The day for us began in the center of Lacock Village at the Red Lion Inn with a “proper English Breakfast”. The sad thing about this spread is that a week from now I will again be hungry.

Breakfast concluded we walked a through the village to its namesake, Lacock Abbey. A number of the village buildings date to the 1300’s, including King John’s hunting lodge, and the old stables.

This was also the “home of Harry Potter’s parents” located next to the 14th Century church.

The Abbey itself was founded in 1229 by Countess Ela of Shrewsbury. She was the widow of the illegitimate son of King Henry II, and dedicated the Abbey to his memory. Even though she was a very powerful woman in her time she joined the Augustinian Order of Nuns and became the Abbey’s first Abbess where she lived out the remainder of her years.

The Abbey and grounds are stunning and have a remarkable history.

The Abbey prospered through the Middle Ages until the time of King Henry the 8th’s dissolution of England’s monasteries in the 1500’s. Most abbeys were destroyed by Henry, but he sold Lacock Abbey to Sir William Sharington who converted the grounds and many of it’s austere buildings into a private estate.

Next is a photograph of original stonework that bears the stonemason’s mark or “signature”. The three chevrons on the right side of the mark signify that this was made by a fourth generation member of the family of stoneworkers.

From it’s simplicity as an abbey parts of Lacock were converted into a palace.

The estate passed through the hands of many noble families over the years that followed, eventually becoming the property of the Talbot family in the 1700’s. It was inherited by one of photography’s earliest pioneers, William Henry Fox Talbot, who in 1835 took a picture of a lattice window.

This was the world’s first “negative image” picture. That photograph ushered in the era of modern negative process photography that was to remain the dominant media into the late 20th Century, finally superseded by the digital cameras of today.

The Abbey became the property of England’s National Trust in 1944. The Trust has maintained the property not only in its forms as an ancient abbey and country estate, but also as a museum dedicated to the scientific genius of Talbot.

Our tour of the Abbey and grounds occupied our morning and much of our afternoon. There was still time to enjoy a driving tour of the Cotswolds which included brief stops in the towns of Bourton-on-the-Water, Slaughter, and Stow-on-the-Wold.

Much of the Cotswolds countryside and many of it’s villages remain quaint and untouched. The same can not be said of Bourton which draws tour buses and large groups of selfie-taking tourists like a magnet.

Our home for the night is the Kings Arms Inn located in the pleasant Cotswolds town of Woodstock. The evening concluded with dinner in a charming Italian restaurant and a post dinner glass of an excellent golden grappa.

We continue on tomorrow at Huw and Nina’s direction with a tour of Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

Peace Everyone. Pete

We were met at the Cardiff Wales central train station by our Welch friends, Huw and Nina Thomas. This friendship dates back nearly 20 years and includes travels together both in the States and abroad.

Huw has laid out a plan for our 3 days together and as soon as we had loaded our bags into the “boot” of his car we were off to Bristol and the S.S. Great Britain!!

Designed by the noted engineer I. K. Brunel (represented here by an actor) the ship was launched in Bristol England in 1845.

When launched she was the largest vessel ever built and the most technically advanced. At 322 feet long she was the first ship to combine the elements of an iron hull, advanced reciprocal steam engine, and propeller drive. She was a hybrid in the sense that she was equally capable as either a tall masted sailing ship, or a steam propelled vessel, and she could sail using both features simultaneously. When not under steam power her sailing efficiency was enhanced by a remarkable (even by today’s standards) feature that allowed the crew to disengage the huge prop and in a matter of minutes raise it into a recess within the hull, all by remote control.

The ship has a storied history that included over 1 million miles of sailing throughout the world. She could carry up to 700 passengers in accommodations that ranged from barely tolerable steerage to opulent first class.

The S.S. Great Britain last sailed commercially in 1884 and was abandoned in the Falkland Islands where she became a floating warehouse. She was scuttled and sunk in 1937.

In 1970 UK philanthropist Jack Hayward resolved to recover the Great Britain. He spearheaded her recovery, return, and restoration. She is now a remarkable museum ship that is located within her original construction dry dock in Bristol Harbor.

Actors dressed in authentic Victorian era attire stroll the area lending realism to the experience. Included was a detachment of British soldiers from the Crimean War who put on a demonstration of rifle fire and close order drill.

My highlight of the day was the opportunity to climb 100 feet into the ship’s rigging and out to the end of the yard spar. Christine and our companions documented the effort with still photos and video. Below are links to the video clips.

Up the Mast: https://youtu.be/8aPzd910mH8

Out on the Yard Spar: https://youtu.be/EGTJttAl5q4

Our day continued with a drive through amazing countryside and villages and included a pint in a ancient tavern in the town of Castle Combe.

Combe’s environs, including the tavern and church, have been the location for many television and movie shows, including scenes in the Harry Potter movies.

We spent the night in the village of Lacock, which is a living museum owned and preserved by Great Britain’s National Trust. The homes and businesses are leased under condition that the authenticity of the village is maintained.

We dined at the George Inn. The fireplace still sports the original meat rotisserie that was powered by a small dog running in a wheel!

Our chambers for the night were wonderfully appointed at the Red Lion Inn which had also been the setting for many period movies and television programs. We continue on in the morning.

Peace Everyone. Pete

May 2nd was our 21st and final night aboard Salten-Fjord. I confess to some sadness in the parting, having fulfilled a 45 year ambition.

We left the vessel “clean and tidy” as required by our charter contract, took time for a final picture, and then were greeted by Andy of AK Private Hire who transported us and our luggage 30 miles to our accommodations in the City of Chester. This will be our home for the next 3 days.

We have always preferred the non-typical in our choice of travel lodging, and the selection of 3-Kings Studios is no exception. This converted 500 year old home was once the Tithehouse of the Earl of Shrewsbury. Persons were required to stop and pay a toll here to enter the city. It is no accident that we are located next to one of the city’s fortification gates. Our rooms are accessed by climbing 34 steep and narrow stairs, no elevators here. The floors, walls, and ceilings are uneven, but the effect is marvelous!

Chester is littered with old buildings.

No other city in the entire United Kingdom has as many listed historical structures. Next door to us is the iconic Bear and Billet, a pub that dates to the 1500’s.

Chester was established in the First Century AD, when it was founded as a Roman garrison at the farthest western extent of the Roman Empire. The region was valued by Rome for salt production. The garrison town quickly expanded into a center of commerce that provided all the comforts of Rome.

A 7,000 seat amphitheater was built…

Baths were constructed in the classic fashion with centrally heated Caldarium, Tepidarium, and Frigidariums. (Hot, Medium, and Cold rooms)

The town’s ancient Roman history was largely lost by the Middle Ages, but 20th Century urban improvements uncovered a trove of artifacts and the foundations of many ancient structures.

The Roman theme has inspired adults and children alike. One can not go far here without encountering a “Centurian” and his cohort of “little Legionnaires” enjoying a school outing as they learn the finer points of shield defense and sword play.

The end of a hard day drilling the troops may even bring the fatigued Centurion into a neighborhood pub for a pint or two.

Chester is a town still surrounded by it’s fortress walls. Over two miles around, one can still walk atop these fortifications that envelop the old city.

The wall was built upon the earlier Roman fortifications. In the 1600’s this was the site of some of the most intense fighting in England’s Civil War. A monument to the dead is maintained as the location of a major breech in the wall and a clever display allows one to “see” the carnage unfold.

King Charles Tower, located on the wall, is the place where on September 24, 1646, King Charles I saw his troops defeated at the Battle of Rowton Moor.

Within the fortress confines are two remarkable churches. St. John’s was built by the armies of William the Conqueror shortly after his successful invasion in 1066.

Chester Cathedral, also 1,000 years old, was built on the site of an ancient Roman temple. More than just a church, it has beautiful gardens, presents daily demonstrations of falconry, and is a venue for art… including a very unusual display of classic Triumph automobiles next to the worship space.

We enjoyed Evensong sung by the Cathedral’s exceptional youth choir. I look forward to returning for some reflective time to satisfy the yearning pilgrim within me.

Peace Everyone. Pete

Our Canal Companion Guides have been invaluable. Each page dissects a 4-5 mile (about 2 hours travel by narrowboat) section of the canal offering a detailed map and an informative narrative. One such section on today’s travel upon the 200 year old Trent & Mersey Canal enticed us into pausing for two very rewarding hikes.

Yesterday’s post provided photographs of the enchanting Longacre Wood that is cared for by the Woodland Trust. If you have not yet seen those pictures they are worth the “visit” to that post and give some insight into the beauty that surrounds us on these ancient canals.

The second hike mentioned in the Guide is to the Dutton Locks on the Weaver River Navigation. Less than half a mile walk down a public right-of-way that travels along farm fields we intersected this inland waterway.

Into the late 20th Century one could see large coastal vessels navigating these waters. From the Trent & Mersey Canal the upper decks of large ships would seem to magically appear and ghost across the land and woods in the distance, the Weaver waterway being hidden from the eye. Sadly, the perfectly good Weaver has been abandoned by commercial trade and is slowly falling into disrepair for want of the funding required to maintain it. The sunken hotel boat Chica may well be a predictive metaphor for the future of the waterway and locks.

It is almost comical to see the two huge Dutton Locks (one of which has been out of service for 30 years) serving small pleasure craft. The lock-keeper told us that upstream is a narrowboat club and on holidays the club will send as many as 60 vessels into the lock where they assemble in an orderly fashion and pack together like so many LEGO blocks for a single downriver discharge. At the end of the day, presumably after a few pints, the boats return and present an impossible confusion of narrowboats colliding into one another in slow motion. For some reason their skippers are unable to replicate the morning’s feats of seamanship.

The locks were first opened in 1874, technological wonders of the 19th Century. 14 water turbines powered the valves and gates, controlled by large iron levers and windlass handles. Today the task is powered by electric motors and is controlled by the lock-keeper at a switch laden panel. He candidly states his preference for the reliability of the old system.

Another nod to the remarkable ingenuity of the 19th Century looms in the distance. In 1837 Joseph Locke designed and built the imposing Dutton Rail Viaduct. Composed of 22 sandstone arches, it has carried rail traffic across the the river valley for 180 years, from steam railroading’s infancy to the bullet-trains of today. It remains one of Englands busiest rail corridors bearing up to the scores of trains that cross is every day.

In contrast to the bustle of the distant viaduct was a peaceful green and well placed bench that provided us with the perfect opportunity for a self-timer group photo.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. I am typing this post in the very early morning hours of May 2nd. This is our last travel day on Great Britain’s canals as we will be returning to our Middlewich port this afternoon. Salten-Fjord has been our home and our transportation for 3 weeks. The inevitable question presents itself, will we do this again. I have to reserve judgment but promise more on that another time. We still have 3 weeks left ahead to us to this journey.