Great Britain 2024 - Part One- Getting There And Visiting With Friends

We took a Lyft to the airport and caught our afternoon flight, via Denver, to London.  We were going to be picked up by friends so we picked flights that would get us there shortly after noon.  Our friends N_k and J_n, who we met on our Amazon Cruise in 2016, picked us up at Heathrow and took us to their home in Stubbington.  We would be spending a few days with them as they showed us around their part of southern England.

Days Zero and One - 11 and 12 September

I'm not sure about the Wife but I didn't sleep much on the flight despite it being a red eye from Denver to London.  I was a bit tired but uplifted a bit by the adrenaline that often comes with traveling to a new part of the world.  Not much was planned for this first partial day and I was grateful for that.  We mostly talked and caught up on things.  We got some needed movement in with a short trip to our host's favorite beach where the conversations continued while we stretched our legs.

Spinnaker Tower.

We had a home cooked meal and chatted until my adrenaline finally faded and I excused myself and went to bed early.

Day Two - 13 September

After a lazy morning we drove/ferried to Portsmouth where we walked around the harbor and explored the history of the city.  We saw Spinnaker Tower, walked along the Portsmouth city wall along Hotwalls Beach to the Round Tower, and ate lunch at a pub overlooking the harbour.

That evening we were joined by the host's daughter for another excellent home cooked meal and more interesting conversation.

Day Three - 14 September

We left Stubbington and we drove to Stonehenge.  We got there as it was opening.  The weather was crisp but the skies were blue with fluffy clouds.  Perfect weather.  We ate a snack at the visitor's center and then walked across the cow pastures to see the famous megalithic stones.  Despite all the people it was easy to get good pictures as we walked around the structure.  It was pretty cool.

Stonehenge ... the stone points toward the solstice.

We took a bus back to the visitor's center, did some shopping as we exited through the gift shop, and drove to our next destination, Bath.

Our hosts had picked a nice hotel in a good location.  Everything was within walking distance.  By coincidence there was a Jane Austen festival going on - an annual affair in Bath.  As we walked through the street women and men (mostly women) in period costume were roaming the streets.  There were so many you could forget it was 2024 at times.

Pulteney Bridge.

We visited the Bath Abbey, admired the architecture of the Circus and Pulteney Bridge, and had a pint or two (diet coke for me) at a pub (or two).

Day Four - 15 September

We toured the namesake of Bath, the Roman Baths.  It was an interesting part of British history.  I always forget the Romans were once there.  They don't allow you to even touch the water in the pools.  This was due to deadly bacteria that once killed a girl back when they allowed swimming in the baths.

The Roman baths.

We returned to Stubbington.  The drive to Stonehenge and Bath gave us a good idea of the British countryside.  It's nice to see things other than cities.  We had our last excellent home cooked meal in Britain.  Visiting with friends was the best way to begin our Great Britain travels.  It was a nice  way to ease into it.

Tomorrow we would be leaving on a train to our next destination.  This would be the first of twenty trains we would take around Britain.  Onward to Brighton and points east.

Pictures can be found in my 2024-09 Great Britain Google Photos album.