England, October 2014

In October 2014 I flew to London and travelled in SW England for 3 weeks.  A major aim of the trip was to participate in a one-day Earthwatch Expedition on climate change in Wytham Woods, one of the most extensively studied woodlands in the world, and then to travel to nearby Oxford to explore some of the city.  But before doing that I planned to do a lot of sightseeing using my Britrail Flexipass.  After arriving at Heathrow airport I took the Heathrow Express to London and went to see the poppy display at the Tower of London.  Then I took the train to Redhill where I stayed in a B & B for four nights.  While in Redhill I travelled in the area with my English friend Dorothy.  The first evening we went to quiz night at The Plough, a local pub.  We joined a team sitting at a table and almost won the quiz.  The following day we visited the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisely.  The next day Dorothy drove us South to the lovely village of Amberly and then on to the nearby town of Arundel, and on the following day we visited historic Petworth House, ancestral home of the powerful Percy family.  When I left Redhill I took the train to Great Malvern, left my luggage at my B & B, then raced back to the station to catch trains to the beautiful town of Ludlow and the city of Hereford.  There I visited Hereford cathedral, one of four cathedrals I was able to visit on this trip.  Returning to Great Malvern I spent most of the next day hiking in the Malvern Hills.  Before leaving Great Malvern I took the bus to Worcester and went to evensong at the cathedral.  The next day I took the train to Lichfield, where I visited beautiful Lichfield Cathedral and the nearby home of Erasmus Darwin, which has been converted into a wonderful museum, which celebrates the life and accomplishments of the inventive and highly intelligent paternal grandfather of Charles Darwin. At Lichfield Cathedral, the only English cathedral with three spires, I was able to attend evenson on two consecutive evenings, one with the men's choir and another with the boy's choir. From Lichfield I took the train to Chippenham where I was met by another English friend Clive, who then drove me to his home in the village of Luckington.  Clive took me to the city of Wells, where we visited the historic and magnificent cathedral and nearby Bishop's Palace.  On another day we visited Malmesbury where we visited Malmesbury Abbey and the nearby lovely Abbey Gardens.  On another day we visited Laycock, which along with Ludlow, is considered one of England's loveliest villages.  We explored the town and Laycock Abbey, where scenes from some of  the Harry Potter movies were filmed.  Leaving my friend Clive I took the train to Taunton and from there got the bus to Bishop's Lydeard.  The following day I hiked all day in the Quantocks, from Bishop's Lydeard to the town of Bicknoller.  During my hike, which took 6 hours, I didn't encounter another hiker on the trail.  At Bicknoller I caught a bus to Williton and checked into Arden B & B, a restored cottage that dates back to 1450.  My friendly hosts Jane and Paul very kindly took me in their car to visit some nearby places, including the lovely fossil-rich beach at Kilve where I photographed some large ammonite fossils.  When I finally arrived in Oxford after exploring Wytham Woods, where I measured the diameter of trees as part of the Earthwatch project, I checked into St. Hugh's College, and during the next two days explored the city of Oxford.  I was able to visit four of the 35 colleges at Oxford; in addition to St. Hugh's, I visited Balliol College, one of Oxford's oldest, Wadham College, and Christchurch, Oxford's most well-known college.  Leaving Oxford, I took the train to London where I walked in Regent's Park and trekked around the area near Paddington Station, before getting my flight back home the following day.

The impressive poppy display at the Tower of London

 

Relaxing at Wisely gardens, headquarters of the Royal Horticultural Society

 

One of many pretty houses with thatched roofs in the lovely village of Amberly



A building in Ludlow, considered by many to be one of England's prettiest villages
 

Garden of Erasmus Darwin Museum w/ cathedral in back
 

Front of beautiful Lichfield Cathedral

The magnificent Wells Cathedral

Unique Scissor's Arches in the nave of Wells Cathedral



Vicar's Close.  Built to house the men of the choir in nearby Wells Cathedral, it is the oldest continuously-inhabited street   in England, dating back to 1363.



Part of the formal gardens at the Abbey Gardens in Malmesbury

The chess set in the Abbey Gardens at Malmesbury



A view of the Vale of Taunton and the lovely countryside of Somerset,  seen during my all-day hike in the Quantocks.

Arden Cottage, my 5-star B & B, during my visit to Williton.



The fossil-rich beach at Kilve

Laycock village, where some scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed

Tea cakes at the craft fair in Laycock Village Hall



The cloisters at Laycock Abbey.  The abbey was founded in 1232 and was used as a nunnery until the Reformation during the reign of Henry VIII.  It did not suffer the fate of most of the abbeys that were damaged or destroyed during the time of Henry VIII, and it remains one of the best preserved medieval abbeys in England

Christchurch College, Oxford

Regent's Park in London