Go Back  British Expats > Usenet Groups > rec.travel.* > rec.travel.europe
Reload this Page >

Chalk giants between London and Devon

Chalk giants between London and Devon

Thread Tools
 
Old Jun 7th 2003, 7:31 am
  #1  
Sylvie Lapointe
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Chalk giants between London and Devon

Hello,
On an upcoming trip to the UK (June 12th) we'll be driving from Heathrow
to North Devon. Are there any hill figures on the way, or not too far out
of the way, that are worth seeing?

This might be a long drive immediately after getting off the plane
(transatlantic, arriving at 10 a.m.). So depending on the time and our
fatigue we might want to stop off overnight. Salisbury looks to be about
halfway, and I know there's a beautiful cathedral there (and Stonehenge,
though I'm not so interested in that as it's likely to be, i.e. cordoned
off with busloads of tourists milling about). Does anyone have
recommendations on whether Salisbury would be a good place to stop off, or
where else might be good? (We'd prefer to camp to save money.) If we take
two days to drive to Devon (where we'll be staying for 5-6 days) we don't
mind heading a little more off the beaten track and exploring the
countryside, short walks etc.

Many thanks to anyone with suggestions --Sylvie
 
Old Jun 7th 2003, 9:12 am
  #2  
Debra Weber Kurt Weber
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Chalk giants between London and Devon

Hello

Perhaps you would consider Dorset as a stop. You can see the chalk giant
known as the Rude Man at Cerne Abbas (charming and be sure to visit the ruin
Abbey and St Augustine's Well) and overnight in Dorchester. Thomas Hardy's
cottage and Maiden Castle (not a castle) are in this immediate area. We
liked it very much.

Salisbury is very nice, but Winchester is closer to London, pretty, much
quieter, less expensive, easier to navigate, with a great cathedral and a
nice outing to Chawton, Jane Austen's home last home in country. Her mother
and sister are buried in the churchyard.

Debbie

Sylvie Lapointe wrote:

    > Hello,
    > On an upcoming trip to the UK (June 12th) we'll be driving from Heathrow
    > to North Devon. Are there any hill figures on the way, or not too far out
    > of the way, that are worth seeing?
    > This might be a long drive immediately after getting off the plane
    > (transatlantic, arriving at 10 a.m.). So depending on the time and our
    > fatigue we might want to stop off overnight. Salisbury looks to be about
    > halfway, and I know there's a beautiful cathedral there (and Stonehenge,
    > though I'm not so interested in that as it's likely to be, i.e. cordoned
    > off with busloads of tourists milling about). Does anyone have
    > recommendations on whether Salisbury would be a good place to stop off, or
    > where else might be good? (We'd prefer to camp to save money.) If we take
    > two days to drive to Devon (where we'll be staying for 5-6 days) we don't
    > mind heading a little more off the beaten track and exploring the
    > countryside, short walks etc.
    > Many thanks to anyone with suggestions --Sylvie
 
Old Jun 7th 2003, 9:21 am
  #3  
Jim Ley
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Chalk giants between London and Devon

On Sat, 07 Jun 2003 17:12:42 -0400, Debra Weber Kurt Weber
wrote:

    >Salisbury is very nice, but Winchester is closer to London, pretty, much
    >quieter, less expensive, easier to navigate, with a great cathedral and a
    >nice outing to Chawton, Jane Austen's home last home in country. Her mother
    >and sister are buried in the churchyard.

I don't particularly think of Winchester or Salisbury as on the way
from LHR to North Devon, Winchester particularly is out of the way
(you'd either need to doubleback a long way to get to the A303, or go
a long way along the A35 to Honiton and then up, either way it's
likely to be a couple hours extra of driving.

Salisbury is also more driving, and you'd probably need to go on
probably the busiest road in the UK immediately after picking up the
car (the M25 from M4 to M3) The M4 whilst also busy is probably a
simpler bet.

If the OP is happy to drive the 2 or so hours to Salisbury, they might
aswell head west along the M4, a much simpler drive and you can likely
get to Bristol or Bath, which wouldn't be ideal for camping, or any
chalk cutouts. Glastonbury might be less of a diversion.

Jim.
 
Old Jun 7th 2003, 9:42 am
  #4  
Harvey Van Sickle
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Chalk giants between London and Devon

On Sat, 07 Jun 2003 21:12:42 GMT, Debra Weber Kurt Weber wrote

    > Hello
    >
    > Perhaps you would consider Dorset as a stop. You can see the
    > chalk giant known as the Rude Man at Cerne Abbas (charming and be
    > sure to visit the ruin Abbey and St Augustine's Well) and
    > overnight in Dorchester. Thomas Hardy's cottage and Maiden Castle
    > (not a castle) are in this immediate area. We liked it very much.
    >
    > Salisbury is very nice, but Winchester is closer to London,
    > pretty, much quieter, less expensive, easier to navigate, with a
    > great cathedral and a nice outing to Chawton, Jane Austen's home
    > last home in country. Her mother and sister are buried in the
    > churchyard.

Living in Basingstoke -- quite close to Winchester, with fairly
frequent visits to Salisbury -- some of these assertions seem a bit
misleading to me.

I agree entirely about the cathedrals: Winchester is undoubtedly of
more historic interest than Salisbury, as the latter's primary interest
is architectural rather than historic. (Unlike almost every other
cathedral one might visit, it was built in a very short time, and thus
is a single-style rather evolved-form building

Winchester is perhaps quieter, but only if you don't happen to hit it
on a day when all the EFL students and tour buses have landed. (We've
always found it rather fraught.) Once you've gone into the Close,
though, Salisbury has always seemed less hectic. It's also very much a
place in its own right: and the city centre is a true provincial city,
largely beyond the shadow of larger places.

Less expensive? Personal impression: Winchester seems more on the
"day-visit-from-London" expense range, whereas Salisbury seems "normal
provincial city" to me.

In terms of travel, Winchester is an arguably do-able detour from
Heathrow to North Devon. I'd put Chawton as going rather out of the
way, though -- and only worth it if one is particularly interested in
Austen.

--
Cheers,
Harvey

For e-mail, change harvey to whhvs.
 
Old Jun 7th 2003, 10:39 am
  #5  
Keith Anderson
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Chalk giants between London and Devon

On 7 Jun 2003 19:31:01 GMT, Sylvie Lapointe
wrote:

    >Hello,
    >On an upcoming trip to the UK (June 12th) we'll be driving from Heathrow
    >to North Devon. Are there any hill figures on the way, or not too far out
    >of the way, that are worth seeing?
    >This might be a long drive immediately after getting off the plane
    >(transatlantic, arriving at 10 a.m.). So depending on the time and our
    >fatigue we might want to stop off overnight. Salisbury looks to be about
    >halfway, and I know there's a beautiful cathedral there (and Stonehenge,
    >though I'm not so interested in that as it's likely to be, i.e. cordoned
    >off with busloads of tourists milling about). Does anyone have
    >recommendations on whether Salisbury would be a good place to stop off, or
    >where else might be good? (We'd prefer to camp to save money.) If we take
    >two days to drive to Devon (where we'll be staying for 5-6 days) we don't
    >mind heading a little more off the beaten track and exploring the
    >countryside, short walks etc.
    >Many thanks to anyone with suggestions --Sylvie

Salisbury is in Wiltshire, and not really out of your way on a journey
to Devon via Cerne Abbas.

Hope this info about chalk figures in Wiltshire helps - the one at
Westbury is on the chalk escarpment and visible from several miles
away.

http://www.wiltshire-web.co.uk/history/horse.htm

The Uffington white horse in Berkshire might be a possibility too -
more about this and the Cerne Abbas giant:

http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/ChalkFigures.htm
 
Old Jun 7th 2003, 1:42 pm
  #6  
Pat
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Chalk giants between London and Devon

And what about the chalk "White Horse" as seen from Weymouth?
"Keith Anderson" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > On 7 Jun 2003 19:31:01 GMT, Sylvie Lapointe
    > wrote:
    > >Hello,
    > >On an upcoming trip to the UK (June 12th) we'll be driving from Heathrow
    > >to North Devon. Are there any hill figures on the way, or not too far out
    > >of the way, that are worth seeing?
    > >
    > >This might be a long drive immediately after getting off the plane
    > >(transatlantic, arriving at 10 a.m.). So depending on the time and our
    > >fatigue we might want to stop off overnight. Salisbury looks to be about
    > >halfway, and I know there's a beautiful cathedral there (and Stonehenge,
    > >though I'm not so interested in that as it's likely to be, i.e. cordoned
    > >off with busloads of tourists milling about). Does anyone have
    > >recommendations on whether Salisbury would be a good place to stop off,
or
    > >where else might be good? (We'd prefer to camp to save money.) If we take
    > >two days to drive to Devon (where we'll be staying for 5-6 days) we don't
    > >mind heading a little more off the beaten track and exploring the
    > >countryside, short walks etc.
    > >
    > >Many thanks to anyone with suggestions --Sylvie
    > Salisbury is in Wiltshire, and not really out of your way on a journey
    > to Devon via Cerne Abbas.
    > Hope this info about chalk figures in Wiltshire helps - the one at
    > Westbury is on the chalk escarpment and visible from several miles
    > away.
    > http://www.wiltshire-web.co.uk/history/horse.htm
    > The Uffington white horse in Berkshire might be a possibility too -
    > more about this and the Cerne Abbas giant:
    > http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/ChalkFigures.htm
    > >
    > >


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.478 / Virus Database: 275 - Release Date: 2003-05-06
 
Old Jun 9th 2003, 3:55 am
  #7  
Allen Windhorn
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Chalk giants between London and Devon

Sylvie Lapointe writes:

    > Hello,
    > On an upcoming trip to the UK (June 12th) we'll be driving from Heathrow
    > to North Devon. Are there any hill figures on the way, or not too far out
    > of the way, that are worth seeing?
    > ...

The White Horse at Uffington (mentioned by someone else) is amazing.
I believe it is one of the most ancient chalk figures, dating from
around 900 BC. In the neighborhood you can also see a hill fort, the
Blawing Stane (sp?), and Wayland's Smithy (a long barrow burial
chamber). It's on the Ridgeway, the prehistoric track that crosses
southern England. The White Horse pub nearby (not in Uffington, I
think it is in Woolstone) would be great for lunch.

You might consider staying in Avebury (stone circle much older than
Stonehenge, and you can wander around amongst the stones). Except
around 21 June (the local people clear out to avoid all the new age
types flooding the area). It's near the M5. I can give you a couple
of places to stay there if you like.

I wouldn't avoid Stonehenge because of the tourists -- if you can get
there before or after the buses it is really interesting. The audio
tour is actually very good (narration by some archaeologist right out
of "Monty Python").

Regards,
Allen
--
Allen Windhorn (507) 345-2782 FAX (507) 345-2805
Kato Engineering (Though I do not speak for Kato)
P.O. Box 8447, N. Mankato, MN 56002
 
Old Jun 9th 2003, 4:24 am
  #8  
Harvey Van Sickle
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Chalk giants between London and Devon

On Mon, 09 Jun 2003 15:55:35 GMT, Allen Windhorn wrote
-snip-

    > I wouldn't avoid Stonehenge because of the tourists -- if you can
    > get there before or after the buses it is really interesting. The
    > audio tour is actually very good (narration by some archaeologist
    > right out of "Monty Python").

Is *that* where Ann Elk, bracket-Miss-bracket wound up?

I did wonder......

--
Cheers,
Harvey

For e-mail, change harvey to whhvs.
 
Old Jun 9th 2003, 9:46 am
  #9  
Sylvie Lapointe
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Chalk giants between London and Devon

Allen Windhorn wrote:
    >
    > The White Horse at Uffington (mentioned by someone else) is amazing.
    > I believe it is one of the most ancient chalk figures, dating from
    > around 900 BC. In the neighborhood you can also see a hill fort, the
    > Blawing Stane (sp?), and Wayland's Smithy (a long barrow burial
    > chamber). It's on the Ridgeway, the prehistoric track that crosses
    > southern England. The White Horse pub nearby (not in Uffington, I
    > think it is in Woolstone) would be great for lunch.
    >
    > You might consider staying in Avebury (stone circle much older than
    > Stonehenge, and you can wander around amongst the stones). Except
    > around 21 June (the local people clear out to avoid all the new age
    > types flooding the area). It's near the M5. I can give you a couple
    > of places to stay there if you like.
    >
    > I wouldn't avoid Stonehenge because of the tourists -- if you can get
    > there before or after the buses it is really interesting. The audio
    > tour is actually very good (narration by some archaeologist right out
    > of "Monty Python").

Thanks so much Allen, and the others who replied in this thread.

Avebury sounds great - what are the places there that you'd suggest for a
stay, Allen?

--sylvie
 
Old Jun 10th 2003, 9:54 am
  #10  
Allen Windhorn
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Chalk giants between London and Devon

sylvie lapointe writes:

    > Avebury sounds great - what are the places there that you'd suggest for a
    > stay, Allen?
    >
    > --sylvie

Had to do a search, since our trip records are at home. The Red Lion
pub I believe had rooms last time we were there, if you like to stay
in pubs (it was a quiet one). We stayed at the Old Vicarage. The
proprietress was very nice. I don't have phone numbers or email
addresses -- I'll have to look at home, unless someone else can
oblige. Drop me your address by email and I'll send it directly.

While I was searching, I found:

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~aburnham/toc.htm

So you can see that there is lots more prehistoric stuff than
Stonehenge.

Regards,
Allen
--
Allen Windhorn (507) 345-2782 FAX (507) 345-2805
Kato Engineering (Though I do not speak for Kato)
P.O. Box 8447, N. Mankato, MN 56002
[email protected]
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service - Your Privacy Choices -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.