Southern England

After leaving the 'essential' Brighton off our list of places to see  sighting the fact its just another crummy European beach we couldn't be happier! At their expense we've managed to see plenty of amazing places in southern England so far!

When collecting car from Heathrow Europecar there were no diesel ones which we desperately wanted (so much more fuel efficient) so Manda being Manda buttered up the man in charge of cars coming in and out and he told us to wait 5 minutes as there was a diesel VW Golf coming from the wash room we could take. Perfect! Amazing where a few kind words can get you!

Sailsbury, probably better known to most as the gateway to Stone Henge, was a sight to see in itself! Everything we imagined a small English town to be! Tudor style homes, cottage gardens, boutique stores, elaborate, warm and welcoming pubs/inns, bakeries selling pies, sausage rolls and pastys, amazing churches... It had it all.

After arriving on market day (people and cars everywhere!) while it was raining and without accommodation booked we felt a little overwhelmed but were soon content enough. Info centre booked us into a new B&B which was perfect (more expensive than France but ok at £60/night), had the most tasty sausage roll and cornish pastry from the bakery while the rain eased and then perused the markets. Market weren't to disappoint; Manda found her illusive makeup at a fraction of the Boots cost, we found 'faggots' (3 for £5; they look like offal and fat rissoles - yum!), 'postmans legs' dog bones (mookie would love these - looked like cattle leg bones), cheap boxes of cards for all occasions, and British fudge and lollies... Overall a huge success!
Ventured out in the afternoon when rain stopped to discover clear blue skies (for the first and possibly last time) and managed to see cathedral in all it's glory bathed in sunlight! One of those special moments!

Stone Henge was terrific! Raining not surprisingly but as they say when one door is closed another is opened and this was the case here! As it was raining the office wouldn't give audio guides out, essential really to understanding the site, however serendipitously we bumped into 'Simon with a pony tail' - Stone Henge extraordinaire, astronomer since age 4 and life time enthusiast! This guy may well have been involved in it's construction and reincarnated as a staff member here! Everything from its origins and time line of inhabitants to present day activities here (solstice parties being one funny one) along with information on carbon dating and laser mapping of the site (lay of the land and rock faces measured 2 dots per mm) I couldn't help but to fall under his and it's spell!!! We felt so compelled by his ramblings we wrote him a card from the box we bought at the Sailsbury markets! The rain poured down initially so the Gallipoli poncho finally started earning it's keep (having been carried in the small back pack for the last 4 months). The umbrella, hardly dry from the day previous, again proving it's worth! People looked at me like i was crazy in a poncho however I got the last laugh as it was perfect against the rain driven horizontally by the relentless wind and perfect for photo bombing (I looked like an alien!). Perfect start to the day!

After traveling many miles from Stone Henge to St. Austell (near lands end) while Manda caught up on her journal (oops! I mean caught up on sleep!) the VW and I had become well acquainted. Cromwell region, despite it being 'a little out of our way', was so pretty; undulating luscious green pastures testament to the rainfall pattern I guess?!

The Eden Project was the main reason for the trip here however there appears to be much more than this to do here. Alas, we didn't have time to do much more. Stayed in a freaky eccentric dudes B&B named Sedgemore Heights in St. He turned out ok giving us a 2 for one coupon for the Eden Project so couldn't complain too loudly!

Saw Harry Potter here at their White Swan Cinema (like Armidale Cinema), got one of the last 10 tickets which were being held for last minute people after talking with the manager and explaining Manda couldn't do 3D hence we needed/wished to see the 2D version. At £7 each it was a good cheap night out! Ray at the B&B didn't appreciate us driving the 2 minute walk... Not sure what he'd been smoking from his garden but whatever it was must have impaired his eyesight; it was teeming rain and blowing a gale!

Was Ray the B and B host on this?!

Eden Project was simply amazing. 2 giant climate controlled biomes constructed in 2000 in an old china clay pit which had reached the end of it's productive life.

Eden Project before as a clay mine

The area before rehabilitation was an environmental wreck; like an open cut mine at home. Today it's been completely rehabilitated into a "park" for want of a better description with the biomes being the jewel of the crown.

Eden Project now - what a transformnation!

The biomes each house a different climate controlled garden/parkland; those being meditaranean and rainforrest (largest indoor rainforrest in the world!). Each obviously containing specimens specific to that habitat; some rare, some endangered or on the verge of, but generally all plants we use/rely on day to day. In the rainforrest particularly there were plants I'd never seen, and never associated with day to day use; cocoa, cashew, arabica coffee, tea, vanilla, peanuts, mangos, pawpaw to name a few; all growing incredibly well!

Med biome inside...

The biomes were connected centrally with by a dining hall like room with shops and an eatery all selling fair trade and organic produce. The food looked delicious; much of it produced from their gardens (no hash cookies on the menu despite there being a huge garden of it on public display for education on hemps properties in the textile and rope industries!!! Completely unprotected from visitors!). As mentioned above, they were big on fair trade. They were also big and extremely proactive with the use of renewable resources and green technology which despite my initial hesitation/skepticism towards I found amazing, practical and extremely accessible. The way they presented the facts, figures and technologies made it clear to even the lowest common denominator! I will certainly attempt to live 'smarter', 'greener' and 'fairer' since coming here! Their outside gardens were also terrific and again hard to believe in 10 years the transformation. More great information here, including my favourite, a garden of many commonly used medicinal plants (too many to list) but it did include precursors to morphine and digoxin, arnica and ecinatia and as mentioned before good old hemp! Ray at the B&B had given us a 2 for 1 entry coupon from the local paper so even more impressively it was cheaper to get in! Project Eden was certainly one of my more impressive educational experiences whilst away!

Gardens outside just as amazing!

Headed north from St Austell to Bath for the compulsory stop at the old roman baths (very expensive but beautiful nonetheless; complimentary glass of warm spring water at the conclusion of the tour horrid but isn't all medicine?!).

Regal Homes Bath

Bath Cathedral

Roman Baths, Bath

Damned audioguides Bath Baths

50p Gardens and River - very pretty

Sally Lun's world famous buns (buns are bread rolls... nothing else!) served from the oldest house/shop in Bath were also expensive but rather nice with enough clotted cream to clog even the cleanest arteries! And whist the Mayor's walking tour was informative and free, entry to the nicely manicured riverside garden was not (50p for a student)! Pleasant enough place; very grand and well manicured and rich in history so couldn't ask for much more.