Pippa and I had been planning this weekend away to Wiltshire for several months. It was coincidental that it ended up being on the weekend of my birthday. Amy came with us having survived other trips away with us including Bodium Castle and Jousting @ Leeds castle. The plan was to visit a lot of the Iron Age sites around Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. Like the photo albums show we went to the White Horse hill carving near Uffington, Oxfordshire. It is remarkable that it was carved about 3000 years ago and cannot be seen in full from anywhere on the ground. So the people that carved it, had to plan the full dimensions carefully to get the image correct. As it reflects the style seen in cave paintings in France from the same time, it is not out of proportion simply because it could not be seen. It is in the style of the time. We walked all over the hill for a few hours going to the hill fort of Dragon Hill and the larger Uffington Castle. Anouk enjoyed all the running around and met other dogs who she ignored as usual.

After Uffington and lunch in the White Horse Inn we drove to Avebury to see the stone circle. The landlord at the White Horse Inn was a grumpy dude with a lot of young French waitresses. But the food was great and it scored a 4.5/5 on our pub Guide.

Avebury stone circle is older than Stonehenge and larger in scale. All the stones bar 5 were re-erected in the 1900s by an archaeologist who discovered them. The village of Avebury is in the middle of the circle as it is so big and some people even have a stone in their garden. It was fascinating to think that the earliest of English people had this kind of skill and knowledge. Avebury is now a world heritage site because of the stone circle. Funnily enough, the Druids often claim places like Stonehenge and Avebury, but there is no history or archaeology that suggests the original Druids ever used these sites. Like the Druid/Wizard we saw it is a much more modern phenomenon.

Marlborough, where we stayed, is beautiful. Pippa's brother, father, grandfather and great grandfather all went to school there. Great Uncle Christopher who did the etchings I put on the blog was the mayor of the town 3 times. We stayed at the Lamb Inn with great rooms overlooking the courtyard. Anouk had a brief squabble with the dog next door and was accused of starting a squabble with a dog in the markets. But she insisted she did not start it and we believe her. It is not like Anouk to start fights. We ate out for my birthday at the Castle & Ball. The service was varied. The new waitress did not know what Midori was and the bar did not have it which confused her. Also she bought the bottle of wine but forgot the glasses. But the head waitress was very apologetic and we had a laugh about the whole thing. The food was worth it though, especially the puddings. It was a really nice time and the only downer was my camera did not load all the photos onto the computer and I actually lost a couple, including a photo of the house Katharine's family bought when they returned from living in Africa.

On Sunday we went to Old Sarum. I have read the book 'Sarum' by Edward Rutherford, which triggered all this interest in these places. Old Sarum is the original site of Salisbury from the Iron Age settlement. Now, however there is a series of different ruins from Iron Age, Romans, Saxons and Henry I's seat of power. In the 1200s the site of the cathedral was moved when weapon technology out grew hill fort defence capacity, and thus Salisbury was build on the river flats below the hill fort.

Salisbury cathedral was spectacular. I am amazed at the ability to build such buildings at a time before cranes, reinforced concrete, steel etc. And all out of stone and the carvings and detail of the Gothic period is overwhelming. Inside, the vaulted ceiling rises up to the base of the spire. I can see how people seeing these buildings could believe in God. In modern times we accept most things can be built, so are less amazed by fantastic buildings.

Finally on the way home we went to Stonehenge. Katharine told us that as a girl she used to play around the stones and lay on the altar stone. Now there is a dedicated path well back from the stones and a huge dedicated car park with entry fees, audio tours, gift shops and take away food. I understand this protects the site and caters for the tourist, but sadly it does take from the site as well. Walking in amongst the Stone Circle at Avebury was a more personal an experience than Stonehenge. But what would a tour of the Iron Age sites of southern England be if we gave Stonehenge a miss and also Amy had never been there before.

I am going to ask for a weekend off in October so Pippa, Amy and I can go to Dunkerque for the weekend. I found a deal that allows a car a return ferry ticket across the channel for £25. So this is our next adventure, maybe, but otherwise there is Paris for our 10th wedding anniversary.