| Day 14 - Bath to North Devon |
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| Copyright Famocon Tours 2001 |
| We left Bath early and headed straight for the town of Wells. On the way we passed through Marksbury, Farmborough, Hallatrow and Green Ore. In Wells we did the grocery shopping to cover the next couple of days at the Devon cottage. Wells derives its name from the springs which were claimed to have curative powers. The town started as a small Roman settlement but took off when a major church was built in 704. The superb Cathedral was built from the late 1100's. Next door is the Bishop's Palace, set in the middle of a broad moat of running water, which we found a great delight - its mix of old ruins, landscaped grounds and beautifully restored buildings is first class. The building started as a luxurious palace but by 1300 had been made into a fortress. You can also find your way to the Wells Museum which is worth a visit. From Wells we went to Wookey Hole, in the Mendip Hills, the home of some limestone caves which we recognised from TV shows such as Doctor Who. The caves are somewhat basic but the commentary is very funny and when you come out you pass through a well known paper making factory and replica of Brighton Pier with all of its turn of the century amusements like penny arcades, various slot machines, mirror maze and crazy mirrors. We then travelled through the Mendip Hills by way of Priddy and Cheddar Gorge. The Gorge winds its way down the hills through distinctive rugged rock outcrops. At the bottom, the narrow road is lined on both sides with shops and tourist attractions squeezed into the walls. From here you can access the extensive caves where man has lived as far back as 40,000 years. The oldest skeleton in England has come from these caves. Our trip then took us to Wedmore and Glastonbury. Dominating the scene around here is the conical hill called Glastonbury Tor. A large settlement was built on the hill in prehistoric times and was surrounded by a wide lake. The extensive remains of the ancient Glastonbury Abbey in a peaceful rural setting are worth visiting as well as Glastonbury Tor. You could also take in the Somerset Rural Life Museum, the Lake Village Museum and Avalon. Glastonbury is the subject of dozens of legends including links to Joseph of Arimethea, Christ's blood, King Arthur and St Patrick. From here we did some serious driving to get to Dunster in North Devon. Our route took us through Street (the home of Clarks shoes), Horsey, Bridgwater (an attractive river port town on the river Parrett), Nether Stowey, Williton and Carhampton. Dunster is another fine English village that should be inspected closely and our itinerary includes this on Day 16. From Dunster we followed various rivers past Wheddon Cross, Bridgetown and Dulverton. This last village was a good place to walk around and explore - a very attractive spot. We saw our first ever travelling fish and chip shop here - Eels on Wheels? We then travelled over the top of Exmoor through Molland Common until we arrived at our cottage in the very small village of Twitchen - our home for the next seven days and our base for touring Devon.. |
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