We found a campground near Stonehenge, and we headed there first. Then we visited the monument. Everyone knows what it looks like, and we have nothing to add except to agree that it is spectacular and extraordinary, even larger than we expected and, of course, mysterious. Its mystery was not at all cleared up by the recorded lecture we were provided upon entry to the site. Most of this seemed very made up just to have something to say. But not a lot is really known about it. It certainly boggles the imagination to think of people moving those huge stones such long distances. The road is close and goes right by it which we did not expect. The monument is on the Salisbury Plain, with nothing else but sheep on it. We approached from the west and got to the parking lot before we saw the stones. But later, we drove in an eastern direction. Then one sees it off in the distance, alone in an otherwise empty huge space. That was spectacular.
We walked around the stones, took pictures and then we had to make a decision. Should we go to Salisbury for the afternoon? We discussed it, but Adelle was exhausted, so we decided to go back to the campground and just "chill out". First thing in the morning was time enough for Salisbury.
We got directions and drove into town, since there is no bus service that would do us any good. As we headed for the parking lot, we found that we could not pass under a bridge. Not knowing how else to go, we parked in the car park of a local supermarket. There were signs all over warning that they will not allow more you to park any more than three hours any one day – and that they patrol. We took a chance and walked into town – and found the main library which had internet access but no word processing program at all, not even notepad. So we could not send a letter that day. We also found our favorite European specialty – an outdoor market. We bought a lot of stuff and then found ourselves with a dilemma. If we walked back to our car, we’d be within the three hour limit, and if we went on to the Cathedral, which was far away, we’d be in trouble. We opted to go back to the supermarket and then take the RV to one of the many car parks shown on the map.
This sounds like a rational solution, until you drive a motorhome in Salisbury. We won’t bore you with all the details – but it was a nightmare. All the car parks had barriers to keep out any vehicle higher than 2 meters. And the streets are narrow and windy as well as crowded. Toward the end, they routed us in a way that turned into a worse nightmare. The result was that we simply left. We would have liked to visit the Cathedral – especially since it holds an original copy of the Magna Carta – but there was no way to do it. Sad. It is true, however, that we have seen a large number of Cathedrals on this trip and the last. We will just have to do without Salisbury’s until next time.
