After driving through some torrential rain to get to Salisbury, the weather cleared and we had a lovely blue sky. The 123 metre spire, the highest in the UK -
The cloisters -
Inside -
Two of the beautiful stained glass windows -
Old flags -
From Salisbury we went to Stonehenge (of unknown age, but some suggest building began as early as 3000 BC). Nick and Milo at the entrance to the Visitor Center -
And the famous rocks -
Me and Milo -
After Stonehenge we drove to Summerhayes, a B&B I found on Tripadvisor in a village just outside Devizes. It was really lovely (and amazingly cheap) and we got cake on arrival! Our hosts were lovely and they were brilliant with Milo too, bringing us a basket of toys for him to play with. For dinner they recommended a local pub in another village close by - the Royal Oak. It was a tiny local, so much so they knew who I was when I walked in (alone as it turned out, Nick had gone back to the car for something) and in the silence then followed, the barman said 'so you're the 6.30 booking then'. Not a question, but a statement. However unnerving that all was, dinner was great (pie for me, Nick had the pork belly, pork being the specialty of Wiltshire, Milo had sausages and beans) and they were very nice to us!
The next morning after a hearty breakfast at the B&B, we headed off via a short stop at Caen Hill Locks -
Then it was on to Lacock, a little village I was very keen to see as it is known for appearing in BBC productions such as Pride and Prejudice and Cranford, as well as the Gwyneth Paltrow version of Emma and the first Harry Potter movie. It is amazingly well preserved and authentic as modern touches like phone lines and street lights are not permitted -
Lacock is also home to Lacock Abbey, featured in the first photograph ever taken (and also featured in first two Harry Potter movies). Nick and Milo outside -
From Lacock it was to The George and Dragon in Rowde, a pub I had read great things about. It was really not much to look at from the outside, but the inside was charming British village pub -
Lunch was excellent. Because roasts are another feature of our 2010 (we've committed to a Sunday roast at various establishments around London - maybe further - at least every month with our friends Nick and Rachel), here's some pictures. Nick's beef and the cauliflower cheese -
My lamb and other vegetables -
(Apologies to the vegetarians...) From Rowde is was to Castle Combe, another pretty village in Wiltshire (but as far as I know, not known for its TV or film appearances). Castle Combe claims to be the prettiest village in the UK and even on a fairly grey February day, you can see how this could be true -
Like Lacock, there are no overhead cables, but unlike Lacock there is no parking on the main street (I think it's the narrowness that may put off the film crews), so the effect is much nicer! Apparently both villages are full of tourists come summer, so perhaps visiting in February, despite the weather, wasn't such a bad idea! A door to one of the cottages -
And looking the other way down the main street -
From Castle Combe it was back to London.
