Palace and Cathedral. With limited time we visited the cathedral which is considered the finest national example of early English architecture, largely built between the 12th and 14th centuries. The Cathedral is famous for its magnificent West Front, featuring over 300 statues and carvings; the inverted scissor arches of the nave, and one of the oldest working mechanical clocks.

We watched as the choir marched in and then listened briefly to the Choral Evensong …..clearly a great place to enjoy such a performance…

Lastly we had a quick visit to the Vicar’s Close, claimed to be the oldest purely residential street with original buildings surviving intact in Europe. Built originally around 1348 it comprised 42 homes where the vicars lived and studied….

…..it is connected to the cathedral by an above ground passageway allowing the vicars to go back and forth without exposure to the elements….another place that more time would have been appreciated…

Well that was the end of the day’s tour and we are back in Bath, dinner at the Yak n Yeti > a Nepali resto which brought back memories of my trips to Nepal …

…..decent meal and then back up the hill to the B&B, another long day, but with a lot accomplished.