The South

We headed a little south and west as we left London to see Stonehenge with our own eyes.  Stonehenge has been a tourist attraction since the 1740s.  Not much is known about the people who built it, but people love to make guesses about how and why Stonehenge was built.

Before we made this trip, we thought it would be fun to eat in a pub.  After our trip, we think it would be hard not to eat at a pub.  They're on every corner and a great choice for inexpensive and delicious food.  After visiting Stonehenge we had dinner at The Plough in nearby Swindon.

We had reserved lodging for every night of our trip except this one.  We thought it might be fun to wander away a bit and keep some flexibility.  It was 8 pm and we thought Swindon would be a good place to stop for the night,  The bartender at the Plough recommended a nearby inn.  There was no room in that inn.  Or in any of the other surrounding hotels or B&Bs.  It turns out Swindon is an international center for businessmen and forget about getting a room there on a Tuesday or Wednesday.  A helpful innkeeper called around and found us a room at a large convention center nearby.  They had 4 rooms left and we took 3 of them.  We were grateful to have them, even before they knocked 20 pounds off the price of a room and threw in breakfast for free.  Blessings!

 We had all day to get to our next stop of Preston so we started our day by driving through the utterly charming area of England called the Cotswolds.  We got out and walked through a town called Wooten Bassett.  Or maybe it was called Ashton Keynes-- we saw signs for both.

 The Cotswolds are known for their stone buildings, dating back to the middle ages when the area was rich with wool.

A path led from the church to the city center (which consisted of a pub, a shop and a car repair shop).  

Still heading north, we drove to Gloucester, a town that was founded by the Romans.  Its position along the River Severn has made it an important city for business ever since.  Sarah and Becky's great-great grandfather, John Bennett Hawkins, was born in Gloucester.

 Gloucester is also famous for its cathedral which was begun in the 11th century.

The cloisters are richly carved and have beautiful light.  This corridor was used in the Harry Potter movies as a hallway in Hogwarts.  

 We swung out west into Wales as we continued our trip.  

Our destination was Chirk Castle, built in 1295 to defend England's western border against Wales.  We arrived after the castle had closed, but the grounds were open.  The castle is set in 480 acres of parkland.  Over 5 acres of land next to the castle are carefully landscaped and we enjoyed exploring the grounds.

 Abe and Gibson played checkers on the lawn of a secret garden.  This area used to be where the castle laundry hung clothes to dry.

The same family has lived in the castle for 700 years.  It was a fun detour.