We left the hotel in Bath early because there was much to see. The weather did not look promising. The drive turned out to be beautiful even though at times it rained hard. Fortunately, we were able to see two UNESCO World Heritage Sites from prehistoric times; Avebury and its more famous rock circle, Stonehenge. Avebury was less crowded and the rocks much more approachable (you are allowed to touch them) and it is next to a quaint village. Stonehenge is on many lists of must see world sites and even though the weather threatened to rain and it was crowded, I still was able to get good photos. For a few photos of Avebury click here. For photos of Stonehenge, click here. They are not that far apart, but I was rushed and didn’t take enough time to stop along the road where the images etched themselves in my mind but didn’t make it on to the sensors of my cameras. Even if you don’t like photography try to take some time to visit this area yourself and plan it at a slower pace.
I also wanted to see Portsmouth. I was fascinated by sailing as a child and this port city was one of the reasons Britain became a world power. Again, I didn’t allot anywhere close to enough time to see all I wanted to see, but I am glad we stopped and especially glad we had Fish and Chips at an authentic seaside pub.
The last stop was Eastbourne where I booked a Bed and Breakfast called Beach Front Guest House. I booked it because it was close to the Seven Sisters Cliffs (and close enough to Heathrow that we could make it back to return the rental car and meet our driver for the day) knowing I wanted a chance to photograph the sunset there. On the stop, I got a chance to meet a photographer who comes to photograph the cliffs often. He is pretty serious about it and he probably took at least ten times as many shots as I did, mostly from the same vantage point on a tripod set to take images every few seconds, trying to get exactly the right shot. I am sure his are better than mine, but I got some I am pleased with and you can click here to see them and a few from Portsmouth.