THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 10TH - BRIGHTON-STONEHENGE-PLYMOUTH

"Morning visit to Stonehenge then travelling through the Salisbury Plain along the Dartmoor National Park to Plymouth. See the Mayflower steps where the Pilgrim Fathers embarked in 1620."

HOLIDAY INN PLYMOUTH

Today was a day that Henry was really looking forward to……..on the “Bucket List” ….STONEHENGE…..

We took about 2 hours to get there, a little longer than usual as we had to take a detour. Most of the country we travelled through today was farmlands, sheep, cows and crops. Lovely and very green most rolling hills but some relatively flat. There were some small settlements, always obvious by the church spire looming over the village.

Stonehenge itself has been recently upgraded as a tourist venue with the idea of it being informative but also in allowing people to visit without damaging the area itself.



The information area, toilets and exhibition hall are located a mile and a half from the “stones” themselves. Buses then take you to the actual stones (pictured). There is a circuitous route around the stones and a commentary you listen to at each point. Very well done. Two hours flew and we raced back to the bus.

Two and a half hours later we reached Plymouth but as we had booked a tour to Dartmoor we only had a half hour to spare. No pictures of Plymouth today…touring it tomorrow.

Our trip to Dartmoor was fascinating.  The land itself very interesting, especially the wild Dartmoor ponies that live there. At the Prince of Wales Pub (that is actually owned by Charlie and leased out) we picked up a local guide who told us the story of the church in Dartmoor and the prison that remains there today (still housing 600 prisoners). 

THESE ARE WILD HORSES THAT ROAM THE MOORS AND ARE CAUGHT ONCE A YEAR AND SOME SOLD. THEY MAKE BEAUTIFUL LITTLE RIDING PONIES BECAUSE OF THEIR GENTLE TEMPEREMENTS.



THIS CHURCH WAS BUILT BY FRENCH AND AMERICAN PRISONERS OF WAR.



DARTMOOR PRISON



STILL A PRISON FOR OVER 600 MEN



 STACKED ROCKS (NO MORTAR) ARE COMMMON AS FENCES. OTHERWISE GORSE BUSHES MAKE UP MOST OF THE FENCES.



THESE ARE SO CUTE!!

 Dinner at the pub which is leased from Prince Charles, a locally brewed “Jail Ale”, and stories of pixies, witches and other strange happenings that are part of the folklore of the Moors made it a really entertaining evening. If a pub has a sign "free" pub it means it is independently owned and therefore able to serve a much wider range of ales.