Around Bath

Tour with Mad Max Tours of Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock, and Castle Combe, visit the Roman Baths, play with Michelle at George's Hotel.

Quick Tips:

Comfy shoes are a must! And in January...warm clothes and long underwear.

Best Way To Get Around:

Definitely a walking town....most sights are within a 15 minute walk of the city center. For the farther sights, we took a tour.

A charming hotel, The George's Hotel is in a 1743 Grade 1 listed building located about 2 blocks from the train station. Rooms are modest, but clean...and the pigeons on the windowsill are complimentary. The manager''s little daughter, Michelle, was such a cutie that we wanted to stay longer.

No lift (elevator), but ground floor rooms can be requested. Dining room on site, with small bar with dining area off of lobby.

At 65 GBP per night, which was about $95 USD when we traveled, we thought the accomodations were a bargain. The price was per night (not per person) and included full English breakfast of sausages, bacon, toast, eggs cooked to order, mushrooms, broiled tomato, jellies and jams, and hot tea or coffee.

Huge bowls of spaghetti bolognese really hit the spot on a cold winter afternoon. Very nice presentation, attentive waitstaff, and reasonable prices. The menu is extensive, with gorgeous desserts.

Built between the 1st and 5th centuries, the magnificent Roman temple and bathing complex surrounds Bath's natural hot springs. The remains are remarkably complete, with many treasures from the sacred springs on display.

We were instructed by email to meet our driver at the statue behind the Abbey in Bath at 8:45 AM. We were there with bells on...and long underwear, stocking caps, coats, gloves, and jackets.

We drove through Box, where Peter Gabriel (singer/songwriter) has his studio and on through part of Wiltshire to Stongehenge. This world famous monument is a masterpiece of engineering and a remainder to all of us of the prehistoric people who built it. Standing on the rolling uplands of the chalk downs, it's construction and development spanned a period of over 1,500 years. However, it is what it is....a grouping of stones standing in a pasture. We don't know what they were placed there for, and placed they were...as the stones had to be hauled about 30 miles from Marlbrough Downs, possibly on wooden rollers. It is traditionally thought that these stones were placed for astronomical alignment, with the sun shining along the avenue at dawn and centered on the Altar stone. The sunset of the Winter Solstice also falls on this axis, with the sun setting behind the Altar stone. Perhaps this winter festival marked the beginning of the season of rebirth.

On to Avebury, after a stop to view the Cherhill Horse, carved into the side of the hill in 1780 by Dr. Christopher Alsop. Avebury was my favorite stone circle. It is 16 times larger than Stonehenge, with a village located in the midst of the stone circle. There doesn't appear to be any astrological alignment with the Avebury stones. With other evidence found at Avebury, it is generally thought that this site was used for fertility rites. When I asked John if the villagers were more fertile that the rest of Great Britain, we all had a big laugh...they aren't.

Next stop was at Lacock Village. The village and it's Abbey are almost entirely owned by National Trust. Most of the properties date from between the 13th and 18th centuries when this village was a thriving woollen market. There are many fascinating buildings in the village including the 14th century tithe barn and the blind house where the drunks were locked up. George Inn, built in 1361 is still a thriving public house and has an original dog wheel.

In 1962, Castle Combe was voted the prettiest village in England, and was used as the setting for the original "Dr. Doolittle" movie a few years later. The name originates from the 11th century when a castle was built over the combe (Saxon for "valley"). The castle became derelict and was replaced in the 14th century with the manor house, which is now the Manor House Hotel. Prices there are quite dear, starting around $250 USD per night. As with much of the Cotswold region, Castle Combe owes its new found prosperity to gentrification and tourism.

For at least a century, people have been coming to take in the charms of Castle Combe, voted in 2001 as the Most Picturesque Village in England.
The Castle sat above the Village, although little more than earthworks now remain of the Castle now.
In the Middle Ages, the Village became an important wool center. The river, still known as By Brook, supplied the power to run the mills.
Castle Combe is about 12 miles from the city of Bath, and so was included on our Mad Max Tour, which was mentioned in a previous entry in this journal.
The de Dunstanville family established a baronial seat in the twelth century. Descendants of the family can be traced to the present day.
In 1962, Castle Combe was voted England's Most Beautiful City, and has been the site of many movies..."Pride and Prejudice", "The Story of Dr. Doolittle" (the original Dr. Doolittle movie), and most recently "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd".
Today all the houses are privately owned and not property of the National Trust.
Too soon it was time for us to move on toward Bath for the night, and as we did, John pointed out to us that the Castle Combe Golf Course now occupies part of the old Castle grounds. Some of the masonery can still be seen in the overgrowth...or rough, as the TheGolfer would say.

Lacock Abbey, in the village, was founded in 1232, by Ela, Countess of Salisbury. She was the first and only female sheriff of Wiltshire and built the Abbey as a tribute to her husband and became its first Abbess. At the dissolution of the monasteries, the Abbey was turned into a country house and its church was destroyed. Fortunately, it still retains its cloisters, sacristy, chapter house and monastic rooms. Fine furniture, portraits, and stone carvings please the eye.

At the entrance to the grounds is the Fox Talbot Museum dedicated to William Henry Fox Talbot, who invented the positive-negative film process and is known as the father of modern photography. Thanks to his granddaughter, who presented the Abbey and village to the National Trust, we can still view life at the Abbey as it was then.

Lacock Village is a National Trust owned Village located near the Abbey. It's a step back into the 18th century and was once a thriving wool center. Today it still reflects those times, with no television antennas or overhead lines to spoil the view.

Our stop in the Village included a fabulous meal at The George Inn, and time to shop a bit in the village.

From the moment we stepped off of the train from London, Bath captivated us.
Plenty of old buildings with great architecture, friendly natives, and lots to see and do in the area...we just didn't have enough time to do it all.
A short 2 hour train ride from London's Gatwick airport, Bath has the history to hold your attention. The Roman Baths are magnificent, the Pump Room next door allows a taste of the waters that were thought to heal, and the Abbey stands tall and proud.
Our Mad Max Tour was a delight, even with the mishap with the driver's window. Seeing Stonehenge was a treat, but Avebury was the bigger marvel to me. A stone circle 16 times larger than Stonehenge, and you can touch the stones which encircle the small village in the center of the stones. From Avebury, on to Silbury Hill, built 4,750 years ago and it's purpose is still a mystery.
Lacock Village and it's Abbey are owned almost totally by the National Trust. Most of the properties date from between the 13th and 18th centuries when this village was a thriving woolen market. One of the most interesting places in Lacock is the George Inn, a pub dating back to 1361.
The day ended too quickly for us, and it was back to the George's Hotel for a bite of dinner and some rest. We had to get up early to be at the doors of the Roman Baths when they opened so that we could view them before we had to catch our next train.