Drive-By Tourists

This morning we checked out of our accommodation in Eton and started heading towards the launch point for our big walk. We've only got 280km to drive and we've got 2 days to cover the distance but we're on holidays so it will be a slow journey with plenty of "stop & look" moments.

We were only 10 minutes out of Eton before the first such moment. We stopped in Dorney and looked at the parish church of St James the Less (12th century) and Dorney Court, one of England's best examples of a Tudor manor (15th century).

Next on the stop & look list was Cliveden Gardens but that was a fizzer. We stopped at the gate, looked at the entrance price and decided that $60 to see a garden, albeit a glorious one, was not the best use of our time or money.

A very scenic drive through part of the Chiltern Hills AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) was naturally beautiful and we slowly made our way to Winchester (no ties to the rifle). We diverted for a quick stop & look at Highclere Castle of Downton Abbey fame.

Our stop & look in Winchester was mainly in the area of the famed cathedral and the high street, where it's worth looking up to see the original facades rather than the ground floor modernisations.

Back in the car and back on the road, our next stop was Salisbury. We were hoping to get there in time to see (one of) the original copies of the Magna Carta but we had spent too long stopping and looking at other stuff. So we just looked at the outside of the very imposing 13th century cathedral.

Our last stop & look was Poundbury, the village "built" by Prince Charles. We didn't stop for long and we didn't look at very much before heading to Dorchester for dinner and overnight accommodation.Read more