Road Trip 2: Port Solent to Stonehenge

We spent the next few days around the Solent – a very beautiful area and a yachty’s heaven.  Just across the bay from Port Solent where we spent a very comfortable night in a quiet car park by the water, was another castle, so of course we had to have a look.  Portchester Castle is another castle that had its history dating from Roman times but this castle was in much better shape than Pevesey.  It was a Roman stronghold in Northern Europe from 285-410 AD, on the front line during the Hundred Years war, the embarkation point for Henry V’s Agincourt campaign and a prisoner of war camp during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.  We spent hours climbing the ramparts and towers and admiring the superb views.

Boot camp amongst the ruins

The well preserved keep

And the views of Portsmouth from the top

We then skirted around Southampton to do a quick run to Salisbury.  Here the cathedral was open to the public and provided a wonderful community space both inside and outside.  The cathedral houses the world’s oldest pendulum clock but not terribly accurate as it was about 20 minutes slow – though I suppose not too bad for over 600 years old.  The cathedral houses one of four original Magna Cartas.  We were also fortunate to hear the choir at practice – what fantastic acoustics!  I love the architecture of these cathedrals – the stained glass and arches – Such wonderful symmetry.

Salisbury Cathedral

Choir at practice

Wonderful symmetry

Internal courtyard

Next we went across the Salisbury Plains to Stonehenge.  The wide open spaces of the Plains were a relief after the claustrophobic hedgerows of Southern England.  It had been so frustrating to pass signs stating ‘area of outstanding natural beauty’ only to see hedgerows growing so thick they formed dark tunnels turning an already gray days into night.  English heritage was lucky I didn’t have a chainsaw with us as I was sorely tempted to cut down them all.

Stonehenge was great but I felt a bit conned when I found out it has been co-opted by new age Druids and never had anything to do with the real Iron Age Druids.

At Stonehenge

In the late afternoon sun