The English Bus Tour

 One of the things I would not budge on when planning this trip was the fact that a visit to Stonehenge was a MUST. When researching, I found a company that did small, personalized group tours, which is exactly what we search for. Forget those big bus tours where you are lead around like a herd of sheep and given about 5 minutes to visit things - this one includes time at Stonehenge, an afternoon in Bath, and a visit to a SECRET PLACE...it's exactly the type of touring we are looking for. I booked immediately.

We head out to the meet-up location by Victoria station, where we were last night to see Wicked. We stop at a Nero to get some coffee, as it is a chilly early morning, then find our tour guide, Chris, and the rest of the group of 13 we will be travelling with. The bus is super cozy, a small Mercedes bus with floor-to-ceiling windows, a sunroof running the whole length of it, and individual lounging seats like the ones we used to enjoy on airplanes. Chris also drives, and as he does, he regales us with stories of the areas of London we pass through on our way out of the sprawling city, and comparisons with the lot of us in North America(since we all seem to hail from that neck of the woods). He shows us Museum Row, the differences in the neighbourhoods we pass through, pointing out embassies we drive by(Lesotho!). He also remarks on daily life in London, how Pubs are not just for drinking and are often kid-friendly, and notes the location of the Fuller's brewery, the last one still operating in London.

As we drive further out of central London, the houses began to drop away and the Motorway opens up before us. Just after passing through the A25, the ring-road around London and unofficial border of the city, we stop at a rest-area. One great thing about this tour is there are plenty of stops and plenty of places to buy snacks, if need be. Since Mario and I have been eating what seems like all the breads this trip, I decide to vary out diet a bit and pick up a couple of fruit smoothies! Then it's one more stretch of quiet driving into the rolling hills and farmlands of the West Country before we head to Stonehenge

Stonehenge seen from a distance

Chris drives us not along the main route into Stonehenge, but on some winding roads out in the country, past army bases, to a vantage point far across a field, where we catch out first distant views of the circle of stones. Apparently the new main route kinda spoils the approach for everyone, by bringing you tantalizingly close to Stonehenge, then heading over another hill until you get to the car park. He doesn't like that.

Since I have last been here in High School, the area has changed a lot. Not the stones, of course, but there is a new, larger visitors centre, and no more vehicle access to the site - you ride a bus transfer to the area, or can also walk. We'll keep this in mind for next time, as the area is littered with burial mounds, hiking trails and even a roadway that campers use to spend the night within view of the stones! Sounds like some fun exploration opportunities, which we are always seeking out. No, still on a schedule, albeit a relatively relaxed one, we hop the bus and ride to the site.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric site, which means it predates written records. Its creation has been estimated as being about 5000 years ago, and unfortunately, not much else is known. Sure, there is speculation about how the circle was formed, what is was used for, but no one knows for sure. One of the biggest mysteries lies in the stones used to create this massive circle. They are of a rock that is not native to this area. In fact, some of the smaller "blue" stones can only be sourced from one place in the world, and that is in Wales, roughly 140 miles away! And even though they are the smallest ones, they still weight up to 2-3 tons EACH! Mario unearthed an interesting article which might shed some light on this: The remnants of a similar circle of blue stones has been discovered in Wales, and incomplete, too. Some specialists believe that it is possible that part of Stonehenge was being assembled by people from Wales, who wanted to bring their relics with them, and so in migrating to the southern part of the island, travelled with the stones in tow, to rebuild here - hence the two incomplete circles in the two different locations! It is fun to speculate, especially when nothing is known for certain. 

We wandered around the site, listening to the excellent audio guide provided while absorbing the warmth of the sun which had just peeked its head out from behind the clouds. It provided for some much more beautiful photographs, too, not the grey-on-grey-on-grey that I have from my previous trip. We also re-enact some of the photos from the Great Aunts Tour '82, which basically involved standing in front of the stones and posing awkwardly - I remember their trips notes remarking on the disappointment of having to follow a cordoned-off path, and not being able to touch the stones, and their hopes that it would only be a temporary measure! I would hate to disappoint them with the news that the path is now a permanent feature!

A quick stroll through the giftshop and we are the last ones to make it to the bus. Then it's off to Bath to wander about the city. There is an option to visit the Roman Baths, but as Chris informs us, they are actually not Roman, they have been rebuilt on top of the ruins of a Roman bath, and date only to the 19th century! Yes, there have been archaeological digs since then to uncover temples and statues and other artifacts, but there's nothing Roman about the current baths. So we decide to skip it, walk about the town instead, admiring the architecture, and tasting some cider, which is very local and very good! 

The area is full of apple orchards, and so Bath is known for its wonderful ciders, effervescent and crisp, and served from the taps in the pubs alongside the ales. We order a tasting flight to share and discover 5 of the best quality ones, and even buy some to take back to the accommodations with us! We also get a taste of Cornish Pasties, a tender-flaky hand pie filled traditionally with a meat-and-potato mix, though can be filled with anything, and find that they are absolutely delicious! As it is late in the day, the best shop in town is sold out of everything but the cauliflower and onion bhaji pies, so we reluctantly get one, but discover it is fantastic, and are glad that fate has lead us to this new discovery! We also get an apple-rhubarb-custard pastry for later, and the tastiest cheese scone that I have ever eaten. Then its back to the bus, last again, and we are off to our next destination.

Our bus tour also includes a stop at a secret place, which Chris choses from many in his arsenal, picked according to what he discovers about our tastes as a group during the day. For us, he has picked a stroll through the town of Lacock, an old workers village that use to house the employees and families of the Fox Talbot family, pioneers in photography. The entire village was later bequeathed to the National Trust, who now rent the homes to its tenants, but the place is better know as the Victorian background to so many well-known British TV and film productions. This includes the BBC production of Pride & Prejudice(the one with Colin Firth), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, episodes of Downton Abbey aa well as the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. And it is very apparent when walking through the town - if you were to remove all the modern cars from the streets, it it like taking a stroll back in time! 

We make our way back to London by way of some of the smaller roads, the bus riding up and down the hilling terrain like a rollercoaster. We spot thatched roof houses and country gardens, a white limestone horse carved into the side of one of the hills. Chris points out old pubs and churches, and then we quietly ride back into central London - maybe I take a nap. And 12 hours after our departure this morning, under the night sky, we arrive at Earl's Court, and our day is done. Mario and I stop briefly at a small Indian restaurant for a bite to eat, and then we ride the Underground back home again.