Mon August 13 - Exeter to London via Stonehenge, Arundel Castle & White Cliffs of Dover

 
 Alarm went off at 7 am and we slept in.  The aim was to leave at 8 am but by the time we finally got everything packed up and ready to go and went down for breakfast it was 830.  We realized that it was a little over 2 hrs to Stonehenge so we skipped breakfast and got on the road.  Silly google GPS lead us a teeny bit astray and we over shot it and arrived 5 mins late.  Not to worry we parked, collected the tickets and guidebook and headed into the site.  We were told that you can wait for a shuttle to take you to the stones or walk the half an hour it takes.  A shuttle was coming so we opted for the shuttle.  Short ride later we were approaching the stones.  You cannot go right up to them but they have a ring around that you can walk completely around them.  We opted for just the guidebook and it didn't take long.  It's impressive but come on they are ultimately just a bunch of stones...

So a little about Stonehenge: they have carbon dated quite a few of the stones from 2500 BC.  It is a commonly held belief that Stonehenge was built by the druids.  This is not the case.  Druids were priests who flourished in the Iron Age, the centuries just before the Roman occupation of Britain in AD 43 long before the stones were put there.  What the true purpose of the stones are is still a mystery however archaeologists have discovered many things that point to it being a gathering path over the centuries, a burial place, a temple and a time keeper (see arrow below).  One of the most interesting things about Stonehenge is the stones themselves - the bluestones have been positively identified as coming from the Preseli Hills of Wales over  150 miles (240 km) to the west of Stonehenge.  There were originally at least 80 bluestones come weighing up to 3 tonnes.  The sarsen stones (type of extremely hard sandstone) source lies more than 19 miles (30 km) to the north on the Marlborough Downs in north Wiltshire.  Some of these weight up to 35 tonnes.  The make up the outer rim of the standing stone circle.  In an era without winches and vehicles to transport and lift how did they get them and install them?  The sarsens were found closer to the site and it is estimated that a stone of that size could be dragged on a simple wooden sledge by a team of about 200 people.  The bluestones however are a bit more of a puzzle.  It has been suggested because they are smaller that the first part of their journey would have been by land but transport by the rive Avon is often suggested as forming the final part of their journey from wales.  That's a whole lot of dedication from a whole lot of people in building something in that era.

Winter solstice marker

After Stonehenge we made the 2+ hour drive to Arundel Castle.  We made it by 2pm and had lunch in a little cafe.  I tried a local delicacy - Welsh Rarebit.  It was nice.

After lunch we headed up to the castle.  It should be noted that Arundel is still maintained, lived in and managed by the Duke of Norfolk.  This was not an English Heritage site and was not included in our pass, we had to purchase tickets separate.  As such there were different ticket levels - one for just the grounds, one for the grounds and medieval castle, one for the grounds, medieval castle and the modern residence and lastly one for the grounds, medieval castle, modern residence and bedrooms.  We purchased the second to last one and headed up to the medieval castle.  It was a little bit of a hike up some stairs but worth it.

Entry gate into Arundel

View of the main residence

The medieval keep

View of the residence from the medieval keep

The wall around from the medieval keep.  Note the two statues - one is a lion and the other a horse.  These signify the union of marriage way back

One of the many small stairwells

Most of the walls were this mortar and glass like structure

Another view from the tower of the current residence

Family heirlooms - a formal uniform that has been handed down.

Tapestry for sale 

Walking to the gardens.

 After the medieval castle we made the short walk to the gardens.  There were 4 of them however I really wanted to see the Collector Earls Garden - a recent addition in tribute to the 14th Earl of Arundel who was an avid art collector and a big patron of the arts in general.  He really brought wealth and opulence to Arundel.  The garden was spectacular and just lovely to walk through.  The sun was shining brightly so it was just perfect.  Besides the gorgeous flower gardens there was a vegetable one that feeds the residence.

The chapel is on the grounds of the castle but not in the garden

One of the entries

One of the exits 

 After Arundel we got back on the road for the long drive down to Dover.  We really wanted to see the famous white cliffs even if it was 2hrs out of the way.

Rolling countryside

 We made it by 6pm just before the gates closed but were very happy we made the effort.

Dover Castle in the distance driving to the cliffs.

The harbor and shipping yards

They are just as stunning as you see from pictures online.  

The cliffs are a very soft chalky stone.  It would be very easy to tunnel into them

Sunset and Dover Castle in the distance

After Dover it was time to head into our last place we are staying for this trip - London.  It was 2 hrs away so today was the longest day of our whole adventure.  We made it into town by 9 pm, filled up on gas, picked up some food at the gas station and checked into our hotel.  We are returning the car tomorrow and exploring London for the next 4 days via public transport.  We have no set plans here and plan to play it by ear each of our last days so surprise!

Our home for the next 4 days