W Is for Wiltshire

A quick trip down the coast from Ullapool to Wiltshire, England

I discovered one of the most beautiful places I've been, the English county of Wiltshire, via one of my blog friends, and I will always be grateful. I've written many times about blog friends becoming friends. As the years have gone by I've had the great fortune to meet my blog buddies, both when they've visited New York and when I've traveled across the globe. I "met" Sybil, who lives in Wiltshire, early in my blog career and we've kept in touch ever since. She graciously extended an offer to visit and even though we'd never met I accepted her invitation and flew to England in the summer of 2018. Yes, it was iffy, but a dear mutual friend, who I had met several times, had visited Wiltshire and I was assured it was a good idea.   

   The gardens at Avebury Manor

My visit was more than a good idea, it was an opportunity to make lifelong friends and see a beautiful corner of England from a local perspective. I had heard of Salisbury and Stonehenge (and even been to Stonehenge), but I wouldn't have been able to tell you what county they were in. I wasn't familiar with the extraordinary Avebury Manor or Lacock Abbey  -- featured in Harry Potter -or a dozen other sites I visited with Sybil and friends. 

St. James Church Avebury

One of my favorite places when I visited Wiltshire was Avebury Manor. Avebury was an extraordinary combination of fascinating sights to see. It combined a beautiful manor house built on (or very near) to the site of a Benedictine priory founded in 1114. It also included St. James Church, which dates from the Saxon period before the Norman Conquest. Avebury also includes an ancient stone circle, that dates from 3,000 BCE. 

Exploring the Avebury Stone Circle

My visit to Stonehenge in 2014 and my visit to Avebury in 2018 was completely different. The circle at Stonehenge was surrounded by a barrier and there were perhaps, several hundred people visiting. At Avebury,  the stones are arranged in an extended circle and spread over a large area. The other major difference at Avebury is that my new friend, Val, who is Sybil's neighbor, and I shared this site with one other person.    

 At Stonehenge in 2014

I've been doing a lot of reflecting while I've been writing these travel reflections. I'd planned to visit England again this summer, a quick visit to London and then a cruise to both English and Scottish ports. That's been cancelled and there's no telling when or even if that trip might be possible. When things open up again -- whenever that may be -- I'd love a return to Wiltshire. 

I'm glad to report that my cut finger is healing well and I'm typing and blogging again, and coming to the completion of the Blogging from A to Z challenge. I'd hoped to finish in April, but now I'm looking to completion on May 1. My friend, B, asked me yesterday what I was going to blog about in May. I've been keeping a list of ideas and I have some topics to catch up on. I'm planning to do weekly travel posts, at least until I can start traveling again.    

Tomorrow for "X" we return to North America. I'm revisiting one of the earliest trips I took once I started working and began to travel. Back to 1977.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Much love, wash your hands and watch your fingers. 

Welcome to Avebury

 

Welcome to Avebury, Wiltshire, England

 

I was going through my pictures of England this afternoon and was struck by how much I saw during my eight day visit. I had the best guide in my friend, Sybil, who lives in Wiltshire and her friends, Mary, Val and Peter. No one could have had better companions. It's unlikely I could have seen more -- or had a better time -- traveling in any other manner. There are probably another ten blog posts to share, and I will do more posts in the future. But for my last post of July we're going to beautiful Avebury Manor. 

 

One of the most popular sites in England is Stonehenge. But Avebury, which is located about an hour away is equally fascinating. It is the largest Neolithic stone circle in the world, and a fascinating place to visit. I visited Stonehenge four years ago. It was a sea of tour buses and people snapping selfies. This was not the case at Avebury. My friend, Val, and I shared the site with maybe a half dozen other visitors. It was an extraordinary experience.

 

One of the circles of stones at Avebury Henge.

 It's believed that rituals or ceremonies were held here at least five thousand years ago.  

 

The garden at Avebury Manor

 

Avebury Manor House is a sixteenth century manor house located next to the Henge. Unlike most of the house that visitors can tour, everything in Avebury Manor can be touched. Yes, they are reproductions, but it was so much fun to feel the wool on the "redcoat" and pick up the china. The house was featured in a BBC series, The Manor Reborn in 2011.  

 

Church of St. James, Avebury

 

I'm a fan of sacred architecture and the Church of Saint James, Avebury was one of my favorite sites on this trip. The Church is approximately 1,000 years old and dates to the Saxon period. 

 

I began July leaving for England and now I'm ending July with memories of this wonderful trip. August holds no long distance travel plans, but I'm anticipating a trip or two to New England next month. What are your August plans?

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a sweet August!