Now, where was I, oh that's right. I posted a couple of fillers over the last 4 days, as we seemed to be on the go most of the time. Last Friday morning we left Southampton, planning on visiting around six or so villages on our way to Bradford on Avon.

Ches and Tom had a disagreement around 45 minutes out of Southampton. I listened to Ches and then after a number of U turns we found ourselves on the wrong motorway and then spat out into the countryside somewhere south of Calne. I also spat a rather large dummy.

I still have no idea which villages we passed through on our way to Calne, even after looking carefully at the map. We did pass right beside Silbury Hill and the Avebury heritage area.

We didn't see the Avebury stone circles (the largest in the world) or the Long Barrow. No matter how much you plead, I'm not going to make a short story long … The village of Avebury was built inside the largest stone circle and by the late middle ages, the Christian residents fearful of a pagan monument, dug large pits beside the biggest stones and toppled them into them, burying as many as possible. By the 16th c & 17th c, they were short of building materials, so smashed some into stones to build houses.

Silbury Hill can't be missed as it's a 39m high mound that stands on the plain and visible from a long way off. Built some 4,500 years ago, over a 100 year period, it probably took 18 million man hours. All wasted, as no one knows why. In 2010 an archaeologist announced that as it was built over a 100 year or longer period, and then tinkered with for several thousand years, it was just a plaything "a continuous story telling ritual" and the final shape of the mound may have been unimportant. Kinda like my storytelling.

We also passed through a wonderful thatched cottage village and I've no idea where or what it was called.

We then visited Calne and Sandy Lane before reaching our 1st major destination for the day ….. Laycock. The village is almost entirely owned by the National Trust. Ches fell in love with it. Every 5 minutes she told Drew and Keith that they had to stop off there on their way back to Southampton. Lacock Abbey is right beside the village however we were on a mission to see villages today.

We had lunch at "The Sign of the Angel", a 15th c Inn. I believe they filmed scenes for Harry Potter here and the main street of Laycock was where they filmed the village market scene in Downton Abbey where Marigold is kidnapped by Mrs Drew.

Lunch was fantastic. We both had "pork griskin, celeriac and mushroom cassoulet with broad beans and mushroom sauce". Wiltshire Pork Griskins are a pork chop with the skin and bone removed allowing the butcher to cut thinner steaks (ideal for the smaller appetite). Ches had a chocolate brownie and I the "Eton Mess". Not so much a mess in a parfait glass as expected, as a work of art on a plate. The photo is posted. Still life when served and abstract art when finished.

Next stop Corsham. Corsham Court is a private estate, owned by the Methuen family and they won't open their home on a Friday or Saturday. The grounds designed by Capability Brown, and no longer a must see for us. They love their privacy. A 3 metre high wall surrounding much of the estate and a forest of trees as well. Friday is free parking day in Corsham. Why? I guess they want visitors in the town even if the Methuen's are inhospitable.

Corsham welcomed Flemish weavers fleeing religious persecution in Flanders in the 16th and 17th c. There is a row of terrace houses where they lived and weaved as well as a street called Hooftstraadt. Pieter Johannes Hooft is listed as a company director living in Corsham today however he was born in the Netherlands. Maybe he inherited a Hooft's house in Corsham.

On to Castle Coomb. While this is well north of Bradford on Avon where we planned on visiting on the Saturday morning. We figured that it was too far south of Chipping Camden to visit the following week and we were unlikely to have time to visit on Saturday afternoon on the way north ….. so…. we lucked out.

As we wended our way down into a very narrow valley, the trees were so thick we were amazed that Tom announced we were 200 metres from our destination … no sign of the village. 100m … still no sign, 25m …. There it is. Sitting in a valley between 100 and 150 m wide and maybe 300 m long. By Brook runs through the town, which consists of a single street that forks at the town market cross.

We entered from the southern end of town where we crossed over the bridge and waked up the main street. The roads in and out are so narrow that there are no tourist buses and only a few tourists. You probably couldn't park more than 20 tourist cars anywhere near the village. This is a stunningly pretty village and you really should go to the trouble of looking at their website below. This blog site won't allow me to post any links, so just google ithe site below. Here are 360 degree photos and descriptions of the buildings, so it's almost as though you visited with us.

Very late in the afternoon, we headed back south to Trowbridge where we had booked into Fieldways for the night. They have this strange THING in the UK, with their satnav. Most businesses don't give a street number and sometimes even the street is listed as "unnamed". We were expected to key in the Post Code for Fieldways into Tom. We actually entered the name of the road. Tom announced we had arrived at the Fieldways Hotel and Health Club. No we hadn't. We continued along the road and came to the village T intersection, turned right, did a Ue and headed back for a km. No sign of it. Phoned the hotel. Lady on desk didn't know the names of streets in the town. Knew the name of the pub. Yes, we know where that is. Then do a U turn and go back. We've already done that. Which direction? Wrong direction, go past the pub and continue out the other side of the village. Ah! It's Hillberton Rd on the other side of the village …. We give up, we can see your driveway. Bloody hell! No functioning Bar or Restaurant.

Shower and change of clothes and into town to "The Garden" Café Bar and Grill. Great cold beer and cider. Good fish and chips. Actually mine were OK chips as I ordered "thin". Ches had "thick" and they were almost raw. Paying on the way out, when asked of the meal was OK, I surprised even myself when I said "actually, the chips weren't cooked properly. They immediately took the cost of the chips off the bill and explained that the local growers had been harvesting too soon and they were getting lots of complaints. A brief conversation about mother in law who has moved to Rockingham (W.A.) and hasn't been in touch for two years .. hasn't seen her grandchildren … won't skype …