The weather was vastly improved today, which was a relief as we had a longish drive through four counties. It was a bit sad saying goodbye to Cornwall - there were noisy Cornish seagulls eveywhere we went and they sound just like the gulls in Doc Martin - lovely.
After driving through Devon and a bit of Somerset we arrived at Cheddar Gorge - home to an ancient cave system and the resting place of Cheddar Man - a 9000-year old mesolithic warrior whose DNA was found to be a perfect match for that of a current Cheddar resident. Most of our Cheddar cave pics were a bit ordinary, but this one is okay.
Lots of limestone etc.
And this one of another cave entrance;
The cave tour was self-guided with individual audio phones. The audio detracted somewhat from the cave experience because it was very kiddy-focused. Most of the tourists we saw were our vintage or older, and Betty the bat (in gingham apron and bonnet) doing a cheesy commentary on bat lifestyles in Cheddar Gorge was a bit inappropriate. (See that word play there? Astoundingly, it was accidental.)
One of our biggest frustrations when driving is inadequate road signage. We are quite convinced that the British RTA has the view that locals need only one directional prod and they'll know their way home, and anyone else can go to buggery. I cannot begin to count the number of times we have followed a signpost only to encounter a junction one kilometre later with five or six directional possibilities and we have not the faintest idea which way we should go. Invariably we choose the wrong way. Of course! We had yet another of these experiences today, in a place called Shepton Mallet. For the life of me I couldn't remember the name of it later, and came up with Shitting Telford when trying to think of it. Geoff thinks it's most appropriate!
We are now holed up in our no-frills Travelodge motel near Bath. Earlier this arvo, we had a quick trip to Devizes, Wiltshire, birthplace of my gggg grandfather, Isaac Newton. (For the life of me I can't work out why his name sounds familiar.) Isaac was born in 1780 and spent 32 years in the Army. Then he was a fishmonger. He had three wives, the old dog. Devizes is quite a nice town - pretty big, with a canal running through it. Not sure if canals had been created when Isaac was around. But here's a pic of a 12th century church in Devizes:
Tomorrow: Bath and possibly the Avebury stone circles.
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After driving through Devon and a bit of Somerset we arrived at Cheddar Gorge - home to an ancient cave system and the resting place of Cheddar Man - a 9000-year old mesolithic warrior whose DNA was found to be a perfect match for that of a current Cheddar resident. Most of our Cheddar cave pics were a bit ordinary, but this one is okay.
Lots of limestone etc.
And this one of another cave entrance;
The cave tour was self-guided with individual audio phones. The audio detracted somewhat from the cave experience because it was very kiddy-focused. Most of the tourists we saw were our vintage or older, and Betty the bat (in gingham apron and bonnet) doing a cheesy commentary on bat lifestyles in Cheddar Gorge was a bit inappropriate. (See that word play there? Astoundingly, it was accidental.)
One of our biggest frustrations when driving is inadequate road signage. We are quite convinced that the British RTA has the view that locals need only one directional prod and they'll know their way home, and anyone else can go to buggery. I cannot begin to count the number of times we have followed a signpost only to encounter a junction one kilometre later with five or six directional possibilities and we have not the faintest idea which way we should go. Invariably we choose the wrong way. Of course! We had yet another of these experiences today, in a place called Shepton Mallet. For the life of me I couldn't remember the name of it later, and came up with Shitting Telford when trying to think of it. Geoff thinks it's most appropriate!
We are now holed up in our no-frills Travelodge motel near Bath. Earlier this arvo, we had a quick trip to Devizes, Wiltshire, birthplace of my gggg grandfather, Isaac Newton. (For the life of me I can't work out why his name sounds familiar.) Isaac was born in 1780 and spent 32 years in the Army. Then he was a fishmonger. He had three wives, the old dog. Devizes is quite a nice town - pretty big, with a canal running through it. Not sure if canals had been created when Isaac was around. But here's a pic of a 12th century church in Devizes:
Tomorrow: Bath and possibly the Avebury stone circles.
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