We left Bognor Regis and headed west to our next hotel/B&B/whatever in a village called Hele, just north of Exeter.
First stop (not really a stop - more of a tour) wa the New Forest. Now of course as will all things British there is an 'hysterical' aspect to this, but you are either going to have to look it up or wait until we get home and get ny personal tour guide (aka Ray) to fill you in on that. For me it was magnificent scenery, a mixture of greener than green forest and open heath (of course the heather blooms in autumn, but you can't have everything). There are lots of places to park and take a walk through the forest, which of course we did once or twice. I have not bored you here with all the photos I took of juge fungii, vines and mosses, but as a lover of landscapes and nature I was spellbound.
The ponies that roam free are quite charming (I need some new superlatives). We did see some donkeys as well and the inevitable cattle, but there are also reputedly pigs and deer as well. gardeners take note - this is where you find all the manure you need!
Now - keeping with the 'hysterical' theme, King William the second was killed here (see the stone marker below). Now the King dude gets a marker, but the guy who killed him gets a pub - go figure! Still, they served a nice lunch.
From The New Forest, we headed for Salisbury, or as Ray insists - Sarum, which is the ancient name for Salisbury. I am still being blown away by the character of these towns and villages - it is everywhere you look. this little bridge (below) was just a stonesthrow from the cathederal.
Yoou go through the hole in the wall (not the kind you extract money from) - well, gate in the wall and there in front of you is the cathederal. Again my photos can't do justice to what you see there, but trust me, if there's a book - we bought it!
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