Avebury, no wait . . . Salisbury

Today we had a hearty breakfast of pancakes and lil'smokies from home before starting out on our grand adventure. The plan: go to get gas and then visit Avebury, Lacock and Salisbury. No problem, we can handle this!

Off we head. As we passed through Highworth, the advertisements, lots of people and pretty colors drew Linda's attention to the Highworth Faire and so we stopped over for a bit. During our short stop we got to see the Mayor of the town from afar (they still wear the chains to denote office just like they did in the medieval time period). Dave and Linda got to enjoy strawberries on a stick coated in chocolate (one stick of them white chocolate, and one milk chocolate). Linda got to enjoy "true" Baklava purchased from one of the many street vendors. Dave found candied cashews that he shared with all of us. And David was happy because he found a Krispie Kreme fundraising booth and got a little bit of doughy sugar. Our curiosity and sugar cravings satisfied we decided that if we did the current plan, we would miss out on Salisbury . .however if we altered it a little we could do everything across 2 days.

New plan in place and BB reprogrammed, we headed toward Salisbury. We found parking in a very busy public parking lot a little after 1 pm and decided to have a brief lunch with the sandwiches and chips we had packed ahead of time. So we tailgated, much to the amusement of the other cars going in and out of the lot. Hunger satisfied, we headed off in the direction of the spire for Salisbury Cathedral. Salisbury is enjoying it's 750th birthday this year. The original church was founded in the 1200's and took 38 years to complete. It's gone through some changes over the years but it is still a massive and impressive structure to behold. Salisbury also boasts the tallest steeple in Britain which I can well believe because it was difficult to fit the church and the steeple in 1 photo.

From Salisbury Cathedral

While we were there, we were able to see one of the 4 remaining copies of the Magna Carta and (according to Salisbury Cathedral) the best preserved copy at that. The penmanship was so small and precise and neat and tidy. I did note however the fine pencil lines on the parchment which allowed the text to stay straight on the page. The Magna Carta is kept in the Chapter House with several other pieces of fine silver and gold from the church, of which Dave selected the tankard that he would like to have from this trip. Upon reflection, we all decided that Wells Cathedral was still a prettier cathedral but Salisbury was VERY impressive in it's own right.



That being said, and our parking permit time running out, we headed back to the car . . via the way of some shops, of course. I was lucky to find another aerial photo book, this one for Britain, so I guess I get to go through and use more post it notes. *snicker, snicker* Back at the truck now and hoping that Lacock stays open later than most, we program BB and head on out. If there were people out on a Sunday Drive, they were out a day early and they were all on that road between Salisbury and Lacock. As we closed in on the last 14 miles we all heard a whirring sound from the rear of the vehicle and looked at one another wondering what it could be and hoping it was in reality someone else's vehicle. Then I recalled that the battery operated air-bed inflater was in the back and sounded the same . . it not being the truck we continued on and decided we could put up with it for the duration of the trip. At mile 11 it became truly annoying and so we pulled over in Westbury to resolve the issue. Just as David brought the truck to a halt, Dave had managed to shut it off by using an umbrella to push the switch from the backseat. The annoying sound resolved and us being *this* close to another White Horse . . we stopped at the viewing park and took the token photos. Before anyone asks . . . . we are trusting the viewing park to have been the best viewpoint and so we didn't challenge it by walking the hill. *smile*



We arrived at Lacock Abbey (LA) and found we were the last to be allowed to enter the site and we had 30 minutes to view the cloisters and gardens; the house having already been closed. So off we trekked up to the cloisters. For those of you who have enjoyed the Harry Potter films, several scenes from several of the movies were shot at LA. They are in process of doing some fabulous restoration work on the floors, however this piece of floor was salvaged.

From Lacock

LA served as a school and shelter for many children evacuated from London during WWII. In the Chaplains room there till remains some of the original plaster and some of the original paintings. LA originated in 1200's as a nunnery and infirmary. Amazing history!! We pushed our luck and explored the gardens a little more in depth after we knew it was closing and it was well worth our explorations.

The sites being closed in Lacock we enjoyed some of the settings of the town itself. The town appears, with the exception of the cars on the street, as you would expect an English town to look. We enjoyed watching the horses, visiting the cats, and visiting the cemetery.



As it edged toward 6:30 pm it was decided that we would continue to enjoy this quaint town by visiting the Red Lion for dinner.

From Lacock

All in all, a well done day that left us all exhausted and feeling like the time was close to midnight when it was only 9 pm. Off to bed . . tomorrow we're doing a little bit of relaxing and seeing Slimbridge Wetlands and Tinturn Abbey.