WALK REPORT Last Sunday I organized a trial walk to a new destination for ECW – Stonehenge! My flatmates Aleks and Mai came with me. The day before, I posted ads on the online classified boards Gumtree and Craigslist, inviting others along to help test the route … and hey presto, bright and early Sunday morning at Waterloo station we were joined by Lucas (from Australia) and Thuan, who was over in London on business from San Francisco and had the day off from her crazy work schedule.

Some important discoveries of the day:

a) Stonehenge itself is a bit of an anti-climax. It’s just so crowded with tourists and hemmed in by busy roads that the majesty this monument once had has been lost. Still, EVERYBODY coming to England for the first time wants to see it, and that’s why I decided to try it out as a destination.

b) Salisbury Cathedral, on the other hand, is truly awe-inspiring. We were lucky enough to get there just as a service was happening, and although I’m not a religious person, I had to agree with Mai that sitting listening to the hymns echo through the massive nave was a magical experience.

c) The Sunday duty manager at the Salisbury bus station is an honest man. I did something very stupid and left my camera sitting on the floor of the bus terminal, only realizing 30mins later at the cathedral. Leaving the others, I rushed back to the station, sure it had been nicked by now. But I was undeservedly lucky that morning – the station manager had seen it and was keeping it safe for me at his desk. I could not contain my admiration for this guy, not to mention my relief at having my beloved camera back.

So, thanks in part to the good-hearted staff of the Wilts & Dorset bus company, here are some photos from our walk. 25 shots in this set.

1. 7am: Aleks in our flat in Camden, preparing sandwiches for a picnic lunch at Stonehenge.

2. Coffee for breakfast on the fast train from London to Salisbury. Aleks and Mai are studying a Wikipedia page on Salisbury Cathedral that I printed out to bring along.

3. And here it is for real. According to Wikipedia, Salisbury Cathedral is now the 29th highest church in existence, but back when it was built in 1315 it was the tallest building the world had ever seen. The spire reaches a dizzying 404 feet – not bad for a medieval skyscraper. Photo by Mai Mochida.

4. This is a shot Mai took of me in the grounds of the cathedral. Happy, ’cause I’ve just found my camera! Photo by Mai Mochida.

5. Here we are setting off on our country walk. This is Thuan taking a photo of the old stone bridge that crosses the River Avon on the outskirts of Amesbury.

6. The river had very clear water. Here are two geese swimming in it.

7. The view back down the farm track to Amesbury.

8. Rolling farmland on the path to Stonehenge. That’s Mai and Lucas in the foreground – Thuan and Aleks are further ahead.

9. A thatched cottage near Wilsford.

10. Just under three miles left to Stonehenge. But it was a long three miles! Photo by Mai Mochida.

11. Aleks stops on the path to have a chat with a horse.

12. Mai and her walking stick. Getting close to Stonehenge now …

13. We’ve arrived! This is the view of Stonehenge from the pedestrian walkway that rings the monument. It’s a shame, but you can’t get very close to the stones any more.

14. Zoom shot of the stones, with the noisy A303 road visible in the background, which must be one of the busiest two-lane highways I’ve seen in England. The constant roar of the traffic really detracts from the experience of visiting Stonehenge.

15. A moody shot of Stonehenge. The morning was beautiful but just as we arrived here the clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped.

16. We had a late picnic lunch in a tatty tourist area near the entrance to Stonehenge. This starling wanted our sandwiches!

17. Ha ha very funny. Adolescent humor on a road sign at the entrance to Stonehenge. Photo by Mai Mochida.

18. Here we are on the road from Stonehenge back to Amesbury. The scarecrow-like figure on the left is Mai, who is using her walking stick to rest her arms (see next shot).

19. Mai with her walking stick and some apples we’ve just picked from a nearby tree.

20. There were some interesting flowers by the roadside on the route back to Amesbury – this is a close-up of a plant known as Aaron’s Beard, or Rose of Sharon (Hypericum calycinum).

21. From a quick look through my Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers, I think this is a Dahlia ‘Coltness Gem’, but not entirely sure. Can anyone help identify?

22. Now it’s late afternoon and we’re back in Salisbury. The town is full of half-timbered buildings like this one.

23. Spotted these ridiculous mannequins in a shop window in Salisbury, on our walk back to the train station.

24. Heading home. A sunset shot I took from the train window leaving Salisbury.

25. Back at London Waterloo station – Mai still has her walking stick! Getting it home on the Tube was a bit problematic …

A big thank you to Lucas, Thuan, Mai, and Aleks for joining me on this walk. I learned a lot and now have some ideas on how to improve the route. Once I’ve worked things out, I’ll add the trip to my autumn schedule.

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you like.

DW