6/13/17 – Salisbury and Stonehenge
Monday morning we had a bad scare about Bruce’s back – somehow while in bed it acted up and he couldn’t get out of pain the entire night. We were both pretty discouraged but he took an ibuprofen 800, did some stretching exercises and declared himself ready to walk into town.
Great Britain is covered in public footpaths – thousands of miles worth – and they are used quite extensively by the public. One path is right outside the campground and a short 1.5 mile walk took us into the heart of Salisbury, following the river Avon.

Our foremost reason for visiting Salisbury is the magnificent cathedral in the center of town but walking along the river we revisited the past via the architectural mix of old and new buildings that are 200 – 400 years old. They are build in brick or stone or are half timbered filled with brick or plaster. Walking down the streets of Salisbury you feel like you have walked back into the time of Queen Elizabeth Tudor. The McDonalds sign hanging on the corner of a 1700s building is what anchors you to the 21st century.

We walked through a stone gateway into the cathedral close. Unlike nearly all churches and cathedrals in the UK and on the continent, this close is unique; it is 80 acres of open grassy space on which the cathedral is centered. The perspective this allows for is wonderful. Most great cathedrals are set in compact squares with shops and markets crowding them and allow for no sense of magnificence the buildings deserve. Not so in Salisbury. Not only is there space to appreciate the structure but the cathedral is commanding in its own right.

Begun in 1220 AD, most of the work was completed in a mere 38 years. It has the tallest spire in the UK at 404 feet. When you look at the completed project you can’t help but appreciate the mastery of the stone carvers who worked on the project. Statues of saints, churchmen, kings and queens adorn the fronts. The cloisters – a covered walkway usually facing a garden area – is the largest and one of the loveliest in England. The chapter house – a meeting place – houses one of the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta. It is noted for is octagonal shape and decorative medieval friezes that depict scenes from the Bible. When the cathedral was built, few people outside of the church could read or write. They were taught about the stories in the Bible by way of stained glass windows and carvings. The chapter house friezes are stone carvings telling Old Testament stories like The Creation, Adam and Eve and their expulsion, Noah’s Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah.

Because of time and natural elements, the cathedral must be continuously maintained. Stone carvers still work there, replacing worn stone from large statues to small pediments. We spent a short time watching a young man carving a cornice with hand tools.

We left the cathedral close and as we worked our way to the bus stop we came across the Poultry Cross –a market cross marking the former site of the poultry market. There used to be four such crosses in Salisbury including a cheese market, a livestock market and a wool or linen market. These “crosses” marked the area where local authorities granted towns the right to hold regular markets.
Finally, after a quick stop at a Tesco Market for bread and hair mousse we jumped the bus to return to the camping.
We are pleased to report that Bruce’s back is much improved and the day’s excursion did not harm him, and in fact, may have helped.

Tuesday before driving to Stonehenge, we knew we had to visit Old Sarum.It was a two-fold purpose; to see the castle remains and to join the English Heritage Trust, an association that controls over 400 worthwhile sites to see in Great Britain. Because we are old, we were able to join the senior membership for £70 for 2 for a year. That is £35 each for a year’s membership. To enter Stonehenge without membership alone is £18 each so we will make our money back quickly.
After Old Sarum, we drove to that iconic group of standing stones erected about 4,500 years ago whose purpose is still unknown despite numerous theories.

Stonehenge sits in the center of Salisbury Plains next to a very busy highway which takes away from its grandeur. Whatever engineer decided on that move should have been fired immediately rather than have his plan enacted. It does, however, give the casual driver a chance to see the World Heritage site.
We were late arriving at Stonehenge and did not beat the crowds that come in with the touring buses.
We were two among a gazillion tourists walking the demesne looking like ants following a trail of crumbs. The site is so awe-inspiring the crowds couldn’t diminish the impact. Years ago, people could walk among the stones, but in 1976 (or so) they were cordoned off to protect them from us. People were writing graffiti on them and disrespecting them. I would have loved to stand in the center of the circle and take in the view from within.

We are still heading to the Cotswolds, but we looked at our map and realized we were near several of the White Horse chalk hill figures. Tomorrow we go there.