Now, I am going to tell you all about that day out to the countryside, where we took in a pub lunch in the Cotswolds, visited the magnificent Roman city of Bath, and finished off using the powerful Stonehenge. Let us get started, if a day trip from London to see these sights is something you’d enjoy doing and by the ending hopefully you will get an idea.
Our first stop was to be the Roman city of Bath, a good 2.5 hour drive from London. Afterward we were presented with a choice, we’re able to visit the Roman Baths (admission extra), or take a guided walking tour with Phil.
We were guests of The Old Boathouse for Sunday lunch and were pleased to find loads of alternatives for all your family, from traditional roasts to delicious vegetarian dishes.
Situated next to lake views that were amazing, we started with flavorful marinated olives, houmous, breads and steaming bowls of soup. The traditional roasts came complete with sharing plates stacked high with delightfully plump yorkshire puddings and all the traditional vegetables. The restaurant is big and airy and while it lacks a bit of character and charm within the building, the views of lakes and wildlife are actually unique. It is a fantastic place to unwind and appreciate some of the best of the Cotswolds.
I’ve visited Stonehenge before, but it absolutely was quite some time ago, and things have changed for the better since my last visit. The road that used to hurtle traffic past the stones continues to be torn up and rerouted, and the visitor centre has been relocated to a site over a mile away.
Now, the magnificent stone circle is a far more agreeable visiting experience, feeling somewhat more back to nature than in years previous.
We were so lucky because once we arrived we could appreciate this beautiful and incomprehensible temple having a gratifying sun, feeling the sense of peace as well as the puzzle of the area…but suddenly it became windy as well as the words of the poet Thomas Hardy about Stonehenge made sense: “A very Temple of the Winds”!
It felt especially natural on the day we visited, as the weather was fairly spectacular in its ferocity. As mentioned at the beginning, there was a bitingly cold wind filled with fat raindrops, and clouds scudded not high over the heavens. We did have at least three seconds of sunlight in which I was able to grab an entirely unrepresentative picture of our visit, so I should be grateful for that at least.