- England Explored -
 

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Take a drive through the beautiful English landscape to the west of London and visit two sites built some 3000 years apart.

Bath is a beautifully preserved regency treasure, nestling in a valley on the river Avon. Here the Roman baths of Aquae Sulis were rediscovered in the 18th century and the town became the home of high society, under the guidance of Beau Nash, the regency dandy who set the fashion and manners of the time. Think Mr Darcy goes to Bridgeton and you’ve got the gist of it, indeed Jane Austin herself did live at Bath for some of her life.

 

A World Heritage site and a university town, it boasts many fine restaurants as well as stunning architecture, including Bath Crescent, the Circus, the Abbey and Pulteney Bridge.

Stonehenge needs no introduction, being perhaps the most famous Neolithic site in the world. The excellent visitor centre gives a glimpse into the distant lives of the ancients, who through the most incredible toil, built a monument to span the millennia. While modern science reveals more of their world every day, we can only stand and wonder at the perseverance and motives that drove a people without the wheel, draft animals or metals, to erect such an incredible celestial calendar, mausoleum and cathedral to their mysterious beliefs. English Heritage provide a constant bus service to take us through the Neolithic landscape, past Bronze Age long barrows, to our encounter with the massive, ancient and mysterious stones themselves. Here the landscape offers us a fascinating clue to the inspiration that gave our ancient ancestors the power to achieve what they did.

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Although this is one of the longer day trips from London much of the countryside we encounter makes the drive a very enjoyable part of the trip.

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NB: Guiding within the Roman Baths is not permitted, although the audio-visual guides are very good and easy to use.