Monday 21st July 2008

Day Eight - Bath, (Stonehenge)

On the road to the west country today.  Our destination is the beautiful city of Bath and in particular the Roman Baths.  Before the Romans arrived in England the properties of the hot springs that bubbled up out of the earth had long been held in high regard.  The Romans built a bath house that was the finest in northern Europe and it became a sacred place to many.  The god Sol Minerva was the figurehead and today the museum leads you on a fascinating journey through the history of the Roman bath house.  There are the ruins but also the personal stories gathered from inscriptions and messages found in excavation.  The museum has a magical quality to it and armed with our headsets we learn a great deal about the ingenuity of the Roman invaders.

Bath is a wonderful place.  Brought back to splendour in the 18th century and seen as the place to be seen, the city went through a dramatic building program that has formed the place we see today.  The palladian structures are elegant and are constructed using the local honey coloured limestone - a trademark of Bath.  We have some time in the city to look around and spend the odd pound or two!  It has been a sunny day and the chill of the weekend seems to have moved away.

Back on the coaches for the hour journey to Stonehenge but the fates step in and we find that all roads to the ancient site have been closed due to a major road accident.  We have no choice but to return to Charterhouse.  This is a disappointing end to the day but one that we are not in control of.  The magic of the stones is left to mere legend as we reflect on our day over our dinner.