Where the Demons Rock!

For some bizarre reason we had to travel to Salisbury via London. It wasn’t a real issue but just added more time onto the journey. I am forever mystified how it takes so long to travel such short distances in England. A trip of 90 miles turns into a 4 hour tussle with traffic and narrow streets at the best of times.

Upon our arrival in Salisbury we found a cosy little hostel with a few backpackers lounging about. One of them was a girl from Melbourne who was the spitting image (both in looks and personality) of one of my mates back home! Not very interesting you say, but my mate is a bloke! I was very bemused and a tad concerned. Is there a female version of me out there? God help her!

Stonehenge always reminds me of Spinal Tap!

Salisbury itself is another old town which tourists love. Full of character, it is in the perfect location for day trips around the area. Many come just for Stonehenge but I found Salisbury to be likeable all on its own. The Salisbury Cathedral is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in England in my opinion. Not as classical as some nethertheless it is gorgeous, and high. I think it was the tallest building in England for a long, long time. A little river runs past the town and following this led to a little old mill which has since been converted into a quaint little pub. The views across the river, overlooking the town and mighty cathedral were truly postcard worthy.

The following day we took a bus to visit both Stonehenge and Avebury. Stonehenge is a truly amazing and mystical place. Regardless of the fact the government has built a bloody great big motorway past, it still holds its mystique. I was very surprised at the size of the

sight. I had visions of massive rocks towering above me. The pillars are huge and it would have been an amazing feat for prehistoric man to drag them all the way from Wales, but I was taken aback by the fact that Stonehenge is so small. You can no longer walk amongst the ring of rocks but you can get close enough to be amazed by the audacity of the people who constructed it. And we still don’t know for what purpose it was built. It was an amazing experience, especially since Stonehenge always reminds me of Spinal Tap!

Nearby Avebury is another prehistoric site, and in some ways overshadows its more famous cousin, Stonehenge. The rocks are on a much larger scale and the town of Avebury itself has been built in amongst the rock circles. The massive rocks are strewn about the nearby fields and cast an eerie shadow across the farms and town. They are much more accessible as well, there not being any fences or ticket booth (that I could see anyway!!) so you could approach and touch if you wished. They definitely have a ‘power’ of some kind. The feeling you get when you stand by them is one of amazement. A bit too ‘moony and witchy’ for me – I had to leave.

Another nearby feature of Salisbury is Old Sarum, built on a hill above the town. This is the original township of Salisbury and is very old indeed. Not much is left but it is a worthwhile trip up the hill. The views are quite nice as well.

I really enjoyed my stay in Salisbury and I made a mental note to come back and look for work here once the sightseeing part of the trip was over.