One Day Tour of Southern England

 This evening, I am reprising one day out of an extended tour of sites in England.

[c Tour group at Castle Combe, Wiltshire

This morning, July 12th., we departed our lodgings in Bath and drove about 1 hour east to Castle Combe. Latter is a ''picture postcard' village near Chippenham in Wiltshire.

Castle Combe comprises a small community of stone built houses which date back hundreds of years. At the foot of the village is a stream whilst in the centre is St Andrew Church parts of which date from the 13th and 15th centuries.

Castle Combe Churchyard

 

Castle Combe Castle Combe

Next, we drove west to Buckfast Abbey in Devon. The current building dates from period 1882-1938 and houses a community of Benedictine monks. Architecture is 'Norman Transitional and Early English'. This Abbey is built on the site of an earlier abbey dating from 1018-1539 which, post Dissolution of the Monasteries, fell into ruin and was ultimately demolished.

 

Inside Buckfast Abbey Lavender Garden at Buckfast Abbey

 

Buckfast Abbey

Next, we drove across Dartmoor, a high elevation, relatively barren landscape which is home to a population of semi-wild ponies.

Dartmoor ponies[/caption][caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Dartmoor Landscape Tour Group with Dartmoor Ponies

Finally we reached our destination of Plymouth where w spent a short time at the Hoe district before checking into our lodgings for the night.

The Hoe is where Sir Francis Drake intrepid explorer and local hero, is immortalised in a statue, situated just a few metres from the green where he finished his game of bowls before heading out to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Plymouth

 

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