This morning we tubed it to Heathrow where we picked up our car. Originally I had booked a Ford Focus but instead they gave us a VW Golf. It's a pleasant surprise as it would normally cost 4 quid a day more and being a turbo diesel, it has good torque yet it's fuel efficient.
Oxford was our first target but in the interest in saving time (and because Oxford dislikes parking visitors), we decided to keep it as a drive through. Back home our cities have a campus or two per uni however here, the town is the campus with faculty departments all over the place. The town is a bit of a maze but we manage to exit and made our way south in search of some ancient stones.
I was aware that Stonehenge can be an under-whelming experience or isn't what people expect so we went elsewhere. When compared to Stonehenge the Lonely Planet book says '...Avebury is arguably a much more rewarding place to visit.' Even after reading this, I was still wondering what to expect but I have to say though (and I don't mean any disrespect) but think I did a bit of a Mim. After paying 5 quid for parking and then walking to the site, the experience was quite under-whelming. In fact, as we walked past each stone, I could hear the under-whelment oozing from Julie. How's this for odd, the town is situated in the middle of these stones.
Avebury in all it's glory, well, half its glory.
The other half are on the other side of the town.
We walked around a little, bailed and resumed our course. About an hour later we were checking into our B&B and shortly after that, eating Moroccan food at the local pub.
They are a patriotic if a little unrealistic bunch
Mikey, we found you a dining suite
Tomorrow we'll step out and explore Bath.
Julie says...
As navigator of our little driving tour of England, I feel it is my duty to ensure that we visit interesting places, and point out the highlights along the road. However, as navigator, I must also submit to the will of the driver, and navigate a path to whatever town/monument/experience he desires. Such was the case with Avebury. Cookie's description of my under-whelment above does not do it justice. We travelled off the beaten track and added at least 1hr to our driving journey to look at a bunch on rocks in a field behind a pub.
I will not be submitting my navigating skills to the driver again, or we may very well end up driving 6hrs to look at a clump of dirt.
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