Eating and Sleeping in Avebury
Between Bath and the Cotswolds
Glastonbury • Wells • Avebury • Stonehenge • Salisbury • South Wales
Ooooh, mystery, history. Glastonbury is the ancient home of Avalon, King Arthur, and the Holy Grail. Nearby, medieval Wells gathers around its grand cathedral, where you can enjoy an evensong service. Then get Neolithic at every Druid’s favorite stone circles, Avebury and Stonehenge. Salisbury is known for its colorful markets and soaring cathedral.
An hour west of Bath, at St. Fagans National History Museum, you’ll find South Wales’ story vividly told in a park full of restored houses. Relish the romantic ruins and poetic wax of Tintern Abbey, the lush Wye River Valley, and the quirky Forest of Dean.
In England: Avebury, Glastonbury, and Wells make a wonderful day out from Bath. With a car, you can do all three in a day if you’re selective with your sightseeing in each town (no lingering). Splicing in Stonehenge is possible, but really stretching it. If you want to squeeze a little less into each day, choose either the sights to the west (Wells and Glastonbury), or those to the east (Avebury, Stonehenge, and Salisbury). Ideally, try to see Stonehenge on your way from London, saving your Bath side-tripping day for the other sights.
Everybody needs to see Stonehenge, but I’ll tell you now, it looks just like it looks. You’ll know what I mean when you pay to get in and rub up against the rope fence that keeps tourists at a distance. Avebury is the connoisseur’s stone circle: more subtle and welcoming.
Wells is simply a cute town, much smaller and more medieval than Bath, with a uniquely beautiful cathedral that’s best experienced at the 17:15 evensong service (Sun at 15:00), though the service isn’t usually held in July and August.
Glastonbury can be covered well in three to four hours: See the abbey, climb the Tor, and ponder your hippie past (and where you are now).
Just an hour from Bath, Salisbury makes a pleasant stop, particularly on a market day (Tue, Sat, and every other Wed), though its cathedral is striking anytime.
In Wales: Think of the South Wales sights as a different grouping. Ideally, they fill the day you leave Bath for the Cotswolds. Anyone interested in Welsh culture can spend four hours in St. Fagans National History Museum. Castle-lovers and romantics will want to consider seeing Tintern Abbey, the Forest of Dean, and the castles of Cardiff, Caerphilly, and Chepstow.
For a great day in South Wales, consider this schedule:
| 9:00 | Leave Bath for South Wales. |
| 10:30 | Tour St. Fagans. |
| 15:00 | Stop at Tintern Abbey and/or a castle of your choice, then drive to the Cotswolds. |
| 18:00 | Set up in your Cotswolds home base. |
By Car: Drivers can do a 133-mile loop, from Bath to Avebury (25 miles) to Stonehenge (30 miles) to Glastonbury (50 miles) to Wells (6 miles) and back to Bath (22 miles). A loop from Bath to South Wales is 100 miles, mostly on the 70-mph motorway. Each of the Welsh sights is just off the motorway.
By Bus and Train: Wells and Glastonbury are both easily accessible by bus from Bath. Bus #173 goes direct from Bath to Wells (nearly hourly, less frequent on Sun, 1.25 hours), where you can continue on to Glastonbury by catching bus #375 toward Bridgewater, #377 toward Yeovil, or #29 toward Taunton (3-4/hour, 20 minutes to Glastonbury, drops off directly in front of abbey entrance on Magdalene Street). Note that there are no direct buses between Bath and Glastonbury. First Bus Company offers a £7 day pass that covers all their routes—a good deal if you plan on connecting Glastonbury and Wells from your Bath home base. Wells and Glastonbury are also connected to each other by a 9.5-mile foot and bike path (though only Glastonbury has bike rental).
Many different buses run between Bath and Avebury, all requiring one or two transfers (hourly, 2 hours, transfer at Trowbridge or Devizes). There is no bus between Avebury and Stonehenge.
A one-hour train trip connects Bath to Salisbury (1-2/hour). With the best public transportation of all these towns, Salisbury is a good jumping-off point for Stonehenge or Avebury by bus or car. The Stonehenge Tour runs buses between Salisbury, Old Sarum, and Stonehenge (see here). Buses also run from Salisbury to Avebury (hourly, 2-2.5 hours; Wilts & Dorset bus #4 leaves from bus station on Endless Street and also from St. Paul’s Church on Fisherton Street, near the train station; transfer in Devizes to Stagecoach’s bus #49 to Avebury; other combinations possible, some with 2 transfers; check with Salisbury TI on possible service reductions).
Various bus companies run these routes, including Stagecoach, Bodmans Coaches, the First Bus Company, and Wilts & Dorset. To find fare information, check with Traveline South West, which combines all the information from these companies into an easy-to-use website that covers all the southwest routes (www.travelinesw.com, tel. 0871-200-2233). Buses run much less frequently on Sundays.
To get to South Wales from Bath, take a train to Cardiff, then connect by bus (or train) to the sights.
By Tour: From Bath, if you don’t have a car, the most convenient and quickest way to see Avebury and Stonehenge is to take an all-day bus tour, or a half-day tour just to Stonehenge. Mad Max is the liveliest of the tours leaving from Bath (see “Tours in Bath” on here).
Marked by its hill, or “tor,” and located on England’s most powerful line of prehistoric sites (called a “ley line”), the town of Glastonbury gurgles with history and mystery.
In A.D. 37, Joseph of Arimathea—Jesus’ wealthy uncle—brought vessels containing the blood of Jesus to Glastonbury, and with them, Christianity came to England. (Joseph’s visit is plausible—long before Christ, locals traded lead to merchants from the Levant.) While this story is “proven” by fourth-century writings and accepted by the Church, the King-Arthur-and-the-Holy-Grail legends it inspired are not.
Those medieval tales came when England needed a morale-boosting folk hero for inspiration during a war with France. They pointed to the ancient Celtic sanctuary at Glastonbury as proof enough of the greatness of the fifth-century warlord Arthur. In 1191, his supposed remains (along with those of Queen Guinevere) were dug up from the abbey garden, and Glastonbury became woven into the Arthurian legends. Reburied in the abbey choir, their gravesite is a shrine today. Many think the Grail trail ends at the bottom of the Chalice Well, a natural spring at the base of the Glastonbury Tor.
The Glastonbury Abbey was England’s most powerful by the 10th century and was part of a nationwide network of monasteries that by 1500 owned one-sixth of all English land and had four times the income of the Crown. Then Henry VIII dissolved the abbeys in 1536. He was particularly harsh on Glastonbury—he not only destroyed the abbey but also hung and quartered the abbot, sending the parts of his body on four different national tours...simultaneously.
But Glastonbury rebounded. In an 18th-century tourism campaign, thousands signed affidavits stating that they’d been healed by water from the Chalice Well, and once again Glastonbury was on the tourist map. Today, Glastonbury and its Tor are a center for searchers, too creepy for the mainstream church but just right for those looking for a place to recharge their crystals.
Part of the fun of a visit to Glastonbury is just being in a town where every other shop and eatery is a New Age place. If you need spiritual guidance or just a rune reading, wander through the Glastonbury Experience, a New Age mall at the bottom of High Street. Locals who are not into this complain that on High Street you can buy any kind of magic crystal or incense, but not a roll of TP. But, as this counterculture is their town’s bread and butter, they do their best to sit in their pubs and go “Ommmmm.”
The TI is on High Street—as are many of the dreadlocked folks who walk it. It occupies a fine 15th-century townhouse called The Tribunal (Mon-Sat 10:00-15:15, closed Sun, pay Internet access, 9 High Street, tel. 01458/832-954, www.glastonburytic.co.uk). The TI sells several booklets about cycling and walking in the area, including the Glastonbury and Street Guide, with local listings and a map (£1); and the Glastonbury Millennium Trail pamphlet, which sends visitors on a historical scavenger hunt, following 20 numbered marble plaques embedded in the pavement throughout the town (£1). The TI also offers walking tours (£5, call ahead for schedule).
Above the TI is the marginally interesting Lake Village Museum, with two humble rooms featuring tools made of stones, bones, and antlers. Preserved in and excavated from the local peat bogs, these tools offer a look at the lives of marshland people in pre-Roman times (£2.50, extensive descriptions, same hours as TI).
Market Day: Tuesday is market day for crafts, knickknacks, and produce on the main street. There’s also a country market Tuesday mornings in the Town Hall.
Glastonbury Festival: Nearly every summer (around the June solstice), the gigantic Glastonbury Festival—billing itself as the “largest music and performing arts festival in the world”—brings all manner of postmodern flower children to its notoriously muddy “Healing Fields.” Music fans and London’s beautiful people make the trek to see the hottest new English and American bands. If you’re near Glastonbury during the festival, anticipate increased traffic and crowds (especially on public transportation; the more than 135,000 tickets generally sell out), even though the actual music venue is six miles east of town (www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk).
Bike Rental: Try Glastonbury Cycles, at the top of High Street (£10/day, includes lock and tire repair kit, helmets-£2; Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00, closed Sun; deposit required—either cash, credit card, or passport; must return bikes in Glastonbury, 67 High Street, tel. 01458/830-639).
I’ve listed these sights in the order you’ll reach them, moving from the town center to the Tor.
The evocative ruins of the first Christian sanctuary in the British Isles stand mysteriously alive in a lush 36-acre park. Because it comes with a fine museum, a dramatic history, and enthusiastic guides dressed in period costume, this is one of the most engaging to visit of England’s many ruined abbeys.
Cost and Hours: £6, daily June-Aug 9:00-20:00, Sept-May 9:00-17:00, Dec-Feb until 16:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing, nearby pay parking, tel. 01458/832-267, www.glastonburyabbey.com. Enter the abbey from Magdalene Street (around the corner from High Street, near the St. Dunstan’s parking lot).
Tours and Demonstrations: Costumed guides offer tours and presentations throughout the day (all included with your ticket). These include a fun medieval kitchen demo (described later) and earnest, costumed “Living History” re-enactments (generally daily March-Oct at 10:30, 12:00, 14:00, and 16:00). As you enter, confirm these times, and ask about other tour and show times. Or, if you’re coming on a slow day (off-season weekdays), call ahead to get the schedule.
Eating: Picnicking is encouraged—bring something from one of the shops in town (see “Eating in Glastonbury,” later), or buy food at the small café on site (open May-Sept).
Background: The space that these ruins occupy has been sacred ground for centuries. The druids used it as a pagan holy site, and during Joseph of Arimathea’s supposed visit here, he built a simple place of worship. In the 12th century—because of that legendary connection with Joseph of Arimathea—Glastonbury was the leading Christian pilgrimage site in all of Britain. The popular abbey grew very wealthy and employed a thousand people to serve the needs of the pilgrims. Then, in 1171, Thomas Becket was martyred at Canterbury and immediately canonized by the pope (who thanked God for the opportunity to rile up the Christian public in England against King Henry II). This was a classic church-state power struggle. The king was excommunicated and had to crawl through the streets of London on his knees and submit to a whipping from each bishop in England. Religious pilgrims abandoned Glastonbury for Canterbury, leaving Glastonbury suddenly a backwater.
In 1184, there was a devastating fire in the monastery, and in 1191, the abbot here “discovered”—with the help of a divine dream—the tomb and bodies of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. Of course, this discovery rekindled the pilgrim trade in Glastonbury.
Then, in 1539, King Henry VIII ordered the abbey’s destruction. When Glastonbury Abbot Richard Whiting questioned the king’s decision, he was branded a traitor, hung at the top of Glastonbury Tor (after carrying up the plank that would support his noose), and his body cut into four pieces. His head was stuck over the gateway to the former abbey precinct. After this harsh example, the other abbots accepted the king’s dissolution of England’s abbeys. Many returned to monastic centers in France.
Today, the abbey attracts people who find God within. Tie-dyed, starry-eyed pilgrims seem to float through the grounds, naturally high. Others lie on the grave of King Arthur, whose burial site is marked off in the center of the abbey ruins.
Self-Guided Tour: After buying your ticket, tour the informative museum at the entrance building. A model shows the abbey in its pre-Henry VIII splendor, and exhibits tell the story of a place “grandly constructed to entice the dullest minds to prayer.” You’ll often see costumed guides here who are eager to share the site’s story and might even offer an impromptu tour.
Then head out to explore the green park, dotted with bits of the ruined abbey. You come face-to-face with the abbey’s west (entrance) end. The abbey was long and skinny, but vast. Measuring 580 feet, it was the longest in Britain.
Before poking around the ruins, circle to the left behind the entrance building to find the two thorn trees. According to legend, when Joseph of Arimathea came here, he climbed nearby Wearyall Hill and stuck his staff into the soil. A thorn tree sprouted, and its descendant still stands there today; these are its offspring. In 2010, vandals hacked off the branches of the original tree on Wearyall Hill, but miraculously, the stump put out small green shoots the following spring. The trees inside the abbey grounds bloom twice a year, at Easter and at Christmas. If the story seems far-fetched to you, don’t tell the Queen—a blossom from the abbey’s trees sits proudly on her breakfast table every Christmas morning.
Now hike along the ruins to the far end of the abbey. You can stand and, from what was the altar, look down at what was the nave. In this area, you’ll find the tombstone (formerly in the floor of the church’s choir) where the supposed relics of Arthur and Guinevere were interred.
Continue around the far side of the abbey ruins, feeling free to poke around the park. Head back toward the front of the church, noticing all of the foundation rubble in the field adjoining the abbey; among these were the former churchyard, where Arthur and Guinevere’s bones were originally found.
Head for the only surviving intact building on the grounds—the abbot’s conical kitchen. Here, you’ll often find Matilda the pilgrim (or another costumed docent) demonstrating life in the abbey kitchen in a kind of medieval cooking show.
These sights are about a 15-minute walk from the town center, toward the Tor (see “Getting There,” on here).
Somerset Rural Life Museum—Exhibits in this free and extremely kid-friendly museum include peat digging, along with cider- and cheese-making. The Abbey Farmhouse is now a collection of domestic and work mementos that illustrate the life of Victorian farm laborer John Hodges “from the cradle to the grave.” The fine 14th-century tithe barn (one of 30 such structures that funneled tithes to the local abbey), with its beautifully preserved wooden ceiling, is filled with Victorian farm tools and enthusiastic schoolchildren.
Cost and Hours: Free, Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00, closed Sun-Mon, last entry 30 minutes before closing, parking-£1 for 2 hours, £2 for all day, at intersection of Bere Lane and Chilkwell Street, tel. 01823/278-805, www.somerset.gov.uk/museums.
Chalice Well—According to tradition, Joseph of Arimathea brought the chalice from the Last Supper to Glastonbury in A.D. 37. Supposedly it ended up in the bottom of a well, which is now the centerpiece of a peaceful and inviting garden. Even if the chalice is not in the bottom of the well and the water is red from iron ore and not Jesus’ blood, the tranquil setting is one where nature’s harmony is a joy to ponder. To find the well itself, follow the gurgling stream uphill, passing several places to drink from or wade in the healing water, as well as areas designated for silent reflection. The stones of the well shaft date from the 12th century and are believed to have come from the church in Glastonbury Abbey (which was destroyed by fire). During the 18th century, pilgrims flocked to Glastonbury for the well’s healing powers. Have a drink or take some of the precious water home—they sell empty bottles to fill.
Cost and Hours: £3.70, daily April-Oct 10:00-18:00, Nov-March 10:00-16:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing, on Chilkwell Street/A-361, drivers park at Rural Life Museum and walk 5 minutes—see instructions below, tel. 01458/831-154, www.chalicewell.org.uk.
Seen by many as a Mother Goddess symbol, the Tor—a natural plug of sandstone on clay—has an undeniable geological charisma.
Climbing the Tor is the essential activity on a visit to Glastonbury. A fine Somerset view rewards those who hike to its 520-foot summit. From its top you can survey a former bogland that is still below sea level at high tide. The ribbon-like man-made drainage canals that glisten as they slice through the farmland are the work of Dutch engineers, imported centuries ago to turn the marshy wasteland into something usable.
Looking out, find Glastonbury (at the base of the hill) and Wells (marked by its cathedral) to the right. Above Wells, a TV tower marks the 996-foot high point of the Mendip Hills. It was lead from these hills that attracted the Romans (and, perhaps, Jesus’ uncle Joe) so long ago. Stretching to the left, the hills define what was the coastline before those Dutch engineers arrived.
The Tor-top tower is the remnant of a chapel dedicated to St. Michael. Early Christians often employed St. Michael, the warrior angel, to combat pagan gods. When a church was built upon a pagan holy ground like this, it was frequently dedicated to Michael. But apparently those pagan gods fought back: St. Michael’s Church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275.
Getting There: The Tor is a steep hill at the southeastern edge of the town (it’s visible from just about everywhere). The base of the Tor is a 20-minute walk from the TI and town center. From the base, a trail leads up to the top (figure another 15-20 uphill minutes, if you keep a brisk pace). While you can hike up the Tor from either end, the less-steep approach (which most people take) starts next to the Chalice Well.
If you have a car, drive to the Somerset Rural Life Museum, where you can park cheaply, then walk five minutes to the trailhead (walk up the lane between the parking lot and the museum, turn right onto Chilkwell Street, and watch on the left for the Chalice Well, then signs for the trailhead).
If you’re without a car and don’t want to walk to the Tor trailhead, you have two options: The Tor Bus shuttles visitors from the town center to the base of the Tor. If you ask, the bus will also stop at the Somerset Rural Life Museum and the Chalice Well (£3 round-trip, 2/hour, on the half-hour, Easter-Sept daily 9:30-12:30 & 14:00-19:00, doesn’t run Oct-Easter, catch bus at St. Dunstan’s parking lot in the town center—to the right as you face the abbey entrance, pick up schedule at TI). A taxi to the Tor trailhead costs about £5 one-way—an easier and more economical choice for couples or groups. Remember, these take you only to the bottom of the Tor; to reach the top, you have to hike.
Rainbow’s End is one of several fine, healthy, vegetarian lunch cafés for hot meals (different every day), salads, herbal teas, yummy homemade sweets, and New Age people-watching (£7-8 meals, cheaper salads sold by the portion, vegan and gluten-free options, counter service, daily 10:00-16:00, a few doors up from the TI, 17 High Street, tel. 01458/833-896). If you’re looking for a midwife or a male-bonding tribal meeting, check their notice board.
Burns the Bread makes hearty pasties (savory meat pies) as well as fresh pies, sandwiches, delicious cookies, and pastries. Ask for a sample of the Torsy Moorsy Cake (a type of fruitcake made with cheddar), or try a gingerbread man made with real ginger. Grab a pasty and picnic with the ghosts of Arthur and Guinevere in the abbey ruins (£1.50 pasties and pastries, £2-3 sandwiches, Mon-Sat 6:00-17:00, Sun 11:00-17:00, 14 High Street, tel. 01458/831-532).
Knights Fish and Chips Restaurant, which has been in the same family since 1909, is the town’s top chippy—and another fine option for a picnic at the abbey (£6 to go, about £1 more for table service, Mon 17:00-21:30, Tue-Sat 12:00-14:15 & 17:00-21:30, closed Sun, 5 Northload Street, tel. 01458/831-882).
The George & Pilgrims Hotel’s wonderfully Old World pub might be exactly what the doctor ordered for visitors suffering a New Age overdose. The French owners mix a few French dishes into the traditional pub-grub menu (£5 sandwiches, £8-11 meals, Mon-Sat 11:00-23:00, Sun 12:00-22:30, food served 12:00-15:00 & 18:00-21:00, 1 High Street, tel. 01458/831-146). They also rent rooms (Db-£75, family rooms-£85).
The nearest train station is in Bath. Local buses are run by First Bus Company (tel. 0845-602-0156, www.firstgroup.com).
From Glastonbury by Bus to: Wells (3-4/hour, 20 minutes, bus #375/#377 or #29), Bath (nearly hourly, allow 2 hours, take bus #375/#377 or #29 to Wells, transfer to bus #173 to Bath, 1.25 hours between Wells and Bath). Buses are sparse on Sundays (generally one bus every other hour). If you’re heading to points west, you’ll likely connect through Taunton (which is a transfer point for westbound buses from Bristol).
Because this well-preserved little town has a cathedral, it can be called a city. While it’s the biggest town in Somerset, it’s England’s smallest cathedral city (pop. 9,400), with one of its most interesting cathedrals and a wonderful evensong service (generally not offered July-Aug). Wells has more medieval buildings still doing what they were originally built to do than any town you’ll visit. Market day fills the town square on Wednesday (farmers’ market) and Saturday (general goods).
The TI is in the lobby of the Wells Museum across the green from the cathedral. It has useful information about the town’s sights and nearby cheese factories (April-Oct Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, Nov-March Mon-Sat 11:00-16:00, closed Sun, 8 Cathedral Green, tel. 01749/671-770, www.visitsomerset.co.uk). They sell town maps for £0.50 and provide information on trails nearby; consider the Wells City Trail booklet for £0.60. They offer a one-hour walking tour of town for £4 on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11:00 (Easter-Sept only).
If you’re coming by bus, you can get off in the city center at the Sadler Street stop, around the corner from the cathedral. Or you can disembark at the big, well-organized bus parking lot (staffed Mon-Fri 9:00-16:30, closed Sat-Sun), about a five-minute walk from the town center. (The big church tower you see is not the cathedral.) Find the Wells map at the head of the stalls to get oriented; the signpost at the main exit directs you downtown.
Drivers will find pay parking right on the main square, but because of confusing one-way streets, it’s hard to reach; instead, it’s simpler to park at the Princes Road lot near the bus station (enter on Priory Road) and walk five minutes to the cathedral.
Local Guide: Edie Westmoreland offers town walks in the summer by appointment (£15/group of 2-5 people, £4/person for 8 or more, 1.5-hour tours usually start at Penniless Porch on town square, book three days in advance, tel. 01934/832-350, mobile 07899-836-706, ebwestmoreland@btinternet.com).
Best Views: It’s hard to beat the grand views of the cathedral from the green in front of it...but the reflecting pool tucked inside the Bishop’s Palace grounds tries hard. For a fine cathedral-and-town view from your own leafy hilltop bench, hike 10 minutes up Tor Hill.
England’s first completely Gothic cathedral (dating from about 1200) is the highlight of the city. Locals claim this church has the largest collection of medieval statuary north of the Alps. It certainly has one of the widest and most elaborate facades I’ve seen, and unique figure-eight supports in the nave to boot.
Cost and Hours: Requested £6 donation—not intended to keep you out, daily Easter-Sept 7:00-19:00, Oct-Easter 7:00-18:00; daily evensong service (except July-Aug)—described later; to take pictures, pay £3 photography fee at info desk or at coin-op machine inside cathedral, no flash in choir; good shop, handy Chapter Two restaurant, tel. 01749/674-483, www.wellscathedral.org.uk.
Tours: Free one-hour tours run April-Oct Mon-Sat at 10:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, and 15:00; Nov-March Mon-Sat usually at 12:00 and 14:00—unless other events are going on in the cathedral.
Self-Guided Tour: Begin on the vast, inviting green in front of the cathedral. In the Middle Ages, the cathedral was enclosed within “The Liberty,” an area free from civil jurisdiction until the 1800s. The Liberty included the green on the west side of the cathedral, which, from the 13th to the 17th centuries, was a burial place for common folk, including 17th-century plague victims. During the Edwardian period, a local character known as Boney Foster used to dig up the human bones and sell them to tourists. The green later became a cricket pitch, then a field for grazing animals. Today, it’s the perfect setting for an impressive cathedral.
Peer up at the magnificent facade. The west front displays almost 300 original 13th-century carvings of kings and the Last Judgment. The bottom row of niches is empty, too easily reached by Cromwell’s men, who were hell-bent on destroying “graven images.” Stand back and imagine it as a grand Palm Sunday welcome with a cast of hundreds—all gaily painted back then, choristers singing boldly from holes above the doors and trumpets tooting through the holes up by the 12 apostles.
Now head inside. Most of the time, visitors enter by going to the right, through the door under the small spire into the lobby and welcome center. (At certain times—generally 7:00-9:00 and 17:00-19:00—you can enter through the cathedral’s main door.)
At the welcome center, you’ll be warmly greeted and reminded how expensive it is to maintain the cathedral. Pay the donation, buy a photo-permission sticker (if you choose), and pick up a map of the cathedral’s highlights. Then head through the cloister and into the cathedral.
At your first glance down the nave, you’re immediately struck by the general lightness and the unique “scissors” or hourglass-shaped double arch (added in 1338 to transfer weight from the west—where the foundations were sinking under the tower’s weight—to the east, where they were firm). The warm tones of the stone interior give the place a modern feel. Until Henry VIII and the Reformation, the interior was painted a gloomy red and green. Later it was whitewashed. Then, in the 1840s, the church experienced the Victorian “great scrape,” as locals peeled moldy whitewash off and revealed the bare stone we see today. The floral ceiling painting is based on the original medieval design. A single pattern was discovered under the 17th-century whitewash and repeated throughout.
Small, ornate 15th-century pavilion-like chapels flank the altar, carved in lacy Gothic for wealthy townsmen. The pulpit features a post-Reformation, circa-1540 English script—rather than the standard Latin. Since this was not a monastery church, the Reformation didn’t destroy it as it did the Glastonbury Abbey church.
We’ll do a quick clockwise spin around the cathedral’s interior. First walk down the left aisle until you reach the north transept. The medieval clock does a silly but much-loved joust on the quarter-hour. If you get to watch the show, notice how—like clockwork—every other rider gets clobbered. The clock’s face, which depicts the earth at the center of the universe, dates from 1390. The outer ring shows hours, the second ring shows minutes, and the inner ring shows the dates of the month and phases of the moon. Beneath the clock, the fine crucifix was carved out of a yew tree by a German prisoner of war during World War II. After the war ended, many of England’s German prisoners figured there was little in Germany to go home to, so they stayed, assimilating into English culture. Also in the north transept is the door with well-worn steps leading up to the grand, fan-vaulted Chapter House—an intimate place for the theological equivalent of a huddle among church officials.
Now continue down the left aisle. On the right is the entrance to the choir (or “quire,” the central zone where the daily services are sung). Go in and take a close look at the embroidery work on the cushions, which celebrate the hometowns of important local church leaders. Up above the east end of the choir is “Jesse’s Window,” depicting Jesus’ family tree. It’s also called the “Golden Window,” because it’s bathed in sunlight each morning.
Head back out to the aisle the way you came in, and continue to the end of the church. In the apse you’ll find the Lady Chapel. Examine the medieval stained-glass windows. Do they look jumbled? In the 17th century, Puritan troops trashed the precious original glass. Much was repaired, but many of the broken panes were like a puzzle that was never figured out. That’s why today many of the windows are simply kaleidoscopes of colored glass.
Now circle around and head up the other aisle. As you walk, notice that many of the black tombstones set in the floor have decorative recesses that aren’t filled with brass (as they once were). After the Reformation in the 1530s, the church was short on cash, so they sold the brass to raise money for roof repairs.
Once you reach the south transept, you’ll find several items of interest. The old font survives from the previous church (A.D. 705) and has been the site of Wells baptisms for almost a thousand years. In the far end of this transept, a little of the muddy green and red that wasn’t whitewashed survives.
Nearby, notice the carvings at the tops of the pillars, which depict medieval life. On the first pillar, notice the man with a toothache and another man with a thorn in his foot. The second pillar tells a story of medieval justice: On the left, we see thieves stealing grapes; on the right, the woodcutter (with an axe) is warning the farmer (with the pitchfork) what’s happening. Circle around to the back of the pillar for the rest of the story: On the left, the farmer chases one of the thieves, grabbing him by the ear. On the right, he clobbers the thief over the head with his pitchfork—so hard the farmer’s hat falls off.
Also in the south transept, you’ll find the entrance to the cathedral Reading Room (free, £0.50 donation requested, April-Oct Fri-Sat 14:30-16:30 only; might also be possible to step in for a quick look on weekday mornings and afternoons). Housing a few old manuscripts, it offers a peek into a real 15th-century library. At the back of the Reading Room, peer through the doors and notice the irons chaining the books to the shelves—a reflection perhaps of the trust in the clergy at that time.
The south transept is where you’ll exit the cathedral: Head out into the cloister, then cross the courtyard back to the welcome center, shop, Chapter Two restaurant, and exit. Go in peace.
▲▲Cathedral Evensong Service—The cathedral choir takes full advantage of heavenly acoustics with a nightly 45-minute evensong service. You will sit right in the old “quire” as you listen to a great pipe organ and boys’, girls’, and men’s voices.
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon-Sat at 17:15, Sun at 15:00, generally no service when school is out July-Aug unless a visiting choir performs, to check call 01749/674-483 or visit www.wellscathedral.org.uk. At 17:05 (Sun at 14:50) the verger ushers visitors to their seats. There’s usually plenty of room.
Returning to Bath after the Evensong: On weekdays and Saturdays, if you need to catch the 17:40 bus to Bath, request a seat on the north side of the presbytery, so you can slip out the side door without disturbing the service (10-minute walk to station from cathedral, bus also departs from The Liberty stop—a 4-minute walk away—at 17:42; or go at 18:15 via Bristol—explained later, under “Wells Connections”).
Other Cathedral Concerts: The cathedral also hosts several evening concerts each month (£10-26, most about £20, generally Thu-Sat at 19:00 or 19:30, buy tickets by phone or at box office in cathedral gift shop; Mon-Sat 10:00-16:30, Sun 11:30-16:30; tel. 01749/672-173). Concert tickets are also available at the TI, along with pamphlets listing what’s on.
Vicars Close—Lined with perfectly pickled 14th-century houses, this is the oldest continuously occupied complete street in Europe (since 1348; just a block north of the cathedral—go under the big arch and look left). It was built to house the vicar’s choir, and it still houses church officials (and one of the places, #14, can be rented for a weeklong holiday—from £509; find details on 14 Vicars Close at the cathedral’s website, www.wellscathedral.org.uk).
▲Bishop’s Palace—Next to the cathedral stands the moated Bishop’s Palace, built in the 13th century and still in use today as the residence of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. While the interior of the palace itself is dull, the grounds and gardens surrounding it are spectacular—the most tranquil and scenic spot in Wells, with wonderful views of the cathedral. It’s just the place for a relaxing walk in the park.
Cost and Hours: £7, daily April-Oct 10:00-18:00, Nov-March 10:00-16:00, often closed on Sat for special events—call to confirm, last entry one hour before closing, tel. 01749/988-111, www.bishopspalace.org.uk.
Visiting the Palace and Gardens: The palace’s spring-fed moat was built in the 14th century to protect the bishop during squabbles with the borough. Now it serves primarily as a pool for mute swans, who have been trained to ring a bell to ask for food. The bridge was last drawn in 1831. Crossing that bridge, you’ll buy your ticket and enter the grounds (past the old-timers playing a proper game of croquet—daily after 13:30). On your right, pass through the evocative ruins of the Great Hall (which was deserted and left to gradually deteriorate), and stroll through the chirpy south lawn. If you’re feeling energetic, hike up to the top of the ramparts that encircle the property.
Circling around the far side of the mansion, walk through a door in the rampart wall, cross the wooden bridge, and follow a path to a smaller bridge and the wells (springs) that gave the city its name. Surrounding a reflecting pool with the cathedral towering overhead, these flower-bedecked pathways are idyllic. Nearby are an arboretum, picnic area, and sweet little pea-patch gardens.
After touring the gardens, the mansion’s interior is a letdown—despite the borrowable descriptions that struggle to make the dusty old place meaningful. Have a spot of tea in the café (with outdoor garden seating), or climb the creaky wooden staircase to wander long halls lined with portraits of bishops past.
The following stops are best for drivers.
Cheddar Cheese—If you’re in the mood for a picnic, drop by any local aromatic cheese shop for a great selection of tasty Somerset cheeses. Real farmhouse cheddar puts Velveeta to shame. The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company, eight miles west of Wells, gives guests a chance to see the cheese-making process and enjoy a sample (£2.25, daily 10:00-15:30; take the A-39, then the A-371 to Cheddar Gorge; tel. 01934/742-810, www.cheddargorgecheeseco.co.uk).
Scrumpy Farms—Scrumpy is the wonderfully dangerous hard cider brewed in this part of England. You don’t find it served in many pubs because of the unruly crowd it attracts. Scrumpy, at 8 percent alcohol, will rot your socks. “Scrumpy Jack,” carbonated mass-produced cider, is not real scrumpy. The real stuff is “rough farmhouse cider.” This is potent stuff. It’s said some farmers throw a side of beef into the vat, and when fermentation is done only the teeth remain.
TIs list cider farms open to the public, such as Mr. Wilkins’ Land’s End Cider Farm, a great Back Door travel experience (free, Mon-Sat 10:00-20:00, Sun 10:00-13:00; west of Wells in Mudgley, take the B-3139 from Wells to Wedmore, then the B-3151 south for 2 miles, farm is a quarter-mile off the B-3151—tough to find, get close and ask locals; tel. 01934/712-385, www.wilkinscider.com).
Apples are pressed from August through December. Hard cider, while not quite scrumpy, is also typical of the West Country, but more fashionable, “decent,” and accessible. You can get a pint of hard cider at nearly any pub, drawn straight from the barrel—dry, medium, or sweet.
Nunney Castle—The centerpiece of the charming village of Nunney (between Bath and Glastonbury, off the A-361) is a striking 14th-century castle surrounded by a fairy-tale moat. Its rare, French-style design brings to mind the Paris Bastille. The year 1644 was a tumultuous one for Nunney. Its noble family was royalist (and likely closet Catholics). They defied Parliament, so Parliament ordered their castle “slighted” (deliberately destroyed) to ensure that it would threaten the order of the land no more. Looking at this castle, so daunting in the age of bows and arrows, you can see how it was no match for the modern cannon. The pretty Mendip village of Nunney, with its little brook, is also worth a wander.
Cost and Hours: Free, visitable at “any reasonable time,” tel. 01373/465-757, www.english-heritage.org.uk.
(area code: 01749)
Wells is a pleasant overnight stop, with a handful of agreeable B&Bs. The first three places are within a short walk of the cathedral.
$$ Swan Hotel, a Best Western facing the cathedral, is a big, comfortable 48-room hotel. Prices for their Tudor-style rooms vary based on whether you want extras like a four-poster bed or a view of the cathedral. They also rent five apartments in the village (Sb-£110-120, Db-£144-154, superior Db-£169-179, deluxe Db-£194-204, apartments-£114-149, ask about weekend deals, free Wi-Fi, Sadler Street, tel. 01749/836-300, fax 01749/836-301, www.swanhotelwells.co.uk, info@swanhotelwells.co.uk).
$$ The Old Farmhouse, a five-minute walk from the town center, welcomes you with a secluded front garden and two tastefully decorated rooms (Db-£85-90, 2-night minimum, secure parking, next to the gas station at 62 Chamberlain Street, tel. 01749/675-058, www.wellsholiday.com, theoldfarmhousewells@hotmail.com, charming owners Felicity and Christopher Wilkes).
$ Canon Grange B&B is a 15th-century house with watch-your-head beams directly in front of the cathedral. It has seven homey rooms and a cozy charm (S-£55, Db-£76, Db with spectacular cathedral view-£82, family room, free Wi-Fi, on the cathedral green, tel. 01749/671-800, www.canongrange.co.uk, canongrange@email.com, Annette and Ken).
$ Baytree House B&B is a modern and practical home at the edge of town (on a big road, a 10-minute walk to the bus station) renting five fresh, bright, and comfy rooms. Amanda and Paulo Bellini run the place with Italian enthusiasm (Db-£64-70, Tb-£75-90, two rooms have private bathrooms on the hall, free Wi-Fi, plush lounge, free parking, near where Strawberry Way hits the A-39 road to Cheddar at 85 Portway, tel. 01749/677-933, mobile 07745-287-194, www.baytree-house.co.uk, stay@baytree-house.co.uk).
Downtown Wells is tiny. A fine variety of eating options is within a block or two of its market square, including classic pubs, little delis and bakeries serving light meals, and a branch of West Cornwall Pasty Company, selling good savory pasties to go (Mon-Sat 8:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-17:00, 1a Sadler Street, tel. 01749/671-616).
The Fountain Inn, on a quiet street 50 yards behind the cathedral, serves good pub grub (£9-14 lunches, £11-14 dinners, daily 12:00-14:00 & 18:00-21:30 except Sun, when it opens for dinner at 19:00, pub open later, St. Thomas Street, tel. 01749/672-317).
Chapter Two, the modern restaurant in the cathedral welcome center, offers a handy if not heavenly lunch (£6-7 lunches, Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun 11:00-17:00, may close earlier in winter, tel. 01749/676-543).
The Old Spot is a dressy, modern place with a cathedral view. The food is elegant and well-prepared, although pricey (£20-23 fixed-price lunch, £6-7 starters, £14-19 main courses; Tue 19:00-22:30, Wed-Sat 12:30-14:30 & 19:00-22:30, Sun 12:30-14:30, closed Mon; 12 Sadler Street, tel. 01749/689-099).
The nearest train station is in Bath. The bus station in Wells is at a well-organized bus parking lot at the intersection of Priory and Princes roads. Local buses are run by First Bus Company (for Wells, tel. 0845-602-0156, www.firstgroup.com), while buses to and from London are run by National Express (tel. 0871-781-8178, www.nationalexpress.com).
From Wells by Bus to: Bath (nearly hourly, less frequent on Sun, 1.25 hours, last bus #173 leaves at 17:40—except Sun, when there are also buses at 18:46 and 20:03; if you miss the Mon-Sat 17:40 bus to Bath, catch the 18:15 bus to Bristol, then a 15-minute train ride to Bath, arriving 19:35), Glastonbury (3-4/hour, 20 minutes, bus #375/#377 or #29), London’s Victoria Coach Station (£21-30, 1/day direct, departs Wells at 6:55, arrives London at 11:20; otherwise hourly with a change in Bristol, 4 hours).
Avebury is a prehistoric open-air museum, with a complex of fascinating Neolithic sites all gathered around the great stone henge (circle). Because the area sports only a thin skin of topsoil over chalk, it is naturally treeless (similar to the area around Stonehenge). Perhaps this unique landscape—where the land connects with the big sky—made it the choice of prehistoric societies for their religious monuments. Whatever the case, Avebury dates to 2800 B.C.—six centuries older than Stonehenge. This complex, the St. Peter’s Basilica of Neolithic civilization, makes for a fascinating visit. Many enjoy it more than Stonehenge.
Avebury, just a little village with a big stone circle, is easy to reach by car, but may not be worth the hassle by public transportation (see “Getting Around the Region,” here).
Tourist Information: The town’s TI recently closed due to budget cuts. For good information on the Avebury sights, see the websites of the English Heritage (www.english-heritage.org.uk) and the National Trust (www.nationaltrust.org.uk).
Arrival by Car: You must pay to park in Avebury, and your only real option is the flat-fee National Trust parking lot, a three-minute walk from the village (£5, £3 after 15:00, £2 in winter; open summer 9:30-18:30, off-season 9:30-16:30). No other public parking is available in the village.
All of Avebury’s prehistoric sights are free to visit and always open.
▲▲Avebury Stone Circle—The stone circle at Avebury is bigger (16 times the size), less touristy, and for many, more interesting than Stonehenge. You’re free to wander among 100 stones, ditches, mounds, and curious patterns from the past, as well as the village of Avebury, which grew up in the middle of this fascinating 1,400-foot-wide Neolithic circle.
In the 14th century, in a kind of frenzy of religious paranoia, Avebury villagers buried many of these mysterious pagan stones. Their 18th-century descendants hosted social events in which they broke up the remaining pagan stones (topple, heat up, douse with cold water, and scavenge broken stones as building blocks). In modern times, the buried stones were dug up and re-erected. Concrete markers show where the missing broken-up stones once stood.
To make the roughly half-mile walk around the circle, you’ll hike along an impressive earthwork henge—a 30-foot-high outer bank surrounding a ditch 30 feet deep, making a 60-foot-high rampart. This earthen rampart once had stones standing around the perimeter, placed about every 30 feet, and four grand causeway entries. Originally, two smaller circles made of about 200 stones stood within the henge.
▲Ritual Procession Way—Also known as West Kennet Avenue, this double line of stones provided a ritual procession way leading from Avebury to a long-gone wooden circle dubbed “The Sanctuary.” This “wood henge,” thought to have been 1,000 years older than everything else in the area, is considered the genesis of Avebury and its big stone circle. Most of the stones standing along the procession way today were reconstructed in modern times.
▲Silbury Hill—This pyramid-shaped hill is a 130-foot-high, yet-to-be-explained mound of chalk just outside of Avebury. More than 4,000 years old, this mound is considered the largest man-made object in prehistoric Europe (with the surface area of London’s Trafalgar Square and the height of the Nelson Column). It’s a reminder that we’ve only just scratched the surface of England’s mysterious and ancient religious landscape.
Inspired by a legend that the hill hid a gold statue in its center, locals tunneled through Silbury Hill in 1830, undermining the structure. Work is currently underway to restore the hill, which remains closed to the public. Archaeologists (who date things like this by carbon-dating snails and other little critters killed in its construction) figure Silbury Hill took only 60 years to build, in about 2200 B.C. This makes Silbury Hill the last element built at Avebury and contemporaneous with Stonehenge. Some think it may have been an observation point for all the other bits of the Avebury site. You can still see evidence of a spiral path leading up the hill and a moat at its base.
The Roman road detoured around Silbury Hill. (Roman engineers often used features of the landscape as visual reference points when building roads. Their roads would commonly kink at the crest of hills or other landmarks, where they realigned with a new visual point.) Later, the hill sported a wooden Saxon fort, which likely acted as a lookout for marauding Vikings. And in World War II, the Royal Observer Corps stationed men up here to count and report Nazi bombers on raids.
West Kennet Long Barrow—A pullout on the road just past Silbury Hill marks the West Kennet Long Barrow (a 15-minute walk from Silbury Hill). This burial chamber, the best-preserved Stone Age chamber tomb in the UK, stands intact on the ridge. It lines up with the rising sun on the summer solstice. You can walk inside the barrow.
Cherhill Horse—Heading west from Avebury on the A-4 (toward Bath), you’ll see an obelisk (a monument to some important earl) above you on the downs, or chalk hills, near the village of Cherhill. You’ll also see a white horse carved into the chalk hillside. Above it are the remains of an Iron Age hill fort known as Oldbury Castle—described on an information board at the roadside pull-out. There is one genuinely prehistoric white horse in England (the Uffington White Horse); the Cherhill Horse, like all the others, is just an 18th-century creation. Prehistoric discoveries were all the rage in the 1700s, and it was a fad to make your own fake ones. Throughout southern England, you can cut into the thin layer of topsoil and find chalk. Now, so they don’t have to weed, horses like this are cemented and painted white.
Alexander Keiller Museum—This museum, named for the archaeologist who led excavations at Avebury in the late 1930s, is housed in two buildings. The 17th-century Barn Gallery has an interactive exhibit, while the Stables Gallery, across the farmyard, holds artifacts from past digs.
Cost and Hours: £5, daily April-Oct 10:00-18:00, Nov-March 10:00-16:00, last entry one hour before closing, tel. 01672/538-015.
Avebury Manor and Garden—Archaeologist Alexander Keiller’s former home was the subject of The Manor Reborn, a four-hour BBC documentary on the refurbishment of the 500-year-old estate by a team of historians and craftspeople. Nine rooms were decorated in five different styles showing the progression of design, from a Tudor wedding chapel to a Queen Anne-era bedroom to an early-20th-century billiards room. The grounds were also spruced up, with a topiary and a Victorian kitchen garden.
Cost and Hours: £9, limited number of timed tickets sold per day, April-Oct Thu-Tue 11:00-17:00, Nov-mid-Dec and mid-Feb-March Thu-Tue 11:00-15:30, closed Wed and mid-Dec-mid-Feb, last entry one hour before closing, buy tickets at Alexander Keiller Museum’s Barn Gallery (listed above) or reserve online in advance (£1 booking fee), tel. 01672/539-250, www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
(£1 = about $1.60, country code: 44, area code: 01672)
The pleasant Circle Café serves healthy, hearty à la carte lunches, including vegan and gluten-free dishes, and cream teas on most days (daily April-Oct 10:00-17:30, Nov-March 10:00-16:00, no hot food after 14:30, next to National Trust store and the Alexander Keiller Museum, tel. 01672/539-514).
The Red Lion has inexpensive, greasy pub grub; a creaky, well-worn, dart-throwing ambience; and a medieval well in its dining room (£6-12 meals, daily 12:00-22:00, High Street, tel. 01672/539-266).
Sleeping in Avebury makes lots of sense, since the stones are lonely and wide-open all night. $ Mrs. Dixon’s B&B, up the road from the public parking lot, rents three cramped and homey rooms. Look for the green-and-white Bed & Breakfast sign from the main road (S-£40, D-£60, these prices promised with this book in 2013, cash only, parking available in back, 6 Beckhampton Road, tel. 01672/539-588, angelaraymont@btinternet.com, run by earthy Mrs. Dixon and crew).
As old as the pyramids, and older than the Acropolis and the Colosseum, this iconic stone circle amazed medieval Europeans, who figured it was built by a race of giants. And it still impresses visitors today. As one of Europe’s most famous sights, Stonehenge, worth ▲▲, does a valiant job of retaining an air of mystery and majesty (partly because cordons, which keep hordes of tourists from trampling all over it, foster the illusion that it stands alone in a field). Although some people are underwhelmed by Stonehenge, most of its almost one million annual visitors find that it’s worth the trip. And the ancient site continues to reveal its mysteries: In 2010, within sight of Stonehenge, archaeologists discovered another 5,000-year-old henge, which they believe once encircled a wooden “twin” of the famous circle.
By Public Transportation: Catch a train to Salisbury, then go by bus or taxi to Stonehenge (for details, see here). Note that there is no public transportation between Avebury and Stonehenge.
By Car: Stonehenge is well-signed just off the A-303. It’s about 15 minutes north of Salisbury, an hour east of Glastonbury, and an hour south of Avebury. From Salisbury, head north on the A-345 (Castle Road) through Amesbury, go west on the A-303 for 1.5 miles, veer right onto the A-344, and it’s just ahead on the left, with the parking lot on the right.
By Bus Tour: For tours of Stonehenge from Bath, see here (Mad Max is best); for tours from Salisbury, see here.
Cost: £8, covered by English Heritage Pass (see here). Entry includes a worthwhile hour-long audioguide.
Hours: Daily June-Aug 9:00-19:00, mid-March-May and Sept-mid-Oct 9:30-18:00, mid-Oct-mid-March 9:30-16:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing.
When to Go: Shorter hours and possible closures June 20-22 due to huge, raucous solstice crowds; £3 parking fee in summer—refundable with paid admission.
Information: Tel. 01980/623-108 or toll tel. 0870-333-1181, www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge.
Reaching the Inner Stones: Special one-hour access to the stones’ inner circle—outside regular visiting hours—costs £15 and includes same-day entry to the site during normal operating hours (still no touching allowed; must be reserved well in advance). Details are on the English Heritage website (go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge, then click “Stone Circle Access”), or call 01722/343-834.
Planned Changes: Future plans for Stonehenge call for the creation of a new visitors center and museum, designed to blend in with the landscape and make the stone circle feel more pristine. Visitors will park farther away and ride a shuttle bus to the site. Construction began in the spring of 2012 and may be ongoing when you visit.
(See “Stonehenge” map, here)
The entrance fee includes a good audioguide, but this commentary will help make your visit even more meaningful.
Walk in from the parking lot, buy your ticket, pick up your included audioguide, and head through the ugly underpass beneath the road. On the way up the ramp, notice the artist’s rendering of what Stonehenge once looked like. As you approach the massive structure, walk right up to the knee-high cordon and let your fellow 21st-century tourists melt away. It’s just you and the druids...
England has hundreds of stone circles, but Stonehenge—which literally means “hanging stones”—is unique. It’s the only one that has horizontal cross-pieces (called lintels) spanning the vertical monoliths, and the only one with stones that have been made smooth and uniform. What you see here is a bit more than half the original structure—the rest was quarried centuries ago for other buildings.
Now do a slow counterclockwise spin around the monument, and ponder the following points. As you walk, mentally flesh out the missing pieces and re-erect the rubble. Knowledgeable guides posted around the site are happy to answer your questions.
This was a hugely significant location to prehistoric peoples. There are some 500 burial mounds within a three-mile radius of Stonehenge—most likely belonging to kings and chieftains. Built in phases between 3000 and 1500 B.C., Stonehenge originally was used as a cremation cemetery (so goes one recently popular theory). But that’s not the end of the story, as the monument was expanded over the millennia.
Stonehenge still functions as a remarkably accurate celestial calendar. As the sun rises on the summer solstice (June 21), the “heel stone”—the one set apart from the rest, near the road—lines up with the sun and the altar at the center of the stone circle. A study of more than 300 similar circles in Britain found that each was designed to calculate the movement of the sun, moon, and stars, and to predict eclipses in order to help early societies know when to plant, harvest, and party. Even in modern times, as the summer solstice sun sets in just the right slot at Stonehenge, pagans boogie.
In addition to being a calendar, Stonehenge is built at the precise point where six ley lines intersect. Ley lines are theoretical lines of magnetic or spiritual power that crisscross the globe. Belief in the power of these lines has gone in and out of fashion over time. They are believed to have been very important to prehistoric peoples, but then were largely ignored until the New Age movement of the 20th century. Without realizing it, you follow these ley lines all the time: Many of England’s modern highways follow prehistoric paths, and England’s modern churches are built over prehistoric monuments that are located where ley lines intersect. If you’re a skeptic, ask one of the guides at Stonehenge to explain the mystique of this paranormal tradition that continued for centuries; it’s creepy and convincing.
Notice that two of the stones (facing the entry passageway) are blemished. At the base of one monolith, it looks like someone has pulled back the stone to reveal a concrete skeleton. This is a clumsy repair job to fix damage done long ago by souvenir seekers, who actually rented hammers and chisels to take home a piece of Stonehenge. Look to the right of the repaired stone: The back of another stone is missing the same thin layer of protective lichen that covers the others. The lichen—and some of the stone itself—was sandblasted off to remove graffiti. (No wonder they’ve got Stonehenge roped off now.)
Stonehenge’s builders used two different types of stone. The tall, stout monoliths and lintels are sandstone blocks called sarsen stones. Most of the monoliths weigh about 25 tons (the largest is 45 tons), and the lintels are about seven tons apiece. These sarsen stones were brought from “only” 20 miles away. The shorter stones in the middle, called bluestones, came from the south coast of Wales—240 miles away (close if you’re taking a train, but far if you’re packing a megalith). Imagine the logistical puzzle of floating six-ton stones up the River Avon, then rolling them on logs about 20 miles to this position...an impressive feat, even in our era of skyscrapers.
Why didn’t the builders of Stonehenge use what seem like perfectly adequate stones nearby? This, like many other questions about Stonehenge, remains shrouded in mystery. Think again about the ley lines. Ponder the fact that many experts accept none of the explanations of how these giant stones were transported. Then imagine congregations gathering here 5,000 years ago, raising thought levels, creating a powerful life force transmitted along the ley lines. Maybe a particular kind of stone was essential for maximum energy transmission. Maybe the stones were levitated here. Maybe psychics really do create powerful vibes. Maybe not. It’s as unbelievable as electricity used to be.
Salisbury, set in the middle of the expansive Salisbury Plain, is a favorite stop for its striking cathedral and intriguing history. Salisbury was originally settled during the Bronze Age, possibly as early as 600 B.C., and later became a Roman town called Sarum. The modern city of Salisbury developed when the old settlement outgrew its boundaries, prompting the townspeople to move the city from a hill to the river valley below. Most of today’s visitors come to marvel at the famous Salisbury Cathedral, featuring England’s tallest spire and largest cathedral green. Collectors, bargain-hunters, and foodies will savor Salisbury’s colorful market days. And archaeologists will dig the region around Salisbury, with England’s highest concentration of ancient sites. The town itself is pleasant and walkable, and is a convenient base camp for visiting the ancient sites of Stonehenge and Avebury, or for exploring the countryside.
Salisbury (pop. 45,000) stretches along the River Avon in the shadow of its huge landmark cathedral. The heart of the city clusters around Market Square, which is also a handy parking lot on non-market days. High Street, a block to the west, leads to the medieval North Gate of the Cathedral Close. Shoppers explore the streets south of the square. The area north of Market Square is generally residential, with a few shops and pubs.
The TI, just off Market Square, hands out free city maps, books local rooms for no fee, and sells train tickets with a £1.50 surcharge (April-Sept Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, Oct-March Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, closed Sun, Fish Row, tel. 01722/334-956, www.visitwiltshire.co.uk).
Ask the TI about 1.5-hour walking tours (£4, April-Oct daily at 11:00, Nov-March Sat-Sun only, depart from TI; other itineraries available, including £4 Ghost Walk May-Sept Fri at 20:00; tel. 07873/212-941, www.salisburycityguides.co.uk).
By Train: From the train station, it’s a 10-minute walk into the town center. Leave the station to the left, and walk about 50 yards down South Western Road. Passing The Railway Tavern on your right, continue onto Mill Road and then onto Fisherton Street. Following signs to the city center, walk up the right side of Fisherton over the river and all the way to High Street. Market Square and the TI are ahead on Queen Street, and it’s another two short blocks north (left) on Queen Street to the bus station. The Salisbury Cathedral and recommended Exeter Street B&Bs are to the south (right), down St. John Street (which becomes Exeter Street).
By Bus: The bus station is located in the town center, just off Market Square on Endless Street.
By Car: Drivers will find several pay parking lots in Salisbury—simply follow the blue P signs. The “Central” lot, behind the giant red-brick Sainsbury’s store, is within a 10-minute walk of the TI or cathedral and is best for overnight stays (enter from Churchill Way West or Castle Street, lot open 24 hours). The “Old George Mall” parking garage is closer to the cathedral and has comparable daytime rates (£1.50/hour, cash only, 1 block north of cathedral, enter from New Street; garage open Mon-Sat 7:00-20:00, Sun 10:00-17:00).
Market Days: For centuries, Salisbury has been known for its lively markets. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, Market Square hosts the charter market, with general goods. Every other Wednesday is the farmers’ market. There are also special markets, such as one with French products. Ask the TI for a current schedule.
Festivals: The Salisbury International Arts Festival runs for just over two weeks at the end of May and beginning of June (www.salisburyfestival.co.uk).
Internet Access: The library has terminals on the first floor for visitors, who can use them free of charge for 30 minutes (Mon 10:00-19:00, Tue and Fri 9:00-19:00, Wed-Thu and Sat 9:00-17:00, closed Sun, show ID at desk to sign in for access number, computers turned off 10 minutes before closing, Market Place, tel. 01722/324-145).
Laundry: Washing Well has full-service (£8-13/load depending on size, 2-hour service, Mon-Sat 8:30-17:30) as well as self-service (Mon-Sat 15:30-21:00, Sun 7:00-21:00, last self-service wash one hour before closing; 28 Chipper Lane, tel. 01722/421-874).
Getting to the Stone Circles: You can get to Stonehenge from Salisbury on The Stonehenge Tour bus. Their distinctive red-and-black double-decker buses leave from the Salisbury train station and make a circuit to Stonehenge and Old Sarum, with lovely scenery and light commentary along the way (£12, £20 with Stonehenge and Old Sarum admission, tickets good all day, buy ticket from driver, June-Aug daily 9:30-17:00, 2/hour, may not run June 21 due to solstice crowds, shorter hours and only 1/hour off-season, 30 minutes from station to Stonehenge, also stops at bus station, tel. 01983/827-005, check www.thestonehengetour.info for timetable).
A taxi from Salisbury to Stonehenge can be a good deal for groups (£40-50, call or email for exact price, includes round-trip from Salisbury to Stonehenge plus an hour at the site, entry fee not included, 5-6 people maximum, best to reserve ahead, tel. 01722/339-781, briantwort@ntlworld.com, Brian). Brian also offers a three-hour Stonehenge visit for £80, which includes Old Sarum, Woodhenge, Durrington Walls, and Woodford’s thatched cottages.
For buses to Avebury’s stone circle, see “Salisbury Connections,” later.
▲▲Salisbury Cathedral—This magnificent cathedral, visible for miles around because of its huge spire (the tallest in England at 404 feet), is a wonder to behold. The surrounding enormous grassy field (called a “close”) makes the Gothic masterpiece look even larger. What’s more impressive is that all this was built in a mere 38 years—astonishingly fast for the Middle Ages. When the old hill town of Sarum was moved down to the valley, its cathedral had to be replaced in a hurry. So, in 1220, the townspeople began building, and in 1258 their sparkling-new cathedral was ready for ribbon-cutting. Since the structure was built in just a few decades, its style is uniform, rather than the patchwork of styles common in cathedrals of the time (which often took centuries to construct).
Cost and Hours: £6.50 suggested donation; mid-June-Aug Mon-Sat 7:15-19:15, Sun 7:15-18:15; Sept-mid-June daily 7:15-18:15; Chapter House usually open Mon-Sat 9:30-16:30, Sun 12:45-15:45, closes entirely for special events; choral evensong Mon-Sat at 17:30, Sun at 15:00; excellent cafeteria, tel. 01722/555-120, recorded info tel. 01722/555-113, www.salisburycathedral.org.uk. This working cathedral opens early for services—be respectful if you arrive when one is in session.
Tower Tours: Imagine building a cathedral on this scale before the invention of cranes, bulldozers, or modern scaffolding. An excellent tower tour (1.5-2 hours) helps visitors understand how it was done. You’ll climb in between the stone arches and the roof to inspect the vaulting and trussing; see a medieval winch that was used in the construction; and finish with the 330-step climb up the narrow tower for a sweeping view of the Wiltshire countryside (£10; early April-Sept Mon-Sat at 11:15, 12:15, 13:15, 14:15, and 15:15, Sun at 13:00 and 14:30; fewer off-season but usually one at 13:15, no tours in Dec except Christmas week; maximum 12 people, can reserve by calling 01722/555-156).
(See “Salisbury Cathedral” map, here)
Self-Guided Tour: Entering the church, you’ll instantly feel the architectural harmony. Volunteer guides posted at the entry are ready to answer your questions. (Free guided tours of the cathedral nave are offered every hour or so, when enough people assemble.)
As you look down the nave, notice how the stone columns march identically down the aisle, like a thick gray forest of tree trunks. The arches overhead soar to grand heights, helping churchgoers appreciate the vast and amazing heavens.
From the entrance, head to the far wall (the back-left corner). You’ll find a model showing how this cathedral was built so quickly in the 13th century. Next to that is the “oldest working clock in existence,” dating from the 14th century (the hourly bell has been removed, so as not to interrupt worship services). On the wall by the clock is a bell from the decommissioned ship HMS Salisbury. Look closely inside the bell to see the engraved names of crew members’ children who were baptized on the ship.
Wander down the aisle past monuments and knights’ tombs. When you get to the transept, examine the columns where the arms of the church cross. These posts were supposed to support a more modest bell tower, but when a heavy tower was added 100 years later, the columns bent under the enormous weight, causing the tower to lean sideways. Although the posts were later reinforced, the tower still tilts about two and a half feet.
Continue down the left side of the choir and dip into the Morning Chapel. At the back of this chapel, find the spectacular glass prism engraved with images of Salisbury—donated to the church in memory of a soldier who died at the D-Day landing at Normandy.
The oldest part of the church is at the apse (far end), where construction began in 1220: the Trinity Chapel. The giant, modern stained-glass window ponders the theme “prisoners of conscience.”
After you leave the nave, pace the cloister and follow signs to the medieval Chapter House. All English cathedrals have a chapter house, so called because it’s where the daily Bible verse, or chapter, is read. These spaces often served as gathering places for conducting church or town business. Here you can see a modest display of cathedral items plus one must-see display: one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta, a document as important to the English as the Constitution is to Americans. This “Great Charter,” dating from 1215, settled a dispute between the slimy King John and some powerful barons. Revolutionary for limiting the monarch’s power, the Magna Carta constitutionally guaranteed that the monarch was not above the law. This was one of the first major victories in the long battle between monarchs and nobles.
▲Cathedral Close—The enormous green surrounding the cathedral is the largest in England, and one of the loveliest. It’s cradled in the elbow of the River Avon and ringed by row houses, cottages, and grand mansions. The church owns the houses on the green and rents them to lucky people with holy connections. A former prime minister, Edward Heath, lived on the green, not because of his political influence, but because he was once the church organist.
The benches scattered around the green are an excellent place for having a romantic moonlit picnic or for gazing thoughtfully at the leaning spire. Although you may be tempted to linger until it’s late, don’t—this is still private church property...and the heavy medieval gates of the close shut at about 23:00.
A few houses are open to the public, such as the overpriced Mompesson House and the medieval Wardrobe. The most interesting attraction is the...
▲Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum—Occupying the building just opposite the cathedral entry, this eclectic and sprawling collection was heralded by American expat travel writer Bill Bryson as one of England’s best. While that’s a stretch, the museum does offer a little something for everyone, including exhibits on local archaeology and history, a costume gallery, the true-to-its-name “Salisbury Giant” puppet once used by the tailors’ guilds during parades, some J. M. W. Turner paintings of the cathedral interior, and a collection of exquisite Wedgwood china and other ceramics. The highlight is the Stonehenge Gallery, with informative and interactive exhibits explaining the ancient structure. Since there’s not yet a good visitors center at the site itself, this makes for a good pre- or post-Stonehenge activity.
Cost and Hours: £6 (includes small donation), Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, June-Sept Sun 12:00-17:00, Oct-May closed Sun, check with desk about occasional tours, 65 The Close, tel. 01722/332-151, www.salisburymuseum.org.uk.
(£1 = about $1.60, country code: 44, area code: 01722)
Salisbury’s town center has very few affordable accommodations, and I’ve listed them below—plus a couple of good choices a little farther out. The town gets particularly crowded during the arts festival (late May through early June).
$$ Cricket Field House, outside of town on the A-36 toward Wilton, overlooks a cricket pitch and golf course. It has 17 clean, comfortable rooms, a gorgeous garden, and plenty of parking (Sb-£50-75, Db-£65-112, deluxe Db-£135, price depends on season, Wilton Road, tel. & fax 01722/322-595, www.cricketfieldhouse.co.uk, cricketfieldcottage@btinternet.com; Brian, Margaret, and Andrew James). While this place works best for drivers, it’s just a 20-minute walk from the train station or a five-minute bus ride from the city center.
$$ Sarum College is a theological college that rents 40 rooms in its building right on the peaceful Cathedral Close. Much of the year, it houses visitors to the college, but it usually has rooms for tourists as well—except the week after Christmas, when it closes. The slightly institutional but clean rooms share hallways with libraries, bookstores, and offices, and the five attic rooms come with grand cathedral views (Sb-£61, Db-£95-105 depending on size, meals available at additional cost, elevator, 19 The Close, tel. 01722/424-800, fax 01722/338-508, www.sarum.ac.uk, hospitality@sarum.ac.uk).
$$ Spire House B&B, just off the Cathedral Close, is classy and cozy. The four bright, surprisingly quiet rooms come with busy wallpaper, and two have canopied beds (Db-£80-90, Tb-£90-100, cash only, no kids under age 8, free Wi-Fi, 84 Exeter Street, tel. 01722/339-213, www.salisbury-bedandbreakfast.com, spire.enquiries@btinternet.com, friendly Lois).
$ Cathedral View B&B, with four rooms next door at #83, is similar and offers a good value in an outstanding location (Db-£75-85, Tb-£90-105, cash only, 2-night minimum on weekends, no kids under age 10, free Wi-Fi, 83 Exeter Street, tel. 01722/502-254, www.cathedral-viewbandb.co.uk, info@cathedral-viewbandb.co.uk, Wenda and Steve).
$ Premier Inn, two miles from the city center, offers dozens of prefab and predictable rooms ideal for drivers and families (Db-£65-85, more during special events, 2 kids ages 15 and under sleep free, breakfast-£5-8, pay Wi-Fi, possible noise from nearby trains, off roundabout at A-30 and Pearce Way, tel. 0871-527-8956, fax 0871-527-8957, www.premierinn.com).
There are plenty of atmospheric pubs all over town. For the best variety of restaurants, head to the Market Square area. Many places offer great “early bird” specials before 20:00.
Charter 1227, an upstairs eatery overlooking Market Square, is a handy place for a nice meal (£12.50 two-course lunch, open Tue-Sat 12:00-14:30 & 18:00-21:30, closed Sun-Mon, dinner reservations smart, 6 Ox Row, tel. 01722/333-118).
Reeve the Baker, with a branch just up the street from the TI, crafts an array of high-calorie delights and handy pick-me-ups for a fast and affordable lunch. The long cases of pastries and savory treats will make you drool (Mon-Fri 8:00-17:30, Sat 7:30-17:00, Sun 10:00-16:00, cash only; one location is next to the TI at 2 Butcher Row, another much smaller one is at the corner of Market and Bridge streets at 61 Silver Street, tel. 01722/320-367).
Anokaa is a splurge that’s highly acclaimed for its updated Indian cuisine. You won’t find the same old chicken tikka here, but clever newfangled variations on Indian themes, dished up in a dressy contemporary setting (£14-20 main dishes, £9 lunch buffet, daily 12:00-14:00 & 17:30-23:00, 60 Fisherton Street, tel. 01722/414-142).
The New Inn serves inventive, game-centered dishes alongside classic pub fare in a 13th-century house rumored to have a tunnel leading directly into the cathedral—perhaps dug while the building housed a brothel? (£6 starters, £7 jacket potatoes and baguettes, £10-13 main courses, daily 11:00-24:00, food served 12:00-15:00 & 18:00-21:00, 41-43 New Street, tel. 01722/326-662).
The King’s Head Inn is a youthful chain pub with a big, open, modern interior and fine outdoor seating overlooking the pretty little River Avon. Its extensive menu has something for everyone (£4-6 sandwiches, £4-9 main courses, daily 7:00-24:00, food served until 22:00, kids welcome during the day but they must order meals by 20:30, free Wi-Fi, 1 Bridge Street, tel. 01722/342-050).
From Salisbury by Train to: London’s Waterloo Station (1-2/hour, 1.5 hours), Bath (1-2/hour, 1 hour), Oxford (1-2/hour, 2 hours, transfer in Basingstoke and sometimes also Reading), Portsmouth (1/hour direct, 1.5 hours, more with transfers), Exeter (1-2/hour, 2 hours, some require transfers), Penzance (about hourly, 5.5-6 hours, 1-2 transfers). Train info: tel. 0845-748-4950, www.nationalrail.co.uk.
By Bus to: Bath (hourly, 2.75 hours, transfer in Warminster or Devizes, www.travelinesw.com; or one direct bus/day at 10:35, 1.5 hours on National Express #300, tel. 0871-781-8181, www.nationalexpress.com), Avebury (hourly, 2-2.5 hours, transfer in Devizes, www.travelinesw.com), Portsmouth (evenings only at 18:25, 1.5 hours on National Express). Many of Salisbury’s long-distance buses are run by Wilts & Dorset (tel. 01722/336-855 or 01983/827-005, www.wdbus.co.uk).
Right here, on a hill overlooking the plain below, is where the original town of Salisbury was founded many centuries ago. While little remains of the old town, the view of the valley is amazing...and a little imagination can transport you back to very olde England.
Human settlement in this area stretches back to the Bronze Age, and the Romans, Saxons, and Normans all called this hilltop home. From about 500 B.C. through A.D. 1220, Old Sarum flourished, giving rise to a motte-and-bailey castle, a cathedral, and scores of wooden homes along the town’s outer ring. The town grew so quickly that by the Middle Ages, it had outgrown its spot on the hill. In 1220, the local bishop successfully petitioned to move the entire city to the valley below, where space and water was plentiful. So, stone by stone, Old Sarum was packed up and shipped to New Sarum, where builders used nearly all the rubble from the old city to create a brand-new town with a magnificent cathedral.
Old Sarum was eventually abandoned altogether, leaving only a few stone foundations. The grand views of Salisbury from here have “in-spired” painters for ages and provided countless picnickers with a scenic backdrop: Grab a sandwich or snacks from one of the grocery stores in Salisbury or at the excellent Waitrose supermarket at the north end of town—just west of where the A-36 meets the A-345.
Cost and Hours: £3.80, daily July-Aug 9:00-18:00, April-June and Sept 10:00-17:00, Oct and March 10:00-16:00, Nov-Jan 11:00-15:00, Feb 11:00-16:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing, tel. 01722/335-398, www.english-heritage.org.uk.
Getting There: It’s two miles north of Salisbury off the A-345, accessible by Wilts & Dorset bus #X5 or via The Stonehenge Tour bus (see here).
This sprawling estate, with a grand mansion and lush gardens, has been owned by the Earls of Pembroke since King Henry VIII’s time. Inside the mansion, you’ll find a collection of paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, and Brueghel, along with quirky odds-and-ends, such as a lock of Queen Elizabeth I’s hair. The perfectly proportioned Double Cube Room has served as everything from a 17th-century state dining room to a secret D-Day planning room during World War II...if only the portraits could talk. The Old Riding School houses a skippable 20-minute film that dramatizes the history of the family. Outside, classic English gardens feature a river lazily winding its way through grasses and under Greek-inspired temples. Jane Austen fans particularly enjoy this stately home, where parts of 2005’s Oscar-nominated Pride and Prejudice were filmed. But, alas, Mr. Darcy has checked out.
Cost and Hours: House and gardens-£14, gardens only-£5.50; house open Easter weekend and May-Aug Sun-Thu 11:30-16:30, last entry 45 minutes before closing, closed Fri-Sat except holiday weekends; gardens open May-Aug daily 11:00-17:00, Sept Sat-Sun 11:00-17:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing; house and gardens closed Oct-April, except house open Easter weekend; recorded info tel. 01722/746-729, tel. 01722/746-714, www.wiltonhouse.com.
Getting There: It’s five miles west of Salisbury via the A-36 to Wilton’s Minster Street; or bus #R3 from Salisbury to Wilton.
For a serious taste of a traditional English landscape, don’t miss this 2,650-acre delight. Stourhead, designed by owner Henry Hoare II in the mid-18th century, is a wonderland of rolling hills, meandering paths, placid lakes, and colorful trees, punctuated by classically inspired bridges and monuments. It’s what every other English estate aspires to be—like nature, but better.
Cost and Hours: House and garden-£12.50, or £7.50 to see just one; house open mid-March-Oct Fri-Tue 11:00-17:00, closed Wed-Thu; garden open year-round daily 9:00-18:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing, tel. 01747/841-152, www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
Getting There: It’s 28 miles west of Salisbury off the B-3092 in the town of Stourton (3 miles northwest of Mere).
Nearby: Drivers or ambitious walkers can visit nearby King Alfred’s Tower and climb its 205 steps for glorious views of the estate and surrounding countryside (£3 to climb tower, same opening times as house, 2.5 miles northwest of Stourhead, off Tower Road).
The region of Dorset, just southwest of Salisbury, is full of rolling fields, winding country lanes, quaint cottages, and villages stuffed with tea shops. Anywhere you go in the area will take you someplace charming, so consider this tour only a suggestion and feel free to get pleasantly lost in the English countryside. You’ll be taking some less-traveled roads, so bring along a good map.
Starting in Salisbury, take the A-354 through Blandford Forum to Winterborne Whitechurch. From here, follow signs and small back roads to the village of Bere Regis, where you’ll find some lovely 15th-century buildings, including one with angels carved on the roof. Follow the A-35 and the B-3075 to Wareham, where T. E. Lawrence (a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia) lived; he’s buried in nearby Moreton. Continue south on the A-351 to the dramatic and romantic Corfe Castle. This was a favorite residence for medieval kings until it was destroyed by a massive gunpowder blast during a 17th-century siege (£8, daily April-Sept 10:00-18:00, March and Oct 10:00-17:00, Nov-Feb 10:00-16:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing, tel. 01929/481-294, www.nationaltrust.org.uk). Retrace the A-351 to Wareham, and then take the A-352 to Dorchester.
Just northeast of Dorchester on the A-35, near the village of Stinsford, novelist Thomas Hardy was born in 1840; you’ll find Hardy’s family’s cottage nearby in Higher Bockhampton (£4, May-Oct Thu-Mon 11:00-17:00, closed Tue-Wed and Nov-April, last entry 30 minutes before closing, tel. 01305/262-366, www.nationaltrust.org.uk). While Hardy’s heart is buried in Stinsford with his first wife, Emma, the rest of him is in Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner. Take the A-35 back to Dorchester. Just west of Dorchester, stay on the A-35 until it connects to the A-37; then follow the A-352 north toward Sherborne.
About eight miles north of Dorchester, on the way to Sherborne, you’ll find the little town of Cerne Abbas (surn AB-iss), named for an abbey in the center of town. There are only two streets to wander down, so take this opportunity to recharge with a cup of tea and a scone. Abbots Tea Room has a nice cream tea (pot of tea, scone, jam, and clotted cream, 7 Long Street, tel. 01300/341-349). Up the street, you can visit the abbey and its well, reputed to have healing powers.
Just outside of town, a large chalk figure, the Cerne Abbas Giant, is carved into the green hillside. Chalk figures such as this one can be found in many parts of the region. Because the soil is only a few inches deep, the overlying grass and dirt can easily be removed to expose the bright white chalk bedrock beneath, creating the outlines. While nobody is sure exactly how old the figures are, or what their original purpose was, they are faithfully maintained by the locals, who mow and clear the fields at least once a year. This particular figure, possibly a fertility god, looks friendly...maybe a little too friendly. Locals claim that if a woman who’s having trouble getting pregnant sleeps on the giant for one night, she will soon be able to conceive a child. (A few years back, controversy surrounded this giant, as a 180-foot-tall, donut-hoisting Homer Simpson was painted onto the adjacent hillside. No kidding.)
Leaving Cerne Abbas on country roads toward Piddletrenthide (on the aptly named River Piddle), continue through Cheselbourne to Milton Abbas. (This area, by the way, has some of the best town names in the country, such as Droop, Plush, Pleck, and Folly.) The village of Milton Abbas looks overly perfect. In the 18th century, a wealthy man bought up the town’s large abbey and estate. His new place was great...except for the neighbors, a bunch of vulgar villagers with houses that cluttered his view from the garden. So, he had the town demolished and rebuilt a mile away. What you see now is probably the first planned community, with identical houses, a pub, and a church. The estate is now a “public school,” which is what the English call an expensive private school. From Milton Abbas, signs lead you back to Winterborne Whitechurch, and the A-354 to Salisbury.
Although the best bits of Wales lie to the north (see the North Wales chapter), the southern part of the country, not far from Bath, has a few worthwhile sights (see map on here). Many of the sights mentioned here—including Caerphilly Castle, Chepstow Castle, and Tintern Abbey—are included in Wales’ Explorer Pass (described on here).
The Welsh capital of Cardiff (pop. 340,000) has a renovated waterfront area, with shops and entertainment. It’s also home to the 74,000-seat Millennium Stadium, which saw football (soccer) action during the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
Cardiff’s helpful TI is located in the Old Library, a five-minute walk from Cardiff Castle and a 10-minute walk from the train station (Mon-Sat 9:30-17:30, Sun 10:00-16:00, The Hayes, tel. 02920/873-573, www.visitcardiff.com). They have Internet access (£1/30 minutes), a room-booking service, a local-events pamphlet, and storage lockers (£3-7 depending on size, requires £3 deposit, lockers open Mon-Sat 9:30-17:30, Sun 10:00-15:30).
Cardiff Castle (Castell Caerdydd)—A visit to Cardiff’s castle is interesting only if you catch one of the entertaining tours of the interior. With its ornate clock tower, the castle is the latest in a series of fortresses erected on the site by Romans, Normans, and assorted British lords. The interior is a Victorian fantasy, and in the Wartime Shelters and Norman Keep, costumed guides describe their work. The visitors center features a film, exhibits, and activities for kids.
Cost and Hours: £14 with 45-minute tour, £11 without tour, tours at least every 20 minutes, either ticket includes audioguide, daily March-Oct 9:00-18:00, Nov-Feb 9:00-17:00, last tour and entry one hour before closing, café, tel. 029/2087-8100, www.cardiffcastle.com.
This best look at traditional Welsh folk life has three sections: open-air folk museum, main museum (which you walk through as you enter), and castle/garden. Outside, in a 100-acre park that surrounds a castle, you’ll find displays of more than 40 carefully reconstructed and fully furnished old houses from all corners of this little country. Workshops feature busy craftsmen eager to demonstrate their skills, and each house comes equipped with a local expert warming up beside a toasty fire, happy to tell you anything you want to know about life in this old cottage. Ask questions! If you see construction in process, it’s to build more storage for the museum’s sizable collection of artifacts.
Cost and Hours: Free, parking-£3.50, daily 10:00-17:00, tel. 029/2057-3500, www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans. While everything is well-explained, the £2 museum guidebook (or £0.30 map)—available at the information desk as you enter—is a good investment.
Getting There: To get from the Cardiff train station to the museum in the village of St. Fagans, catch bus #32, #322, or #320 to St. Fagans, and walk five minutes (hourly, 25 minutes, tel. 0871-200-2233, www.traveline-cymru.info). Drivers leave the M-4 at Junction 33 and follow the signs. Leaving the museum, jog left on the freeway, take the first exit, and circle back, following signs to the M-4.
Eating at St. Fagans: The coffee shop near the entrance and the restaurant upstairs are both handy, but you’ll eat light lunches better, cheaper, and with more atmosphere in the park at the Gwalia Tea Room. The Plymouth Arms pub just outside the museum serves the best food.
Visiting the Museum: If the sky’s dry, see the scattering of houses first. Otherwise, in the main museum building, head to Gallery One, a multimedia gallery with artifacts from Welsh life—including elaborately carved “love spoons” as well as new memorabilia near and dear to local hearts (such as mementos from triumphant rugby teams). Don’t miss the costume exhibit, hidden behind a gallery of farming equipment. Spend an hour in the large building’s fascinating museum. Before you leave, check the posted list of today’s activities.
Then head outside, where a small train trundles among the exhibits from Easter to October (five stops, £0.50/stop, whole circuit takes 45 minutes). The castle interior is royal enough and surrounded by a fine garden.
The highlight of the open-air museum is the Rhyd-y-Car 1805 row house, which displays ironworker cottages as they might have looked in 1805, 1855, 1895, 1925, 1955, and 1985, offering a fascinating zip through Welsh domestic life from hearths to microwaves.
Step into an old schoolhouse, a chapel, or a blacksmith’s shop to see traditional craft-makers in action. Head over to the farm and wander among the livestock and funky old outbuildings. Then beam a few centuries forward to the House for the Future, an optimistic projection of domestic life in Wales 50 years from now. The timber house blends traditional building techniques with new technologies aimed at sustainability. The roof collects water and soaks up solar energy. The earth that was removed to make way for the foundation was formed into bricks that were then used in the structure.
The impressive but gutted old castle, spread over 30 acres, is the second largest in Europe after Windsor. English Earl Gilbert de Clare erected this squat behemoth to try to establish a stronghold in Wales. With two concentric walls, it was considered to be a brilliant arrangement of defensive walls and moats. Attackers had to negotiate three drawbridges and four sets of doors and portcullises just to reach the main entrance. For the record, there were no known successful enemy forays beyond the current castle’s inner walls.
The castle has its own leaning tower—the split and listing tower reportedly out-leans Pisa’s. Some believe it has a resident ghost: Legend has it that de Clare, after learning of his wife Alice’s infidelity, exiled her back to France and had her lover killed. Upon discovering her paramour’s fate, Alice died of a broken heart. Since then, the “Green Lady,” named for her husband’s jealousy, has reportedly roamed the ramparts.
Exhibits at the castle display clever catapults, castle-dwellers’ tricks for harassing intruders, and a good dose of Welsh history.
Cost and Hours: £4; March-Oct daily 9:30-17:00, July-Aug until 18:00; Nov-Feb Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, Sun 11:00-16:00; last entry 30 minutes before closing, tel. 029/2088-3143, www.cadw.wales.gov.uk.
Getting There: The castle is located right in the center of the town of Caerphilly, nine miles north of Cardiff. To get there, take the train from Cardiff to Caerphilly (2-4/hour, 20 minutes) and walk five minutes. It’s 20 minutes by car from St. Fagans (exit 32, following signs from the M-4).
From Cardiff by Train to: Caerphilly (2-4/hour, 20 minutes), Bath (hourly, 1-1.5 hours), Birmingham (1/hour direct, more with change in Bristol, 2 hours), London’s Paddington Station (2/hour, 2 hours), Chepstow (every 1-2 hours, 40 minutes; then bus #69 to Tintern—runs every 1-2 hours, 20 minutes). Train info: tel. 0871-200-2233, www.traveline-cymru.info.
By Car: For driving directions from Bath to Cardiff, see “Route Tips for Drivers,” at the end of this chapter.
While drivers can take a more direct route between Bath and the Cotswolds, the sights listed here aren’t too far out of the way and are certainly worthwhile if you’re connecting those two areas via a South Wales detour. If you’re seduced into spending the night in this charming area, you’ll find plenty of B&Bs near the Tintern Abbey or in the castle-crowned town of Chepstow, located just down the road (a one-hour drive from Bath).
The Chepstow TI is helpful (Easter-early Oct 9:30-17:00, off-season until 15:30, Bridge Street, tel. 01291/623-772, www.chepstowtowncrier.org.uk).
For a 21-stop, 1.5-hour stroll around the village, follow the Chepstow Town Center Trail. Print out walking instructions from the TI website (go to www.chepstowtowncrier.org.uk and click on “Things to Do,” then “Walking”) or pick up the £1.50 Chepstow Town Trail guide from the Chepstow Museum (see below). The walk swings by the town gate, where in medieval times, folks arriving to sell goods or livestock were hit up for tolls.
The Chepstow Museum, highlighting the town and region’s history, is in an 18th-century townhouse across the street from Chepstow Castle (free; July-Sept Mon-Sat 10:30-17:30, Sun 14:00-17:30; March-June and Oct Mon-Sat 11:00-17:00, Sun 14:00-17:00; Nov-Feb Mon-Sat 11:00-16:00, Sun 14:00-16:00; tel. 01291/625-981).
The Tintern TI, north of the abbey and the village of Tintern, is housed within a former railway station (daily April-Oct 10:30-17:30, closed Nov-March, café, railway exhibit, The Old Station, tel. 01291/689-566, www.visitwyevalley.com).
Perched on a hill overlooking the pleasant village of Chepstow on one side and the Wye River on the other, this castle is worth a short stop for drivers heading for Tintern Abbey, or it’s a 10-minute walk from the Chepstow train station (uphill going back).
The stone-built bastion dating to 1066 was among the first castles the Normans plunked down to secure their turf in Wales, and it remained in use through 1690. While many castles of the time were built first in wood, Chepstow, then a key foothold on the England-Wales border, was built from stone from the start for durability. As you clamber along the battlements, you’ll find architectural evidence of military renovations through the centuries, from Norman to Tudor right up through Cromwellian additions. You can tell which parts date from Norman days—they’re the ones built from yellow sandstone instead of the grayish limestone that makes up the rest of the castle.
Cost and Hours: £4; March-Oct daily 9:30-17:00, July-Aug until 18:00; Nov-Feb Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, Sun 11:00-16:00; last entry 30 minutes before closing, guidebook-£3.50, in Chepstow village a half-mile from train station, tel. 01291/624-065, www.cadw.wales.gov.uk.
Inspiring monks to prayer, William Wordsworth to poetry, J. M. W. Turner to a famous painting, and rushed tourists to a thoughtful moment, this verse-worthy ruined-castle-of-an-abbey merits a five-mile detour off the motorway. Founded in 1131 on a site chosen by Norman monks for its tranquility, it functioned as an austere Cistercian abbey until its dissolution in 1536. The monks followed a strict schedule. They rose several hours after midnight for the first of eight daily prayer sessions and spent the rest of their time studying, working the surrounding farmlands, and meditating. Dissolved under Henry VIII’s Act of Suppression in 1536, the magnificent church moldered in relative obscurity until tourists in the Romantic era (mid-18th century) discovered the wooded Wye valley and abbey ruins. J. M. W. Turner made his first sketches in 1792, and William Wordsworth penned “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey...” in 1798.
Most of the external walls of the 250-foot-long, 150-foot-wide church still stand, along with the exquisite window tracery and outlines of the sacristy, chapter house, and dining hall. The daylight that floods through the roofless ruins highlights the Gothic decorated arches—in those days a bold departure from Cistercian simplicity.
In summer, the abbey is flooded with tourists, so visit early or late to miss the biggest crowds. The shop sells Celtic jewelry and other gifts. Take an easy 15-minute walk up to St. Mary’s Church for a view of England just over the River Wye.
Cost and Hours: £4; March-Oct daily 9:30-17:00, July-Aug until 18:00; Nov-Feb Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, Sun 11:00-16:00; last entry 30 minutes before closing, occasional summertime concerts in the cloisters (check website for schedule or ask at the TI), tel. 01291/689-251, www.cadw.wales.gov.uk.
Getting There: From Cardiff, catch a 40-minute train to Chepstow; from there, hop on bus #69 (runs every 1-2 hours, 20 minutes) or take a taxi to the abbey.
This land is lush, mellow, and historic. Local tourist brochures explain the Forest of Dean’s special dialect, its strange political autonomy, and its oaken ties to Trafalgar and Admiral Nelson.
Sleeping in the Wye River Valley: $ The Florence, snuggled in the lower Wye Valley north of Tintern on the way to Monmouth, is located just off the 177-mile-long Offa’s Dyke Path. Four rooms are in the 17th-century main hotel building, with four more in the former gardener’s cottage. On a nice day, hotel guests can eat on the garden terrace and share the scenery with the cows lazing along the riverbanks (Sb-£38, Db-£75, request river view, £17 two-course dinners available by arrangement, no kids under 10, tel. 01594/530-830, www.florencehotel.co.uk, enquiries@florencehotel.co.uk, kind owners Dennis and Kathy).
For a medieval night, check into the $ St. Briavels Castle B&B/Youth Hostel. An 800-year-old Norman castle used by King John in 1215 (the year he signed the Magna Carta), the hostel is comfortable (as castles go), friendly, and in the center of the quiet village of St. Briavels just north of Tintern Abbey (70 beds, £21-25 beds in 8- to 16-bed dorms, members-£3 less, breakfast-£5, private 4- to 8-bed rooms available, Nov-March open to groups only, reception open daily 8:00-10:00 & 17:00-23:00, hostel closed to guests daily 10:00-17:00, curfew at 23:30, kitchen and lounge, brown-bag lunches and evening meals available, Internet access and Wi-Fi, tel. 0845-371-9042, www.yha.org.uk, stbriavels@yha.org.uk).
Eating in the Wye River Valley: For dinner, ask at the hostel about the medieval banquets held regularly during holidays and weekends (£15, open to public, must book several days in advance—see hostel listing above for contact info), or walk “just down the path and up the snicket” to The George (decent food and local pub atmosphere, High Street, tel. 01594/530-228).
Bath to Cardiff and St. Fagans: Leave Bath following signs for the A-4, then the M-4. It’s 10 miles north (on the A-46 past a village called Pennsylvania) to the M-4 freeway. Zip westward, crossing a huge suspension bridge over the Severn, into Wales (£6 toll westbound only). Stay on the M-4 (not the M-48) past Cardiff, take exit 33, and follow the brown signs south to St. Fagans National History Museum/Amgueddfa Werin Cymru/Museum of Welsh Life.
Bath to Tintern Abbey: Follow the directions above to the M-4. Take the M-4 to exit 21 and get on the M-48. The abbey is six miles (up the A-466, follow signs to Chepstow, then Tintern) off the M-48 at exit 2, right where the northern bridge across the Severn hits Wales.
Cardiff to the Cotswolds via Forest of Dean: On the Welsh side of the big suspension bridge, take the Chepstow exit and follow signs up the A-466 to Tintern Abbey and the Wye River Valley. Carry on to Monmouth, and follow the A-40 and the M-50 to the Tewkesbury exit, where small roads lead to the Cotswolds.