The West Country

This weekend the flatmates and I went on the first ICLC trip of the semester, to Bath and the West Country. It was an early start and a quick weekend, but completely worth the time spent getting there. Our first stop on Friday was Avebury.

Avebury is Stonehenge's less famous cousin, an enormous henge and stone circle in the West Country. A henge is the name for a mound and ditch, typically with a man-made hill, or 'mound', with a concentric ditch just inside. The notable differences between Avebury and Stonehenge are the size - Avebury is much larger - and the stones themselves. Whereas Stonehenge comprises of stone forming an uninterrupted circle, Avebury's stones are upright, and spaced quite far apart.

The highlights of our stop at Avebury were the mound, witch is as much as 20 feet tall in places, and the stone named the Devil's Chair. Traditionally, women would come to the Chair and sit on a sear-like formation to promote fertility, and legend has it that if you run around the stone 100 times in a counter-clockwise direction, the devil himself will appear.

Part of the henge at Avebury 

Casey and Andrea in front of the Devil's Chair

Next on the itinerary was the ruin of the Glastonbury Abbey. The Abbey dates back to the 7th century, was destroyed and rebuilt at least once, and was finally dissolved by King Henry VIII.

I was struck at Glastonbury, by the sheer size and scale of the place. I'm amazed whenever I visit a cathedral, abbey, or basilica at how large they are, especially given that the designers and builders did everything by hand - no computers, electric tools, or heavy machinery. Nothing makes you feel quite so small as an architectural giant.

St. Patrick's Chapel - painting of Mary Magdalene, with the 6 of the7 deadly sins coming forth from her chest.

One section of the ruin - you can't even see the entire length!

Near the former location of the main altar is the legendary grave of King Arthur and Guinevere. Supposedly, their remains were removed to a tomb onsite during the 13th century.  The area in and around Glastonbury is believed to be the location of the mythic Camelot, with lore referring to several nearby sites.

After a quick jaunt through the town for lunch, our group walked up the Glastonbury Tor (the Celtic word for hill). This is another spot in Arthurian legend, with stories saying that Guinevere was once held captive in the tower that dominates the summit.

It wasn't an easy hike in the January weather, but the view from the top was worth every step.

Walking back down the ridge from the Tor

After another stop at the Wells Cathedral (which I really can't do justice, as photos weren't allowed inside and so I've forgotten a bit of it), we finally arrived in Bath for a good night sleep.

Saturday morning, we ventured out to see the Roman Baths, for which the city is named. These Baths were built around naturally occurring hot springs, and date back to Roman times. Over the years, the site has been flooded, drained, and restored, giving visitors a real taste of British Roman life.

Fun fact: the Roman Baths here differ greatly from the public baths, or hammams, that you see in areas of the Roman Empire that are located further south and were also occupied by Muslim empires. These Baths have a standing pool of water, constantly fed by hot spring, in which bathers could soak and socialize. In hammams, water is heated by fire or sunlight, and poured over oneself from basins or small tubs.

Just next to the Baths is the Bath Abbey.

One side of Bath Abbey

The main Bath

Our final stop was Stonehenge, the world's best known henge and stone circle. I have to say, I've got some mixed feelings about this stop.

If you're a history, anthropology, or archaeology buff, this is a pretty cool place. Not only am I amazed by the fact that ancients were able to build the circle, but we can only guess at its purpose.

On the other hand, it is a very busy, touristy area: loads of people, a gift shop, and due to deterioration caused by human impact, you cannot get within 60 feet or so of the stones. All of this can make appreciating it for its cultural and historical value rather difficult.

So of course, we took it very seriously and didn't do anything weird...

we ARE stonehenge

Stonehenge!

That's it on the West Country! Do you have any favorite stops, experiences, or stories from the West Country? Let us know in the comments!