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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England-Scotland Day 1 (Part 3) – The Cotswolds town of Cirencester

3 April 2010 

To visit and explore all the key historic market towns of the Cotswolds in one day is impossible. Maybe even 2 or 3 days may not be enough. So, the plan was to stop at one or two villages or towns in the Cotswolds on our way to Stratford-upon-Avon. As it was approaching lunch time and still raining, we headed to the town of Cirencester, in the general direction towards Stratford in the north.

Cirencester was the ancient capital of the Cotswolds, dating from Roman times. When the Romans conquered Britain almost 2,000 years ago (43 AD) they built the town of Corinium (now Cirencester), second only to Londinium (now London) in size.

It was still raining when we drove into Cirencester at about 2 PM. We walked and dashed towards the town center, looking for cover from the rain and try to locate an interesting tea room and pub to take our lunch. We found a pub showing the Manchester United vs Chelsea EPL game that was live on TV but the pub was full house. Chelsea was leading 2-0 as we stood at the entrance to peek and try to spot an empty table. No luck. At that moment, Manchester United scored a goal. My son and I would have stood there to watch the rest of the game but the ladies were already walking away. 

We caught up with them and managed to find a nearby tea room to have our lunch of hot pies, cakes and hot English tea. No TV, but we heard the news that Chelsea had won.

Row of colourful houses in Cirencester.

The rain stopped after our lunch, and we had some time to walk around the town. We bought 2 foldable umbrellas and some additional socks at one of the stores at the Market Place, just in case. 

The Market Place in Cirencester - town in the Cotswolds, England.

The Market Place is the main street in the centre of Cirencester. The church is at one end and the rest is lined with historic buildings, some from as early as the Tudor era. 

St John the Baptist is a beautiful 15th century "wool" church. The tower is the highest in Gloucestershire.

Statue of a ram. The towns in the Cotswolds have historically grown from the wool trade.

After Cirenchester, our next Cotswolds destination was the small village of Bibury, just 6.5 miles (10.5 km) northeast of Cirencester.

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England-Scotland Day 1 (Part 4) – The Cotswold village of Bibury

3 April 2010

Many had called Bibury the most beautiful village in England. As we drove into the village, we could see why.

We parked our car, on the parking spaces, by the Bibury Trout Farm.

The rain had started again. Thank goodness we bought 2 umbrellas in Cirencester. So we were prepared to explore the beautiful village of Bibury, in the light rain.

One of the highlights in Bibury is the 14th century Arlington Row cottages. We walked on a footpath towards the cottages.

Footpath leading to the Arlington Row cottages.

Mother and daughter bonding.

Peaceful and serene walk by a small stream.

Ducks in stream besides the path.

First glimpse of the Arlington Row cottages.

The Arlington Row is one of the most photographed scene in the Cotswolds. No wonder.

Like us, many visitors were braving the rain to see the 14th century Arlington Row cottages at Bibury.

Jo taking a photo of the Bibury cottages.

Her photo. Not bad.

That was me. Operating the DSLR with one hand, while holding the umbrella with the other hand, to keep the equipment dry.

That’s the photo I took. She was taking a photo of me taking a photo of them. 

Signs of spring in Bilbury.  Wild daffodils starting to bloom.

After we had enough of photos of the Arlington Row, we headed back to the car via the main road, running parallel to the River Coln which passes through Bibury.

River Coln passing through Bibury, England.

Locals were fishing for trout in the river, probably escapees from the Bibury Tout Farm.

Stone cottage in Bibury. Still using the fireplace and chimney.

We spotted this red antique car. Cool.

Antique car in an antique village.

Mother and daughter bonding again. Self-portrait.

This is a hotel in Bibury called the Swan Hotel, right by the river and trout farm. If I would to stay over in the Cotswolds again, this may be a good choice.

For someone used to living in a city, I really enjoyed this walk around Bibury, even in the light rain. Actually, the rain added to the overall experience and memory of visiting this beautiful English village in the Cotswolds.

We left Bibury at about 4.30 PM and head towards Stratford-Upon-Avon where I had booked 2 rooms at the Heron Lodge Guest House. We were the last guests to arrive and the hosts were happy to see us. We were given 2 rooms on the second floor and it was some work getting the luggage up to the rooms. After checking in and leaving our luggage in the rooms, we drove to the Stratford town centre for a good dinner and followed by a good rest in Heron Lodge.

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England-Scotland Day 2 (Part 1) – Stratford Upon Avon

4 April 2010

Stratford Upon Avon is a good place to stay for a night when doing a road trip through the Cotswold. Although it is known for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare, there was plenty of other sights to see as well. 

The plan for Day 2 of our England-Scotland vacation was to explore Stratford-Upon-Avon in the early morning and then drive to York. I reckon it would take approximately 3 hours to drive from Stratford to York. We would then spend the late afternoon and night to explore the city of York, including doing the famous Ghost Walk in York.

We woke up early and enjoyed our English breakfast in the Heron Lodge Guest House. Delicious breakfast and this was the first time that we tried the black pudding. After check-out, our hosts gave us some tips on where to park and what to see within the town  – the birthplace of William Shakespeare. I had been here before, back in 1986, where I walked by the banks of the Avon river and enjoyed the scenic views there. So, we headed there again.

Houseboats on the Avon Rive, near where we parked our car.

Boats on the Avon.

These boats are not just a means of transport. They are homes for some.

Boat with a roof garden. There are some places that the boat can’t bring you to. Hence the bike.

Thankfully, the sun was out this morning. It made our walk along the beautiful Avon river so much more wonderful. But one member of the family still felt cold.

River Avon with many swans, geese and ducks in spring. Also rowers.

Viewing platform for watching the geese, ducks, swans.

Locks at Stratford Upon Avon.

Bancroft Garden is located next to the river and here we could see the Gower Monument.

Bancroft Garden at Stratford Upon Avon.

Gower Monument at Bancroft Garden, Stratford Upon Avon.

In honour of William Shakespeare who is born in this town. This statue, showing Shakespeare seated, is flanked by life-size statues of Lady Macbeth, Prince Hal, Hamlet, Henry V, and Falstaff, representing Philosophy, Tragedy, History, & Comedy.

We had a bit of silliness and fun at the Bancroft Gardens. 

Hermaphroditus’s butt! 

Shadows of trees cast by the morning sun. Last photo at Bancroft Gardens before we left for York.

It was to be a long drive to York, most parts via the  M1 motorway. Road-signs in England were pretty easy to follow, provided you had a map and know what were the towns/cities en-route to the destination. I was using the AA Great Britain Road Atlas and also some directions printed from the AA Route Planner before leaving home.

Along the way, we made a brief detour from the M1 to recce the town and university in Loughborough. Loughborough University is one of the good university in England that is worth checking out. It was just a drive through to get a glimpse of the university and town. Before long, we were at the outskirts of York.

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