During our visit to the London Tower we were rewarded with fantastic views of Tower Bridge.
When Travel Is Your Obsession...
During our visit to the London Tower we were rewarded with fantastic views of Tower Bridge.
When people think of England, most will think of fish and chips, Big Ben, and bad weather. However, we have discovered something much more exciting: the canals and the narrowboats of England. What a pleasant discovery it was for us as many a delightful hour was spent walking along the canals.
Right behind our apartment in Bath was the Kennet and Avon Canal. The Kennet and Avon Canal is named for the two rivers that it links together; the Kennet and Avon River. The canal consists of 105 locks and stretches over 87 miles connecting to the Thames at Reading. The canal has a lovely towpath that goes along it that is perfect for walking and biking.
During our visit to Bath, we spent most days walking along the canal enjoying the view and the diversity of nature, which was always a nice change from the noisy streets of Bath. Along our walks, we could hear the birds chirping and enjoyed watching the narrowboats lazily make their way along the canal. We never knew what we would see on our walks, as the owners were as diverse as the narrowboats. Along one of our walks we saw a boat full of jovial people dressed up as pirates and slightly intoxicated. It was funny watching them take off as they bounced along the canal walls. However, several of the owners of the other narrowboats in the path of the pirates were not laughing like us. They instead closely monitored the progress of the “drunken pirates” with scowls on their faces, making sure that the pirates did not ram into their floating homes. Another day we witnessed a person playing the accordion on the roof of a converted lifeboat, as the captain guided the boat down the canal.
During another walk, we noticed a person single handling a boat through a lock and we offered to help. The person readily agreed and we were rewarded with a boat ride down the canal and a “cuppa” (cup of tea). We had fun opening up the locks, but after several locks we realized how much work it can be. We also realized how slow travel is on a narrowboat.
I especially enjoyed studying the different narrowboats, because they look like such a nice, snug home with an amazing ever-changing view. Many of narrowboats along the canals have beautifully painted murals on their doors and intricately woven rope bumpers. Many also have flowerpots, bikes, grills, firewood, and other such things piled on their roofs. Cats and dogs can often be seen napping on the roofs of the boats.
Besides walking, lots of people ride their bikes along the towpath. The towpaths are ideal for a leisurely ride, because it is so flat. Riding bikes looked like so much fun to us that we decided to rent bikes and ride along the canal too. Overall it was a beautiful ride along the canal. However, our bikes had seen better days and were not the most comfortable ride. I also let my impatience get the better of me, as I knew almost immediately that I chose a bike much too small for me. However, I thought that since the towpath was relatively flat that it shouldn’t be an issue. Boy was I wrong, as my knees were really sore the next day. Our goal was to make it to the town of Bradford upon Avon, but we ran out of time. We did see an aqueduct canal bridge and a heron swooping down to scoop a fish out the canal.
We all agree that our favorite thing about Bath was the canal that runs through the town. We had a marvelous time walking and biking along the towpath. But the highlight of our stay is the day we helped the person who was single handling it through the locks. We had the opportunity to meet a very nice person and to learn about the English canal lifestyle. This is one of the things I love about travel, meeting so many genuinely nice and interesting people and being able to do some amazing things. Thanks Nick from “Gem.” It was great meeting you!
Everyone has heard of Stonehenge, but have you heard of Avebury? Avebury is the largest stone circle in Europe and is located in southern England, and unlike Stonehenge, it’s free to visit.
Avebury was constructed around 2600 BC during the Neolithic period and consists of a large outer henge (large ditch with bank) that contains a large stone circle and two separate smaller stone circles in the center. The henge measures 420 meters across and is so large that there is a village built inside of it with roads cutting the monument into quarters. Leading to the monument is a long pathway lined with standing stones. Many of the stones of the circles within the henge are massive and would have required a lot of effort to stand upright.
The original purpose of the monument was thought to be for religious and ceremonial purposes. Modern day Druids and Pagans still use the site for rituals, which often draw a crowd.
The locals destroyed many of the standing stones and filled in the ditch for religious and practical reasons during the late Medieval and Early Modern periods. Antiquarians in the 17th century had recorded much of the site before its destruction and the monument was restored in the 20th century.
We toured Avebury on a beautiful spring day and found the place packed. The parking lot was full, but we were lucky to find parking down a nearby narrow gravel road.
We found the site very peaceful and to be a popular spot for picnicking and just hanging out. If you find yourself in southern England, don’t miss Avebury!
by Sydney 5 Comments
I got to go to Stonehenge. It was cool. You cannot get close to the rocks. I liked the video (below) better, but it was still cool.
Have you ever wondered about Stonehenge? Stonehenge is one of the most mysterious monuments in the world. Scientists are not sure why they built Stonehenge, but they believe it was a burial ground or a calendar. Let’s seek out the truth of Stonehenge.
There was a ditch around Stonehenge with 2 entrances that lined up with the summer and winter solstices. It must have been hard digging the ditch with only deer antlers, which is what they used for digging. They used stone axes to cut down trees to help setup the stones. To shape the stones they used a plane old stone and rubbed it against the stones. It sounds like it was hard work.
Stonehenge is located in southern England. It was built about 5000 years ago, between 3100 – 2000 B.C., which was way before the Romans! You may think why should I go to Stonehenge it’s just a pile of rocks? But it’s more than that. It is not just a pile of rocks. It has archways that line up the summer and winter solstices.
The rocks came from 200 to 250 miles away and they had to drag them the whole way. Why didn’t they use horses? They ate the horses. They hunted horses for meat.
Scientists believe that Stonehenge was a calendar or a burial ground. It took 18 years to build. I wouldn’t build Stonehenge just so it was a burial ground or calendar, I would build it for both reasons
Now you know everything about Stonehenge. The most mysterious monument ever made by humans.
One of England’s most iconic structures: Stonehenge! Even though we had seen it in person before, there is something magical about the place that just draws you to it. It’s just a shame that you can no longer go up and touch the stones, but at least it’s now possible to get a photo without people in it.