We headed out of Bath at 9:30am and wen to Farleigh Hungerford Castle which was outstanding. Though now in ruins (mostly) there is plenty of castle to see. The Hungerford had a long and sometimes tragic history in England complete with murders, executions, being in grace, out of grace, back in grace, and eventually out of grace with various kings of England. We walked around for well over an hour.
We then went to Avebury which is home to ruins similar to Stonehenge. What distinguishes Avebury is that the stone structures are not behind fences and the town is build around them. While impressive, Stonehenge made a more powerful impression.
We went to Arundel to visit the castle but it closed at 4pm so we’ll probably visit it tomorrow. We then headed to Meopham, Kent to our B&B. The couple who run the B&B have two cottages they rent out. They don’t provide a cooked breakast but stock the refrigerator with food. Our cottage used to be a chicken coop and it is stunning. When I walked in the first thing I thought was, “Mary Anne would love this place.” The cottage itself is gorgeous and we’re nestled in the countryside with beautiful views. It is the best place we’ve stayed in, easily, and we’ve stayed in nice places.
The east gate to Farleigh Hungerford Castle. Great history behind the castle which fell into ruin when the last of the Hungerford’s blew his family’s fortune in 1686. Also, the Hungerfords backed the house of Lancaster in the War of the Roses (the losing side) and plotted against Henry VIII (bad idea).
In Avebury you can get up close and personal with the stone structures. Impressive site, but I enjoyed Stonehenge more.
The Chicken Coop.
View from our back patio. Alex is in the background playing on a trampoline (no surprise there).
Alex has been playing on the trampoline with one of the owner’s sons since we’ve been here (about two hours as I post this entry) and he’s still out there.
England’s got a better class of chicken coops than central Maine, that’s all I can say.
It looks like Alex wore out his friend on the trampoline! You all find the best places to stay! That’s one gorgeous chicken coop.
Alex was a machine on the trampoline. I think his favorite spots on the trip thus far have been the Royal Victoria Park in Bath, and the B&B with the trampoline. He also loved the B&B with Rosie the farm dog. He’s really enjoying himself and as mentioned in one of the posts he loves touring castles and listening to the audio guides. Thanks for the comment!