I’ve officially started my Literary Traveler England trip. It began last night in Salisbury, England and will end with a once-in-a-lifetime cruise on the world-famous Queen Mary 2! So please stay tuned all this week and next week for my blog posts.
This morning, I woke up at the Cathedral View Bed & Breakfast in Salisbury. It’s a lovely, charming place with a literal view of the Salisbury Cathedral from my window. The innkeepers, Wenda & Steve, cooked an incredible spread of eggs, bacon, toast and fresh, homemade jam. Breakfast was fun this morning because I had the pleasure of dining with two intellectual and well-traveled couples from Canada and England.
After breakfast, off to Stonehenge I went. But I refused to take the incredibly expensive tourist bus there. Instead, I took a bus from the Salisbury bus station for 3 pounds, 80 pence one-way to the stop after the Amesbury station (less than 30 min). My intentions were good, as I was to walk down country paths to Stonehenge, but the stubborn bus driver dropped me off at the wrong stop and insisted this was the best way to walk to Stonehenge.
Alas, I turned the corner and ended up walking along the A-303 highway. It was not only dangerous, but not very enjoyable either. Just as I was about to give up, there it was … Stonehenge. I climbed the hill, paid my fee of 6 pounds, 90 pence and walked through the tunnel to that magnificent pile of rocks. Up close, it’s powerful, even if the rocks are roped off. You can only encircle them now–unlike the old days where you could climb atop them. Older Brits will tell you stories of how they played on them as children.
Back on my way from Stonehenge, I finally was able to walk through my beloved country paths, which were marked clearly with gates from the National Trust. I weaved through cute sheep and not-so-cute, sheep doo-doo. Then I took my own detour, cutting through the lovely town of Amesbury.
Even though the highway experience wasn’t great and I walked miles and miles today, I was glad I stayed away from the tourist buses. No one was on the country paths except for me. I saw Stonehenge from afar, surrounded by silence and countryside.
All in all, it was quite a day. Please continue to read on tomorrow as I visit Lacock, the National Trust village where Pride & Prejudice was filmed, and Bath.
– Jennifer, Network Editorial Director