Woke up to heavy rain and packed up the camper for our trip back to Emsworth. Dee and Trevor have organised some significant sites to visit on the way back.

We mainly stay on the A roads but need to go on B roads to see the sights. Firstly we go along a narrow road to see the White Horse on slopes of a high hill in Bratton Downs near Westbury. It was originally made by clearing the grass on the slope to reveal the chalk that is prevalent in these parts. During the war it was covered up so it couldn't be used as a landmark. More recently due to erosion and vandalism it has been concreted to preserve it.

From there we made our way across the Salisbury Plain to Larkhill. Larkhill is housing which is part of the Military Defence Estate. Much of the plain is used by the military for training. Although John didn't live there he visited often when his parents, Elsie and Steve, and sister and brother, Anne and Ken lived there. This is a significant part of John's past. The semi-detached at 26 Alan Brooke Rd was still there. The field was still there where Steve would walk the dog, Bruce. Elsie would tell Bruce when John was visiting and he would wait at the window and would wag his tail long before he could see John. I'm sure Anne will remember her time there. I have posted some photos.

We then went to Stone Henge which was only about a 15 min drive from Larkhill. Years ago you could drive up and walk around the stones. Now it is fenced off to preserve the site. We parked the camper at the visitors centre and took the shuttle bus for the 2km ride to the stones. We were given a cassette to listen to with information associated with the site. The stones were laid pre iron age which is before 800BC. To bring the stones from Wales and know which direction to go was a mean feat. There were no maps then. There are two ditches round Stone Henge with a trench leading away from it on one side. There are mounds seen in the distance all the way round that contain bodies with artefacts in them. It is not known why Stone Henge was built but the stones are arranged in relation to the summer sun. It is all interesting to learn about. We spent about 2 hours there.

Trevor then drove about 30 mins to Fovant Down to where the Regimental Badges are etched into the hillside just like the White Horse. There are six badges visible with one of them being the Australian Military Badge. It is supported by the Australian Veteran Affairs. You can see them on the photos. The weather wasn't very good so they are not real clear. There were more badges but over time they eroded and disappeared.

Two hours later we were back in Emsworth. What a way to finish our first week in the United Kingdom. We will keep everyone posted. xxxx