A Month in Chippenham, England with Day Trips to Bath, Oxford, Stonehenge and More

 

Chippenham was our month-long rest stop between our July UK cruises and our September transatlantic cruise to the States. After months of lots of exciting adventures and touring, with few rest stops, we were happy to have a month to just pause and live normal life. However, that doesn't mean that we didn't make some time to get out and explore what the area has on offer (map shows places we went)!

Chippenham is sometimes called the Gateway to the Cotswolds, because the many beautiful towns and sights of the southern Cotswolds are easily accessible from here. It is also close to the famous Bath, as well as about an hour from Bristol and two hours from central London.

One of England's market towns since around 1300, Chippenham dates back to the Saxon period, in the 7th century, as evidenced by archaeological finds. King Alfred hunted in the surrounding forests, and his sister Ethelwitha was married here in 853. 

We ventured to the market (held on Fridays and Saturdays). Our property manager had warned it didn't have much on offer. Sadly, she was correct. The cattle market, commemorated with this statue, closed in 2005. Chippenham seems to be evolving into a commuter town for London, and possibly also Bristol. Property manager said the town has been quickly increasing in population, and our Mad Max tour guide said that property here is becoming unaffordable.

The town is situated on the (Bristol) River Avon (not to be confused with the many other Rivers Avon in England). 

Enjoying a pause on the River Avon.

Swans on the river, getting a snack. There is a special spot on the bridge for feeding the water fowl.

Our apartment probably technically fits the definition of a tiny house, but it is quite large, so I don't feel like it garners a tiny house review. The owner has several converted apartments that were formerly mews. Some of the upper apartments are located above businesses, but ours is over another unit and looks out over the garden. 

The Black Horse Public House next door, where drunken singing occasionally occurs, was built in the 1840s and is a British Listed Building.

The owner's mother loves gardening, and the back yard is full of all kinds of plants that she tends to every day. In the back behind the gate she has created beautiful landscaping from a former mess of brambles.

View from the back door.

Beautiful terraced landscape. In springtime there are flowers.

I liked these natural planters.

I wonder how old these walls are?

The apartment is plenty spacious and has everything we need to function. We are located right in the town, so the train station, grocery store, park, and restaurants / pubs are all within walking distance. The only real challenge we faced was the heat wave that overcame southern England for multiple days. Without air conditioning, it was a real challenge to have temps reaching into the 90s. We got ourselves a fan, since the unit didn't have one, but the host graciously agreed to reimburse us.

Cool bench! That's life on the road - you never know what random item you're going to need!

How our neighbors were dealing with the heat. 😂

We enjoyed using this Pop Up Garden when out doing errands and exploring.

Chippenham Town Coucil, War Memorial and St. Andrew's Church.

The railway viaduct, mid 1800s, is a listed builiding.

Our Day Trips

Bath

The first place we chose to visit is the famous town of Bath, a bucket list item for us. Bath is known for its Roman baths, from which it gets its name, as well as for its many beautiful buildings constructed out of the local honey-colored limestone. Bath is situated on the River Avon (Bristol) and lies at the southern edge of the Cotswolds region. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. Our general goals to focus our day were to visit Bath Abbey, try a bath bun, see Pulteney Bridge, and take a river cruise.

Bath is just a short train ride from Chippenham. When we arrived I couldn't resits having my photo made with an iconic red British phone box. Because of significantly decreased usage, many of these phone boxes are being sold to their local community for £1. We've seen them converted to a wide range of purposes, including flower boxes like this one. 

Walking into town from the station, a nice example of the area stone.

The tower of St. John the Evangelist's Church looked impressive against the dramatic sky.

A peek at the Parade Gardens, a lovely green space.

Although Sally Lunn's is the OG bath bun spot, we decided that the one at The Bath Bun looked much more yummy. It was a delicious snack. This cafe is located on a lovely square, and we got the unexpected bonus of seeing the gorgeous giant plane tree, planted in 1793!

Around the corner is Abbey Square, where we caught our first glimpse of Bath Abbey. I made a circuit around to capture all its angles. Stunning. Founded in the 8th century as a Benedictine monastery, it was dissolved in 1539 by Henry VIII, but a few decades later became the parish church and remains an active parish today.

Also in this area are the Roman baths. As you can see from the photos, even though it was early, it was already crowded. We decided this wasn't worth our limited time, but I did take a few exterior shots.

Before checking out the inside of the Abbey, we stopped to listen to some musicians busking in Abbey Square. Here's a brief selection of Ave Maria. There was an opera singer around the corner, so this is a fun area to enjoy some music, have a rest, and people watch.

The Abbey interior was just as beautiful as I had anticipated. It had one of prettiest ceilings (created in the 1500s) of the many churches and cathedrals I've seen on these travels.

The West and East Windows are highlighted features of the Abbey. The West Window, 1894, tells the stories of the first five books of the Bible, while the East Window, 1873, tells the story of Jesus' life.

The King Edgar Window is another beautiful feature, with an interesting connection to modern times.

Lots of cool things to see here, including parts of the original Norman cathedral's pillars.

There was a nice special exhibit of textile panels created by artist Sue Symons. Next we were on the hunt to find the bridge...

Pulteney Bridge, erected 1769-1774, is famous for being only one of four bridges in the world with shops spanning across it on both sides.

It also has a fabulous view of the River Avon, as well as the Pulteney Weir. And there's our river cruise boat. Time to hop onboard!

We sailed under the bridge and up the River Avon to Bathampton Mill and then back. It was at a leisurely pace, with picture perfect weather, and nice views. We treated ourselves to some G&Ts for the ride. Cheers!

Oxford

We hit another bucket list item by taking a day trip to Oxford. We hopped on the early (more costly) commuter train toward London in order to maximize our time there. Once there we grabbed the first HOHO bus in order to get an overview of this beautiful university town. Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world.

For those who aren't familiar Oxford University is composed of 39 separate colleges (academic communities), each functioning independently and with its own history, funding, etc. The oldest colleges date back to the mid 1200s.

We learned on our tour that the student experience at Oxford is very different from the traditional: each academic year is composed of three terms in which students meet one-on-one or in small groups with their professor as related to their interest / area of study. John and I wondered what the advisee load was for each professor. This, to me, would be a great way to teach and to learn. It sounds a lot like homeschooling!

It would take more than a day's visit to explore some of the colleges, but we were able to see the exteriors of several.

Christ Church College is one of Oxford's most famous, as it was originally established by Cardinal Thomas Woolsey in the early 1500s. After Woolsey's infamous death, Henry VIII took over the college, and it maintained Royal connections for many years. A famous alumnus of Christ Church College is Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice in Wonderland for Alice Liddell, daughter of the college's dean. I really would have liked to take a tour here, but we just didn't have enough time!

The structure in the back that looks like a cathedral is the dining hall. It served as the inspiration for the set design of Hogwarts dining hall in the Harry Potter films.

Tom Tower one of the entrance gates to the Christ Church quad. The tower above the gate was built by Sir Christoper Wren in the late 1600s.

Magdalen College was founded in the 1400s and has one of the largest endowments of the Oxford colleges. Oscar Wilde is a famous alumnus.

Magdalen College is considered one of the prettiest, with its impressive tower and location next to the River Cherwell.

Exeter College, 1314, is known for being friendly, with a tight-knit student body.

Founded in the mid 1200s, Balilol College, is one of the oldest colleges and was among the first to offer academic opportunities to women.

Oxford has been called "the city of dreaming spires." You can see why from the stunning architecture.

Some additional interesting sights from the HOHO bus:

Oxford University Museum of Natural History, built in 1860. This was one of my favorite buildings.

The Eagle and Child pub, aka The Bird and Baby, was the hangout of the Inklings, a group of writers including C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

John pointed out my 'dream shop' as we rode down High Street. 😄

St. George's Tower and the mound. Remnants of the medieval Oxford Castle, c. 11th century.

Amusing gargoyles. I believe these were on Merton College building, but I'm not 100% certain.

Martyrs' Memorial, completed in 1843, commemorates the 1555 burning at the stake of three Protestant bishops.

A few steps away, St. Mary Magdalen's Church and graveyard, with the ever-present bikes.

Co-op Building, George Street.

I couldn't get a great shot of this building, but I did want to include it because it has an interesting connection. This is Rhodes House, home of the Rhodes Trust which administers the Rhodes Scholarship. The current warden of Rhodes House is Elizabeth Kiss, Ph.D., former president of Agnes Scott College, Emily's undergraduate college. A Rhodes Scholar and Oxford University graduate, Dr. Kiss is the first woman to hold this position. Impressive!

For a 'deep explore' beyond the HOHO bus, we chose three activities: 1) getting a closer look at the famous buildings around the Bodleian libraries; 2) taking a walk through the University Parks; and, 3) visiting the Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology. 

The Bodleian libraries are a collection of 37 libraries across Oxford University, including its main and oldest library, the Bodleian, or "Bod." The Bod dates back to 1488 with the portion called Duke Humphrey's library, one of its three historic reading rooms. We had hoped to take a tour here (the only way to go inside as a guest), but the few remaining spots didn't fit with our other plans for the day. Another famous library in the system is Radcliffe Camera, an iconic building, which is connected to the Bod via an underground passage. It also requires a guided tour. The Weston Library holds the university's special collections. To work in this system must be a librarian's dream! 

We visited the exteriors of all three of these libraries, as well as other prominent buildings in the area, and we had lunch in the Weston's cafe. We also visited the famous Blackwell's, which is in this part of the city.

The Bod is a visual treat! I'm sure the inside must be equally fantastic. Another time.

Radcliffe Camera, mid 1700s. I read this is the most photographed building in Oxford. It is not an easy area to walk around!

The original Blackwell Books, here on Broad Street, opened in 1879. It is now the largest academic and specialist bookseller in the UK. Until recently, when it was purchased by Waterstones, it was privately owned. 

This amusing mural leads to the basement where there are over 3.5 km of bookshelves!

The store had a lot of Tolkien items. It has a special connection to this famous author, as it was the first to publish him, a children's poem called Goblin Feet.

Free book delivery! I tried my best to find some memento related to the Oxford comma debate, but I was unsuccessful. Are you pro or con? John and I are in opposition, one of the few things we disagree on.

Also on Broad Street is the Weston library, which seemed contemporary compared to all of the other places! Inside the lobby there is a nice cafe that encourages a sit down and chat with its no laptop rule for a large part of the day. We overheard a conversation next to us which was surely an advisor assigning reading to an advisee. John and I agreed it was great to be surrounded by the floating bookshelves above and intelligent conversation while enjoying a quick bite. (They also had my new favorite flavor of Pellegrino, melograno e arancia.)

Across the street is the lovely Sheldonian Theatre, designed by Christopher Wren, construction mid 1600s. 

Another interesting spot on Broad Street is the first OXFAM charity shop.

Additional architecture around the area. It was a challenge to get pictures, as a movie crew was on site. I imagine this happens often! The walkway connecting two buildings is nicknamed Bridge of Sighs because of its similarity to the famous bridge in Venice.

The University Parks was a perfect place to enjoy a stroll and a sit on a beautiful day. For a focus, we decided to look for the Tolkien Memorial Bench. The Parks contains many sports fields. We even noticed what appeared to be an American football field, and we learned that Oxford has an American Football team! The River Cherwell borders a section of the park. 

Along one of the pretty paths.

People were punting on the River Cherwell.

We found the memorial bench.

Robes. He was in a hurry to get somewhere!

Detail of Keble College building, across from University Parks.

The Ashmolean Museum, opened in 1683 is Britain's first public museum and is free to the public. It contains an extensive collection of artifacts as well as a fine art collection. 

The collection is housed in a lovely neoclassical building built in the mid 1800s.

Free entry? Suggested donation £5? I can get rid of my last expired note. Success! 

The Ashmolean's collection is quite overwhelming and would take more than the couple of hours we had to deeply explore, so we decided to focus on searching out some of its famous holdings and to explore the art gallery, with an emphasis on their Impressionist collection, enjoying whatever other random items we saw along the way. For the paintings, I'm sharing some pieces that are dissimilar from those typically associated with the artist.

Chief Powhatan's Mantle, early 1600s, and Oliver Cromwell's Death Mask, d. 1658.

Textile fragments from Egypt, Mamluk period (1250-1517), and Guy Fawkes' lantern, c. 1600.

Octopus Jar, Crete, c. 1400 BC

The Buddha, c. 200 AD

Death of the Buddha, c. 200 AD. The inscription had some of his purported final words: "All composite things must pass away. Be therefore mindful and vigilant." Surely these thoughts inspired the beautiful George Harrison song All Things Must Pass?

Jacob Kirckman harpsichord, 1772

Rubens pencil sketch, 1634

Degas, Promenade beside the Sea, 1860

Renoir, Still Life of Roses in a Vase, c. early 1900s

Monet, A Mill Near Zaandam, 1871

Mad Max Tour: Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock, and Castle Combe

While staying in Chippenham, we had hoped to find a tour that would allow us to visit Stonehenge, as that really requires a car otherwise. Friend Lori Seward suggested Mad Max Tours out of Bath, so I signed us up for one of the few remaining in August. This turned out to be a perfect tour for us. Even though a bus tour, it uses small coaches and limits group size to 14, which allowed us to drive down some of the smaller roads and really enjoy the various counties we visited. In addition to visiting Stonehenge, the tour included a trip to Avebury (where I've always wanted to return after our visit in 2015) and to a couple of lovely Cotswold villages, along with a couple of bonus items along the way. 

After taking an early train to Bath in order to arrive at the meet-up point, we boarded the coach and headed off to Stonehenge. It is located on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire County (which is also the county of Chippenham). 

Scenery along our hour drive to Stonehenge. The first photo is nearer to Bath, while the second photo is closer to Stonehenge, approaching the Plain.

Example of stone from the area.

Tour guide Nick emphasized that the earlier we get there the better, and he was right. We were the third coach to arrive, so there wasn't an overwhelming number of people at the stones. By the time we left after two hours, it was packed! 

Ready to go see the Stones! Visitors can walk the mile or hop on a complementary shuttle. With time constraints, the shuttle is the way to go.

Stonehenge dates back approximately to 2500 BC, making it older than the pyramids. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most famous landmarks not only in the UK, but in the world. We enjoyed walking around the Stones, viewing it from different angles, and contemplating its history and magnificence. 

This is an animation I made from the individual shots I took from all the angles.

The Aubrey Holes, named after the archaeologist who discovered them, are 56 pits on the outer ring of the monument. I don't think there is a consensus on exactly what purpose they served, but human remains have been found around them, so something to do with death ceremonies?

Speaking of deaths, there are burial mounds all around this area. You can see several on the ridge below the trees in this photo.

The arrows show the path of the solar alignments for which Stonehenge is famous. Archaeologists determined that the particular stones framing the alignment were those that received the most intense and careful work in their shaping. The exhibition center had a cool time lapse video of what the alignment would look like from inside the stones.

John was intrigued by this stone because of the perfectly shaped inner core that appeared much more modern. He spoke with one of the workers and learned that this stone was hollow. Because of exposure they were worried about it collapsing, so they filled it with a material to help stabilize it. 

These are the two types of stones used in Stonehenge. The display sign explains them much better than I ever could, so I'll just drop that below...

After Stonehenge, we were headed to the Stones at Avebury. En route we had a fun photo stop to view the Alton Barnes white horse, one of several horses carved into English hillsides to reveal chalk underneath. Because it sometimes isn't visible, Nick stops at a horse farm, so the guests can see a real horse if all else fails. This was quite fun and popular with everyone on the tour. The horses were very happy to see we had carrots!

Views of the Alton Barnes White Horse

Come on, the tourists are here with the carrots!

Precious

This one kept pushing the others away to dominate the carrots. It also did not mind paparazzi.

Avebury, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has the largest stone circle in the world. In contrast to Stonehenge, at Avebury you can wander among the stones and touch them. It is also thought to be older than Stonehenge. In fact, a village is interspersed among the stones, and the local pub, The Red Lion, is the only pub in the world inside of a stone circle!

We were here in 2015, and I remember how I could feel the energy of the stones. I was excited to return!

From our 2015 visit. Sheep like to wander amongst the stones too.

Our time to visit in 2015 was limited, and we spent all of our time wandering around the stones. This time we wanted to be sure to have a drink at the pub, as well as a chance to explore the village a bit. Of course, though, we left some time to explore the stones.

John enjoying a view of some stones while having his pint.

John's pointing out that even though he's in England, he's being true to his roots and having his favorite Italian beer. It's a lot cheaper in Sicily!

The village is very quaint.

The Avenue, leading to the circle, has paired male and female stones. Avebury is known for its enormous henge.

The stones truly are magical and are believed to have energetic healing properties.

We walked among the part of the circle we didn't explore in 2015.

En route to our next destination, the village of Lacock, we drove past another white horse as well as the prettiest thatch-roof house. 

Cherhill White Horse

Thatch roofs are more environmentally-friendly.

Lacock

This beautiful village in Wiltshire county is almost wholly owned by England's National Trust. It is considered a quintessential Cotswolds village. Because of its unspoiled appearance, it is popular with visitors and filmmakers. Some popular productions that have filmed here are Downton Abbey, Wolf Hall, Pride and Prejudice, and, of course, Harry Potter! Most of the buildings are from the 18th century or earlier, with some going back several hundred years.

Lacock Abbey in the distance as we approached the village.

Architecture samples in the village.

We had a two hour stop here, since it was the scheduled place for lunch, but we had packed sandwiches to eat on the bus, so we had a good bit of time to meander. Since Lacock is about 3 miles from Chippenham, we already had intended to return for a deep explore, so we did not visit the Abbey and photography museum on this round. Instead, we walked around looking for the Harry Potter locations, soaking in the village, and its many historical buildings, along the way. 

Harry Potter's parents' home, where Voldemort approaches and enters to kill the Potters. Seen in flashback in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Budleigh Babberton (streets) and Babberton Arms (Sign of the Angel pub). In Half Blood Prince, Harry and Dumbledore apparate here in search of Horace Slughorn, hoping to recruit him to teach at Hogwarts.

We had a nice cider in the courtyard of Sign of the Angel. This inn is from the 15th century!

Horace Slughorn's house / hideout. Harry and Dumbledore approach the house in a scene in Half Blood Prince.

The Slughorn house has a nice topiary garden.

Next to the Potter house, we discovered St. Cyrian's, a 14th century church. It has examples of different periods of architecture from its various additions. The oldest grave in the yard is from 1619.

The 14th century tithe barn, restored to its original appearance, is an impressive structure in Lacock. During medieval times, tenants of the Abbey paid with a portion of their crops, which were stored here. Can you see the stones in the roof?

One charming feature of Lacock was the honor boxes, where you could purchase local products by placing money through the letter box. We treated ourselves to a jar of black cherry jam. At one of these, we saw the biggest bee we have ever seen!

This style of fence was found throughout Lacock. The stones are pieced without using any mortar. The top stones were for the purpose of keeping sheep from climbing over the fence.

En route to our next destination, Nick drove us past his favorite hedge. Impressive!

Castle Combe

This village, also popular with visitors and filmmakers, has before been voted England's prettiest village. It is about 5 miles from Chippenham. Despite what the name suggests, there is no castle here. Our time here was limited, so we only had time for a stroll and an explore of the 13th century church.

The main street and some characteristic buildings.

The 14th century Market Cross is a focal point of the town, and you might recognize it from the film War Horse. In the past, this marked where the market was held. Castle Combe was granted permission to have a market to sell its cloth in 1440. The cloth market was abandoned in the 16th century when the River Bybrook became too low for transportation of materials.

Bridge over River ByBrook.

St. Andrew's Church exteriors and interiors. Inside there was a nice photo display from the filming of War Horse, which John enjoyed seeing. An interesting monument in the church is that of Sir Walter de Dunstanville, who was Baron of Castle Combe. The symbolism of the  monument shows that he died in battle (sword, lion head) and participated in two crusades (crossed legs). The church also houses one of the oldest faceless working medieval clocks.

En route back to Bath, we had an unexpected bonus of driving pats Little Solsbury Hill. This spot is the inspiration for one of our favorite Peter Gabriel songs, and we learned that he lives in this area. Cool!

Little Solsbury Hill off in the distance. 

Solsbury Hill, Peter Gabriel

Return to Lacock

Since Lacock is a short distance, it was easy to grab a taxi (and a bus home) to have a return visit. We made sure to arrive right as the Abbey was opening, as we wanted to be certain to get good photos. We spent the morning exploring the Abbey and grounds, went to a historic pub for lunch, then returned to the Abbey to visit the photography museum. It was a really nice day!

The Abbey was of particular interest to me because I'm currently reading Hilary Mantel's award-winning Wolf Hall trilogy, and the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII are a key historical event in the series. The Abbey, established in 1232, has an interesting history, but the period in the 1500s is what relates to Henry VII. During this period, many buildings did not survive. However, Lacock Abbey did because Henry sold it to a Tudor nobleman in 1540. Part of the sale agreement was that the church would be torn down. Fortunately, the buyer decided to keep the cloisters and build his manor around this. Thank goodness!

Various exterior views of the Abbey. 

The grassy area is where the convent church stood. If you look to the right in the closer up photo, you can see the faint outlines of an arch. So this exterior wall would have been an interior wall inside the church. The stone from the church was used in construction of the manor extension. 

Getting ready to enter the cloisters.

Wow, gorgeous!

Each of the little figures was different. Can you see this one is a jester?

Contemplating the many footsteps before mine.

One of the side rooms

It was really fun to wander around this beautiful space.

A few exterior details.

Ha-ha wall

The grounds were lovely and included a botanical garden. There were several flowers we've not seen before.

The interior shows how the building evolved over time, as it developed into a manor. In many cases, room sizes were doubled. You can still, however, see original elements. For example, this door leading to the cloisters below was part of the abbess' private rooms.

The Great Hall, built in the 1750s, was an interesting room. It contains sculptures of various people from the building's history, as well as a ceiling painted with coats of arms of the various noble families of the time period. I learned from the docent that some scenes from Wolf Hall were filmed here.

The Abbey was also of interest to us because of a future owner, William Fox Talbot. Talbot was a man of many scientific and artistic interests, and he discovered the photographic negative. For some, he is considered the father of modern photography. The Abbey has a small, yet interesting, photography museum.

Copy of the oldest surviving photographic negative, 1835. The original is held at the National Science and History Museum.

The negative was an image of this window inside the Abbey. Talbot became interested in capturing images in alternative ways after being frustrated by his lack of skill in drawing. 

Talbot's ideas evolved after his experiences with the camera obscura. The grounds have a life size camera obscura, which was fun to use.

The museum had a nice collection of cameras from different time periods.

An interesting factoid.

On display in special exhibits was "Plastic Soup" by artist Mandy Barker. This artist works with environmental scientists to bring awareness to plastic pollution in the marine world. Here she shows all the items found inside a 90 day old marine bird.

For this piece, Barker asked people around the world to collect and send footballs they found on beaches. In the video we watched, Barker was overwhelmed by the number she received. This was a very sobering exhibit.

Our final reason for wanting to explore the Abbey was to see the filming locations from Harry Potter. Emily was able to guess them all, although one threw her because in the film the windows had been covered over. These were gorgeous rooms and I could see why the filmmakers chose to use them for rooms at Hogwarts.

The cloister hallways served as Hogwarts' halls in Sorcerer's Stone (Harry in his invisibility cloak overhears Snape yelling at Quirrell, McGonagall has Harry meet Oliver Wood to encourage him to play Quidditch) and Chamber of Secrets (scenes related to the Basilisk). Other places have also served as Hogwarts hallways.

The Sacistry served as Snape's Potions classroom, although the windows were covered, as the classroom is in the dungeons of Hogwarts.

The Warming Room serves as Quirrell's Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. 

The Chapter House appeared in two films. In Philosopher's Stone, this is the room where Harry first encounters the Mirror of Erised. In Chamber of Secrets, the room serves as a study hall where Harry overhears other students gossiping about him speaking Parseltongue.

Our lunch stop had a nice historical flair. The George Inn pub dates back to 1361! We were fortunate to sit in the part of the building that was from this time. The beams and wood were really cool, as was the medieval fireplace (with turnspit).

Those were some proper chips.

The fireplace with spit. The spit was turned by the wheel, which was powered by a dog bred specifically for this purpose. Hopefully, they gave those pups some meat!

On our way to the bus stop to head home, we couldn't resist a few more pictures from town...

Bus stop is a former jail. Please pick us up! We waited for 3 scheduled buses and were about to figure out how to call a taxi when the 3rd one showed up. We did meet some nice ladies who were getting off at Chippenham and helped us figure out where we were placed in the city.

Well, that's about it. We really enjoyed our stay in this beautiful corner of England, but we're off on our next adventure, transatlantic cruise to the States. I broke my rule of no non-consumable personal souvenirs with my purchase of this lovely bag from the National Trust. It contains almost all the places we visited. It's okay, since my Costa bag was on its last legs - no net weight gain!