England 2017, Sunday, 5/21/17

Awake at the normal time this morning, and packed up for a day's travel. Our usual wonderful breakfast, although the ladies opted for a round of eggs Benedict as a change-up.  Reportedly most satisfactory.

We strike out this morning for points south and west of Colsbourne and the Cotswolds. Throughout England, there are a series of White Horses carved into the landscape.  The most famous of which may be near Dover.  There is, however, one here in the Cotswolds near Faringdon, that is different from the others.  It's form is more modern and stylized, although it seems to have been created in the same approximate time period (Bronze Age) as the others.  Their purpose is unknown. This particular one was created by digging the trenches for the form, and then hauling huge blocks of chalk to fill the trenches.  The locals continue, as they have for centuries, to keep the form clean and to refresh the chalk as necessary.  This is a National Trust site and is protected.  A lovely area for a stroll, as witnessed by the crowds on this Sunday morn.

After an ice cream from the truck vendor on site, we continue motoring onward to Avebury.  Avebury is the site of the oldest and largest circle of stones ever discovered - estimated to have been installed around  2850 BCE, pre dating Stonehenge.  The stone circle actually includes a portion of the Village of Avebury, and, as such is the only stone chicle that also encompasses both a chapel and a pub!

We toured the adjacent Avebury Manor house and attached gardens.  The Manor House is particularly interesting.  It's various rooms are set in different periods during it's history, some as old as Tudor times.  Also, visitors are allowed to touch anything in the home, open drawers and cabinets, try on various costumes that are placed around the room, sit in the chairs, etc.  All the furniture and costumes are recreations, and not actual antiques.  This is a unique approach to history and was very fun and informative.  A practice that should be copied elsewhere.

We departed at 5:00 and boarded our chariot enroute to Wells, our destination for the next few days.  We arrived at our resting place, Beryl House, around 6:30.  This is a Gothic Revival Mansion House constructed in 1838 and now converted into a guest house. It does not, however serve evening meals, so we journeyed down the hill to The Fountain Inn pub for our supper.  As this is Sunday, the meals were variations on the English Sunday Roast.  Tim and I had a roast lamb, DebC had roast beef, and DebD had roast pork. A serviceable but not distinguished meal.  Back to the Guest House by 10:00 to retire for another day's adventures.