England-Scotland Day 1 (Part 1) – Heathrow to Bath

3 April 2010

It was a long flight of about 14 hours by Qantas QF9 from Singapore to Heathrow Airport, London. We left Singapore Changi Airport at 11 PM the night before and by the time we cleared the immigration at Heathrow it was just before dawn. England was cold in April, and coming from warm, humid Singapore, it was certainly a drastic change. So, out came the warm clothes and jackets from our luggage before we stepped out of the arrival hall to take the courtesy shuttle bus to the car rental office.

There are 4 adults in my group and we had 4 pieces of luggage, 2 big and 2 smaller ones. As we would be travelling long distances in our self-drive tour of England and Scotland for the next 3 weeks, a decent-sized car was needed. I had booked a car with automatic transmission from the car rental company’s online booking website.

The car rental office was quiet at this time of day. Only one other travelling group was with us. I showed the lady at the front desk my reservations. After some checking, she asked me if it was Ok if I take a car with manual transmission as they are out of autos for that category. Manual transmission… no way. Next, she offered me a car with automatic transmission that belonged to a higher car category but I had to top up the difference. This company was testing their luck and my patience. Although I was tired after the long flight, it was time to be calm and assertive. I told her I needed a car with automatic transmission, just like the one I had booked on the web site AND I will not be paying any extras. She went back to her PC and did more clicking. I waited. In the end, she told me she managed to get me a car with automatic transmission without me having to top up any money.

After all the paperwork was done, I was given the car keys and directions to find the car in the parking lot outside. It was drizzling slightly as I went to fetch the car, while the rest of the family waited at the lobby. What I got was a latest model Mercedes E-class, diesel powered, barely 2 weeks old.  No additional charges. Not bad.

The plan for today was to go see the Stonehenge, Avebury Stone Circle and then go via the Cotswolds to Stratford Upon Avon where we would be staying for the night. But before going to Stonehenge, we would swing over to the city of Bath, just in time for breakfast.

The first challenge was to get out of the small roads around Heathrow and get onto the M4 motorway towards Bath. After a few U-turns, I managed to get my bearings and get the car onto the M4. Once done, the journey to Bath was smooth going and we got our first glimpse of the English countryside and weather! 

I explored the electronic cruise control in the new E-class and it did its work. The sky was brighter now and so was our moods. The sense of excitement was beginning to kick in. It was drizzling slightly but the drizzle stopped as we drove into the city of Bath.

City of Bath in early morning. The red Burger King restaurant sticks out like a sore thumb.

Parking at the public car park in Bath required coins! And I don’t have any.

All my cash were in 50 pounds Sterling notes. “Never mind, let’s go to the restaurant where we would be eating our breakfast and get some change there”.

No luck.

The owner did not have enough change for a 50 pound note that early in the day. While the family ordered their breakfast, I went out to solve my problem. All these while, my car was parked at the nearby car park and running the risk of a parking violation and fine.

I tried a Tesco store nearby, no luck. The checkout girl just said “no change” to me with a straight poker face. Finally, I decided to head back to the car park and see if I could get lucky there.

Third time lucky! A kind English gentleman was paying for his parking and he had just enough coins and small notes to change for my 50. Thank you sir!

Big lesson for me and any visitors driving in England: You need coins, and lots of it, for the parking meters at public car parks.

After our first English breakfast of fried eggs, sausages, bacon, fries and a stack of toast, we walked to the town centre.

Typical English signpost in the Bath town square.

The streets were beginning to liven up with people. The ladies went to shop for a wind-proof jacket for Jo as her cotton hoodie was not keeping her warm enough.  The guys wandered around the town centre and took some pictures.

Bath got its name from The Roman Baths. Now a museum.

Bath Abbey.

Close-up of the tower in front of the Bath Abbey. Most figures seemed to be climbing up, while one faces down. Wonder what this was all about.

Pigeon with what looks like the St Mark's Lion. I thought I saw this at Venice before.

At Bath Town Center. Joanna with her new wind-proof jacket.

Bath is certainly a place I would like to visit again and probably stay over for a night or two. 

Next stop, the Stonehenge. Stonehenge is less than an hour away from Bath by car and easy to find via the A36.

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England-Scotland Day 1 (Part 2) – Stonehenge

3 April 2010

Stonehenge is one of the most impressive prehistoric megalithic monuments in the world, located in England. A must-see for anyone interested in world history and mysteries.

Stonehenge was easy to find with the help of the brown colour road signs as we travelled towards it from Bath on the A36. The road signs led us to a big open car park opposite the Stonehenge site.  Parking was not free of charge, like most places in the UK.

After buying our entrance tickets, we crossed through a tunnel under the highway into the Stonehenge site. The picture below (source: brochure given at ticket booth)  provided a bird’s eye overview of this amazing place.

As casual visitors, we were not allowed to go close to the stones, but had to stay on the marked, circular footpath around the stones.

Sign at entrance to Stonehenge, next to the car park.

Stonehenge - stones arranged in a circle.

How did the ancient man did this? Move tons of rocks over many many miles, and stack them up like this? Why?

Stonehenge has always been intriguing for me. Was it built by ancient man or was it built by ancient aliens?

How was it done? Why was it built?

To see it first hand was just WOW. As I looked around the site, and saw the windy, open plains and sheep grazing, you just could not help wondering about this unsolved mystery.

Walking around the Stonehenge. Nothing but open plains on the countryside. Where did the stones came from?

Stonehenge – now home to the little birdies.

This place was windy, being an open plain. Besides the stones, there were other interesting sights for someone who lives in the city.

We saw a bird flying into the wind and hovering on the same spot. Looked like a kestrel hunting.



This video also shows the hovering bird and an overview of the farmland and plains surrounding the Stonehenge stone circle

As we were leaving the site, we saw a farmer with his sheepdog rounding up some sheep. Impromptu display of the sheepdog at work. Smart dog!

After seeing the Stonehenge, our next stop was to be the Avebury Stone Circle, located about twenty miles to the north of Stonehenge. The Avebury ring is the oldest stone ring that is known to be in existence anywhere in the world and is even older than Stonehenge. It is a larger stone circle too, as the stones forming the Avebury Circle actually goes round the Avebury village with people living in the village.

It started to rain again as we approached Avebury. Upon the reaching the car park near the Avebury village, where the Avebury Stone Circle is located, it was pouring cats and dogs. We would not be enjoying themselves, seeing the ancient stones in the pouring rain. So the plan was scrapped and we continued on our journey to the Cotswolds. So near and yet so far.

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December afternoon in the City of Bath

28 December 2012

From Castle Combe, we drove to Bath, the final destination of our road trip. After several visits in the past, I was pretty familiar with the roads in the City of Bath and finding our B&B Milton House, along Wells Road was a breeze. Once checked in, we drove to the public car park at Charlotte Street and did a walking tour of the city, for the benefit of Samuel who was visiting Bath for the first time. Bath is a compact city and most attractions within the city center are within walking distance.

From the car park, it was a short walk through a park to the Royal Crescent. The Royal Crescent is one of the greatest examples of Georgian architecture and the row of terrace houses are laid out in a crescent, hence the name. It actually houses a hotel, apartments for rental and also a museum.

Panoramic view of the Royal Crescent at Bath, England.

Georgian Architecture at Royal Crescent, Bath.

Then we went to the city center to see the Bath Abbey, the outside of the Roman Bath, Pulteney Bridge and the weir.

Bath Abbey.

Pulteney Bridge and the U-shaped weir on River Avon.

Pulteney Bridge is lined with shops on both sides, like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. It connects the city with the newly built Georgian town of Bathwick.

In my previous visit, I had seen tourist sightseeing boats going under the bridge and making a u-turn just before the weir. These boats are not in operation during winter.

A significant attraction in Bath that is not shown in this post is the Roman Bath which is located at the city center, next to the abbey. In my three visits to Bath, I had defer my visit into the Roman Bath to see the insides. We will save it for July 2015 when we will come again.

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