We got off to a late start, mainly because the rental car wasn't ready on time. It was around 1PM when we finally got out of Heathrow. We headed west on the M4 for our first stop - White Horse Hill and Uffington Castle. We stayed there most of the afternoon, mostly trying to enjoy ourselves even though we were exhausted.
Our destination for the next day was Avebury so we headed for Devizes nearby and tried to check into the White Bear hotel which we had read about. It was closed however and after walking around Devizes for a while and then finding the White Bear still closed, we decided to lodge at a nearby B&B named Kenavon. This was fortunate, because a young lodger there named Ian was a virtual fountain of information and lore concerning Devizes.
Later we discovered that the White Bear opens at 6 PM sharp but otherwise appears as though the owners have gone on holiday.
We did have our supper at the White Bear, and then had an interesting conversation with the barman in the nearby British Lion Pub who suggested we visit Bowood House and Gardens. We also learned (from Ian) about the folktale of the Moonrakers. This tale is being perpetuated even today and several places claim to be the site of the 'incident'. If this intrigues you, I suggest you visit the Moonrakers Website at www.moonrakers.com.
White Horse on White Horse Hill |
View looking north from White Horse Hill |
Church in Devizes Alleged site of Moonraker incident |
| Day 1 | London to Devizes | Day 8 | Anglesey and Holy Island, Wales |
| Day 2 | Wiltshire | Day 9 | Beaumaris (Anglesey) to Chester, England |
| Day 3 | Salisbury to Glastonbury | Day 10 | Fountains Abbey |
| Day 4 | Glastonbury to Tintagel | Day 11 | Chester's Roman Fort - Hadrian's Wall |
| Day 5 | Tintern Abbey to Arthur's Stone | Day 12 | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Day 6 | Hay-on-Wye, Powys Wales | Day 13 | Sherwood Forest to Oxfordshire |
| Day 7 | Carreg Cennan to Caernarfon | Day 14 | Windsor and Windsor Great Park |