England: The Cotwolds, Dover and London
Welcome back! We have the final leg here on this, our trip through England and Scotland. I have a couple of smaller towns I’ll be discussing as well so there is no time to waste…let’s hit it!
The Cotswolds in England hold much of the ambience that England has to offer. Allot of the photos you see in magazines, of all types, that have to do with cottage life and thatched-roof cottages, have been taken in the Cotswolds. Towns, and ones that I might refer to as hamlets, are abundant and are so lovely and quaint that you cannot help but to capture the scenes with whatever device you have.
Whilst playing tourist, we drove into the town of Bourton-on-the-Water within the Cotswolds. A delightful town with some very photogenic scenery. I mainly focused on allot of the structures within the town.
As you can see, although is isn’t a thatched-roof cottage, Bourton-on-the-Water has some of the most photogenic properties in England. You really must go and, if for no other reason, they have a place that you can, for a nominal fee, self-tour and it is a scale replica of the town of Bourton-on-the-Water. Take notice of all the structures you see within the town and then tour that place! All the buildings will be there. Scale people, animals and buildings. Squat down at one of the churches, peer into one of the windows and see a vicar giving a sermon to his followers. If you are a fan of art, then this replica that was painstakingly put together of the entire town is worth seeing!
In making our way further South, we stopped in the town of Bath in England. Bath is a really nice, bigger town than the last few that I discussed. Bath Cathedral, pictured left, is not to be missed. But even more than that, historically speaking, is what comes next…
The Roman Baths, in Bath, are really the coolest thing ever. This is one of those places, for me anyway, I can close my eyes and envision what it might have been like, all those centuries ago, to bathe in those baths, the smell of sulfur hanging heavy in the air. The history is so interesting to read as you go throughout the baths. They even have people in costume, from Roman times, walking about and can answer most questions you may have about that era.
In leaving Bath for our next destination, we had to make a stop at the mysterious and ancient Stonehenge. A couple of things here, both have to do with time. Plan on being there a few minutes before they open for the tours. Tours are self-guided however, there are buses that you must take out toward the stone monoliths. Once they drop everyone off, then it is self guided from there on out. You can circle the entire place, as they no longer allow folks to go up and touch the stones, it is roped off, making for a perimeter that goes all the way around the stones. You can’t see the perimeter in the photo to the left because I got into my Photoshop program and took it out. The morning was really foggy around the stones and made for a dramatic black and white. The weather also lent to the mysteriousness of the place.
After a visit to Stonehenge, we took a jaunt to Bodiam Castle in East Sussex, England. Sitting near Robertsbridge, this castle was built in 1385 and remains one of very few, if not the last remaining castle in England, to be completely surrounded by a mote. There is a bridge to the front of the castle that crosses the mote and you can tour, self-guided, around the inside. There is no keep, so there are different passages to explore and there are people on hand to answer any questions you may have about the castle. Anytime you can go a little out of your way, if not directly plan for, visiting a castle and learning about the 5 W’s behind the structure, then I suggest you don’t walk, but run, to as many as time allows you!
So friends, that is where I will end it. I ran long in talking about the little side trips on the way to our destinations where we actually stayed. So, next week it will be Rye, Dover and London. That will then conclude this trip to England and Scotland. Until then, as always, be and travel well!
