Doth my eyes deceive me? We reached Swanage on Sunday evening, and were greeted by the strange sight of a burning ball of fire in the sky. Rumor has it, this thing is called a "sun!"
We spent the day driving down from Swindon, stopping at the usual attractions along the way. Stonehenge was impressive, as expected. Divining itself the best 'henge I've ever seen. Old Sarum was possibly more impressive. It's the ruined site of an old castle/fort dating back 5000 years, making it about the same age as Stonehenge, but arguably there's a lot more to see. The site is little more than some ruined walls, but the "exhibition" does a great job of describing the significance of the geological and archaeological finds. We spent a couple of hours wandering round the site. What was great was the number of people who brought their dogs or a picnic, and were enjoying the weather and the wide open green spaces on top of this ancient hilltop fort.
We drove into Swanage, and found our hotel reasonably easily. It's not rally correct to call it a hotel. It's a converted house sitting about halfway up a steep hill. There are about five rooms for guests, which while compact, are quite cosy and well appointed. Despite the small space, we've got an ensuite with a shower, which makes a huge racket when you turn it on in the morning. It sounds like you're in the middle of a jet engine, and the pilot is gunning the throttle like a boy racer waiting at a red light. I only hope the other guests didn't have to put up with the sound of our jet engine shower at 6am...
Because that is the time we got up yesterday. Truth be told, I didn't mind. For the first time since we arrived in the UK, we woke up to sun streaming in our window. We have a beautiful view of the ocean from our room, and with the promise of sunny weather, and with breakfast not being served til 8.30, Jaime and I decided to walk along the coast. We did a small hike up to Peveril Point, where we could look along the Jurassic coast towards France (if you crane your neck). The views are amazing, and it was stunning to stand there at seven in the morning, with no one about except for fitness fanatics running up and down the hill, and take in the gentle breeze, the warm sun, the swish of the water against the cliff face, and the taste of salt in the wind. I think this was the first time it felt like a holiday, rather than just visiting a new place. A pity we've only got three nights to spend here. I could easily spend a week in Swanage.