....continued
We then drove to Wells. They were having a festival on the Cathedral grounds which we didn't expect. Nevertheless we were able to find a parking spot and walk 5 minutes to the Cathedral. It was nice and cool inside. We waited about 5 minutes for the docent tour and really learned a lot from our very friendly guide. Wells has the only Chapter Hours with stairs to it and was gorgeous! There was a visiting choir practicing for a concert that evening while we were walking around, and it was sooo beautiful it really added to the experience. We only got done with the Cathedral about 45 minutes before evensong so went outside to view the grand west front and then headed back in for the evensong service. They really did an excellent job and was one of the best I have been to. Go if you can. Even if you are not spiritually inclined like myself you will enjoy it. We then drove back to Bath and headed back to the Scallop Shell for another seafood supper. This time mussels for me and they were delish!
Day 4 - we drove out to Stonehenge for our 9:00 am slot. This was on my sister's bucket list or I wouldn't have planned for it having been twice before and not overly impressed. I wanted to do the special access but as the summer solstice was happening that wasn't in the cards. It is a much better visitor experience though from when I had been 15+ years before. The circle sits in its' landscape much better and you can actually see some of the burial mounds and such encircling the site. The closer road is now gone thank goodness. The museum is well done, there are adequate loos and places to eat, and a larger (though not large enough) gift shop. The gift shop was crowded. And there is more info in the site guidebook as they have found a lot more since I was last there.
We then headed to Avebury Stone Circle, West Kennet Long Barrow, and Silbury Hill. All were impressive. When you see Silbury Hill up close it is amazingly impressive. It is apparently the largest man made structure in pre-historic Europe and they don't know why it was built. I hope they find out because I would like to know. After that back to Bath for dinner and packing up to head to Wales tomorrow.
Day 5 - We hopped in the car and headed for Wales, specifically to spend the morning at Tintern Abbey. Wow! What an amazing place in such a peaceful setting. It is huge and has a good amount of its' walls intact. After spending quite a bit of time looking around we sad at a picnic table in the shade and did some sketching of the beautiful ruined Abbey. Then it was off to Conwy. It took us about 4 hours from Tintern along very good roads. We stayed at Bryn B&B which has the town walls as part of their backyard. Lovely couple running it with amazing breakfasts.
Day 6 - First up was Caernarfon Castle. Huge and magnificent! If you are into ruined and/or Edward I built castles this one is for you. Then we went to Bodnant Gardens and enjoyed the rose garden in bloom in addition to much more. Finally, Trefrew Woollen Mill which was running when we were there. We learned about the many steps involved in turning wool into woven cloth made items. It is a lot and not something you normally think about. And then of course we looked in the shop.
Day 7 - Visited Conwy Castle before we left Conwy. Another Edward I castle but this one is finished. It would have been quite the dwelling in its' day and well worth a visit. Without the German teenagers it would have been even better. Oh well, just glad they are travelling and visiting the wider world. We then headed up to Keswick. A note about reststops. There are actually quite a few along the freeways and it is quite easy to get off to get gas, a coffee, food, and the potty. Anyway, we tried to stop at Castlerigg Stone Circle on the way into Keswick. Unfortunately for me it was the solstice and so there were a lot of people there banging on drums and such......