Rocks and Ruins

AVEBURY STONE CIRCLE
Avebury, nr Marlborough, Wilts, SN8 1RF. Zone D. Open all the time, admission free. Ffi: 01672 539250, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury • Avebury is at the heart of a vast complex of ancient mysteries, including some of the most important megalithic monuments in Europe, spread over a large area and mostly owned by the National Trust. The stone circle, which encompasses part of the village of Avebury, is enclosed by a ditch and bank and approached along an avenue of stones. Nearby are such ancient sites as the West Kennett Long Barrow and the eerie man-made Silbury Hill. Be prepared to walk if you want to get the most out of the site. As there’s not much in the way of trees or shade in the area, you might not want to do it on a hot sunny day, or a cold, wet windy one: a good one for spring or autumn. Also be prepared to laugh at all the New Age nuts and other assorted bullshit mystics who infest the place. Whoever built the place, and whatever their purpose, they were definitely not druids, and it’s kind of unlikely that they worshipped some idiotic Guardian-reading notion of a ‘Goddess’ either. In Avebury itself, the National Trust runs the Alexander Keiller Museum & Barn Gallery (open daily 10am-6pm (closes 4pm in winter months), admission: Gift Aid (Standard admission prices in brackets) £4.70 (£4.20) adult/£2.35 (£2.10) child/£11.60 (£10.50) family (2 adults + 3 children)/£8.30 (£7.50) family (1 adult + 3 children), reductions for visitors arriving by public transport or bicycle), which tells you everything we know about the history and archaeology of the site and the people who lived there. The museum is named after the fascinating racing driver and playboy who devoted his later life to archaeological investigations of the site (and stood many of the stones up again), all paid for from an inherited fortune made in marmalade.

BANWELL BONE CAVES & TOWER
Banwell, nr Weston-super-Mare, N. Somerset BS29 6NA. Zone B. Should be signposted off A371 to Weston. Ffi: 01934 820516 • Thousands and thousands of years ago, animals round these parts lived, died and decayed, and the bones of many of them were washed by rivers and streams into caves here. This wealth of bones was discovered a few hundred years back and the site was bought by a bishop in Victorian times for turning into a sort of 19th-century religious theme park. Because, of course, they thought that the bones were the remains of animals that had perished in the Great Deluge of Noah’s Ark fame. The bish installed fake pagan artefacts (as the non-believers had died for their wickedness), a wood and, at the other end of the estate, a tower to the sky. Some local historians believe that the place was laid out as a sort of spiritual journey, from the depths of bony depravity, through the tribulations and difficulties of the woodland and up the tower to communion with the Almighty. Anyway, the house and land are privately owned and not often open to the public, but this is an absolute must-see. On open days you can go into the caves, gasp at the thousands of accumulated bones, climb the tower, wander the woods and have tea with wonderful homemade cakes afterwards. Give it a go – you’ll love it. Admission on open days is free, but donations towards the upkeep of the site are most welcome. Open days for 2009 were not confirmed as we went to press, apart from 12 & 13 Sept, but there should be at least one day in May, June and August. Phone or see www.banwell.info/calendar for confirmation.

CAERLEON
Nr Newport, Gwent, South Wales. Zone D. • Not that far over the bridge is one of the most extraordinary little towns in all of Britain. In 75 AD this became home to the Legio II Augusta, one of just three legions that the evil Roman empire used to hold down the province of Britannia. The legion was once commanded by the guy who later became the emperor Vespasian (who commissioned the Colosseum and taxed public toilets). All around the town you can see the remains of Roman settlement, including the barracks complex, a vast amphitheatre, plus a couple of museums to tell you all about it. The ruins are publicly accessible at all times, while the Roman Legionary Museum (http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/roman) is open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm and Sun 2-5pm, admission free. The town itself is rather charming, home to a large number of artists and craftspeople, many of whom deal in Welsh/Celtic-themed stuff.

CHEDDAR CAVES
Cheddar, Somerset BS27 3QF. Zone B. Open daily 10.30am-5pm (10am-5.30pm in July & August), Explorer ticket for all attractions £16 adult/£10 ages 5-15/£42 family. Ffi: 01934 742343, www.cheddarcaves.com • One of Somerset’s leading tourist attractions. You can get into various bits for a lower charge, but the all-in Explorer ticket will give you a full day out. The Explorer gets you into the spectacular Gough’s and Cox’s caves, plus the Crystal Quest fantasy adventure walk (it’s claimed that JRR Tolkien visited in 1916 and used Cheddar Caves as the inspiration for Helm’s Deep in ‘Lord of the Rings’). You also get access to Jacob’s Ladder (a 274-step ascent to the top of the gorge), the cliff-top Gorge Walk, and an open-top bus tour of the gorge. Probably the biggest favourite with most visitors is the ‘Cheddar Man & the Cannibals’ exhibition. Cheddar, you see, is the home of Britain’s oldest complete skeleton. He’s 9,000 years old and DNA tests some years back turned up three living descendants still living in Cheddar! He died a violent death and there’s plenty of evidence that he and his mates were cannibals, which the exhibition deals with in a suitably gruesome manner. This is Britain’s earliest authenticated cannibal site, you know. Nowadays, more forward-thinking Cheddar residents regard cannibalism with almost as much distaste as the rest of us.

CHEDWORTH ROMAN VILLA
Yanworth, nr Cheltenham, Glos GL54 3LJ. Zone D. Open Tue-Sun from 4 Apr-23 Oct 10am-5pm, 10am-4pm in winter, closed Mon except BHMs, admission: Gift Aid (Standard admission prices in brackets) £6.65 (£6) adult/£3.90 (£3.50) child/£17.50 (£15.55) family, audio tour extra £1.50 adult/free child. Ffi: 01242 890256, www.national-trust.org.uk/chedworth • Set in a beautiful wooded valley and a very worthwhile stopover if you’re wandering round this part of the world, getting jealous of all the posh houses in this very desirable bit of the Cotswolds. The pubs hereabouts are very nice, too. This here is what remains of a villa from Roman times, first unearthed in the 19th century. Some beautiful mosaics on show, plus some bath and central heating complexes, and everyone’s favourite bit, a pool that’s thought to have once been a shrine to ancient water spirits. Bang in the middle of the site there’s this stupid and completely incongruous Tudor-style building that houses a small museum of local Roman finds. It’s a fascinating and well-explained place, though, like all archaeological sites, it demands a huge leap of imagination to try and picture the lives of the people who lived here 1,600 years ago. So unless everyone in your party is of a particularly cerebral bent, it’s worth timing your visit to coincide with one of the many excellent educational/family events it hosts over the summer. These include the obligatory Roman army and gladiatorial combat re-enactments and some often really interesting demonstrations of everything from ancient cookery to beauty treatments.

CLEARWELL CAVES
Nr Coleford, Forest of Dean, Glos GL16 8JR. Zone C. Open daily 10am-5pm, admission £5.80 adult/£5.30 senior, student/£3.80 age 5-16/£17.30 family. Ffi: 01594 832535, www.clearwellcaves.com • Absolutely fascinating place in the middle of some lovely Forest of Dean countryside (looks like there could be some excellent cycling on the woodland paths hereabouts). Iron ore was mined here from before the time of Christ until the middle of the 20th century and, in fact, small-scale mining for paint pigment still goes on here. Your admission gets you a wander through a huge complex of (well-lit) underground caverns, which dozens of generations have cut out of the rock. Also offers (at additional price) longer guided trips to deeper levels and basic caving adventures. Plus blacksmith’s shop, pleasant tea room and large outdoor picnic site. In the run-up to Christmas they have the best Santa’s grotto going.

CLEEVE ABBEY
Washford, Somerset TA23 0PS, just off A39. Zone D. Open daily from 1 April-31 Oct 10am-5pm (to 6pm in July & Aug, 4pm Oct), admission £3.80 adult/£3.20 concs/£1.90 ages 5-16 (prices for special events may be slightly higher). Ffi: 01984 640377, www.english-heritage.org.uk/cleeveabbey • Bit of a trip, but well worth a visit if you’re headed towards (or back from) Exmoor or the Quantocks, as this place is a bit of a find. Founded as a monastery in the 12th century, it survived ruin in the Reformation and still has one of the finest medieval cloister buildings in England, some very precious medieval wall paintings and lots of lovely hidden corners and things to discover, all in the middle of some undiscovered and peaceful countryside. Dead romantic.

CLIFTON OBSERVATORY & CAVES
Clifton Down, nr Suspension Bridge, Bristol BS8 3LT. Zone A. Open (weather permitting) daily from Easter to end Sept 10.30am-5.30pm, winter Sat & Sun only 10.30am-dusk, admission cave £1.50 adult/50p child (must be over 4 yrs), camera obscura £2 adult/£1 child. Ffi: 0117 974 1242. • In that funny-looking building with a tower overlooking the Avon Gorge, there’s a camera obscura, which is nice and definitely worth looking at if you’ve never played with one before – a miracle of primitive science that enables you to spy on people for miles around and makes you feel all voyeuristic and everything. Best done on a bright, sunny day. For a separate fee, you can go down into St Vincent’s Cave, sometimes also known as the Giant’s Cave, and onto that yellow-railinged viewing platform in the side of the Avon Gorge, 250 feet above the valley floor. In legend, this used to be the hang-out of ancient Christian hermits, and there was a chapel on the site, carved into the rock itself, but which has long since fallen away. Note that observatory and caves close in very wet weather.

FARLEIGH HUNGERFORD CASTLE
Farleigh Hungerford, nr Frome, Somerset BA2 7RS. Zone B. Open daily from 1 April-30 Sept 10am-5pm (to 6pm July & Aug, 4pm Oct); 10am-4pm 1 Oct-1 Nov; open Sat & Sun only from 2 Nov-31 Mar 10am-4pm, admission £3.60 adult/£3.10 concs/£1.80 ages 5-16 (prices for special events may be slightly higher). Ffi: 01225 754026, www.english-heritage.org.uk/farleighhungerford • The castle was built by Sir Thomas Hungerford in the 14th century, and down the years it was the site of some fabulously gruesome goings-on (murders, poisonings, involuntary cremations… that sort of thing – it’s all in the audio-guide you get when visiting). Most of the castle is now in ruins, although the chapel is still there, complete with some very precious medieval wall-paintings. And in the crypt, there are some mysterious and sinister lead coffins containing (presumably) the remains of both adults and children. If this place were situated on some blasted moor or atop a lonesome crag, it’d be regularly used as a movie set and have a world-wide reputation as one of the most spooky and accursed ruins in the world. But it’s in the beautiful, fertile green countryside of the Frome Valley, so actually it all looks rather twee. Very family-friendly place, too, with regular living history events over the summer and one of the Days Out Guide’s favourite ruins in the world.

GLASTONBURY ABBEY
Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 4EL. Zone C. Open daily 9.30am-6pm to Sept 30, earlier closing times in winter, admission £5 adult/£4.50 senior & student/£3 ages 5-15/£14.50 family. Ffi: 01458 832267, www.glastonburyabbey.com • Glastonbury, with all his historic, religious and legendary overlays, is a day out all of its own, but the Abbey is the true heart of the place. Nowadays, most people tend to think of Glastonbury as a hippy mecca, but you have to remind yourself that it’s been a major Christian centre for a whole lot longer – and it still is. The legends surrounding Glastonbury’s Christian past have the advantage of at least being partly rooted in fact. This is where Joseph of Arimathea supposedly founded English Christianity, planting his staff in the ground to flower as the Holy Thorn each Christmas. Here it was in 1191 that the monks found the remains of what they said were King Arthur and Guinevere and, partly because of that, it became one of the wealthiest and most powerful religious houses in Europe, and a major place of pilgrimage until Henry VIII took it all for himself and it fell to ruin. For lovers of mystery and weirdness, Glastonbury Abbey is probably one of the top ten sites in the whole of England. The museum next to the ruins does a good job of telling you both the history and the legend. This summer (19 June-30 Sept) the Abbey Museum hosts a big exhibition on the idea and image of King Arthur through the ages. Do the museum before you actually wander around the site to get a proper feel for the place. It’s still an important site of pilgrimage and worship, and the gift shop stocks lots of fashionable Christian books and paraphernalia. See website for details of the many living history and other events taking place there through the summer.

GOODRICH CASTLE
Herefordshire, 5m south of Ross-on-Wye off A40, HR9 6HY. Zone D. Open daily 10am-5pm (closes 6pm in July & Aug), open Wed-Sun only Nov-Feb 10am-4pm, admission £5.20 adult/£4.40 conc/£2.60 child/£13 family. Ffi: 01600 890538, www.english-heritage.org.uk/goodrich • A long way from home, but if you fancy a long-ish trip up the very lovely Wye Valley (and possibly never actually getting there if you opt to stop off at places like Tintern or Symonds Yat), then it’s a plausible destination. Originally built by some bloke named Godric (which is how it got its name), it had a big square Norman keep added by Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, better known as Strongbow. Most of what’s left though was built by Henry III’s half-brother William de Valence, who, along with Mrs de Valence, niced it up on the inside so it was comfy to live in as well as being easily defended against invading Welshmen. Its interest is less on the military side and more for the living quarters and a rather haunting chapel. Obviously you have to use a bit of imagination with most of it, but there are interpretation boards with pictures on, and your admission charge gets you an audio-guide. On the military side, it was fought over during the Civil War and one of its prize exhibits now is ‘Roaring Meg’ – a mortar with which the Roundheads captured the place. Nice café (though there are a couple of excellent-looking pubs in the village nearby), nice views, lovely woodland setting, good shop as well. Hosts living history events and workshops (look out for ‘Warriors and Weapons’ every Thursday in August) and occasional open-air theatricals.

HAILES ABBEY
Winchcombe, nr Cheltenham, Glos GL54 5PB. Zone D. Open daily from 1 April-31 Oct 10am-5pm (to 6pm in July & Aug, 4pm Oct), admission £3.80 adult/£3.20 concs/£1.90 ages 5-16 (prices for special events may be slightly higher). Ffi: 01242 602398, www.english-heritage.org.uk/hailesabbey • Tucked away in some very lovely wooded Cotswold countryside, ruins of an abbey and monastery founded by the famously ascetic Cistercian order in 1246 and closed down in 1539. All very quiet now, but in its day it was a hugely popular attraction on the pilgrimage trail as the monks had a vial that was said to contain the blood of Christ. Visit the ruins, do the audio-tour and look through the museum. Hosts the occasional living history event, so if you’re going this way, phone or see website to see if there’s anything on. Wonder whatever happened to the holy blood?

KINGS WESTON ROMAN VILLA
Long Cross, Lawrence Weston, Bristol BS11 0LP. Ffi:: 0117 903 9818, www.bristol.gov.uk/museums • The foundations of what was once a wealthy family’s home during the times of the Roman occupation of Britain, now mostly housed in a couple of sheds protecting the remains of its central heating system, baths and mosaic floors. It’s situated rather incongruously in a little fenced-off area in the middle of a vast housing estate and isn’t normally open to the public, but it’s well worth a look. To visit it, you either need to collect a key from Blaise Castle House Museum, or Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery (£5 deposit payable) or watch out for the occasional open days/nights and guided tours.

MUCHELNEY ABBEY
Muchelney, nr Langport, Somerset TA10 0DQ2. Zone C. Open daily from 1 April-31 Oct 10am-5pm (to 6pm in July & Aug, 4pm Oct), admission £3.80 adult/£3.20 concs/£1.90 ages 5-16 (prices for special events may be slightly higher). Ffi: 01458 250664, www.english-heritage.org.uk/muchelneyabbey • The remains of an ancient Benedictine abbey, hidden away on the Somerset Levels. Perhaps not worth the visit on its own, but well worth stopping at if you’re in the area, and the remoter, flatter bits of Somerset are well worth exploring for their eerie atmosphere. There are cloisters and church ruins from the middle ages, while the abbey hosts occasional living history events and entertainment over the summer.

NUNNEY CASTLE
Nunney, Somerset BA11 4LW. Zone B. Open all the time, admission free. Ffi: www.english-heritage.org.uk/nunneycastle • If you’re passing anywhere near this place, make a detour to visit it, as it’s magical. In the middle of this rather posh village are the remains of a small castle that looks exactly how castles are supposed to look – four big towers joined by high, flat curtain walls, and the whole lot surrounded by a moat. It was built in the 14th century by some thug who’d made a fortune killing and robbing French peasants during the Hundred Years War. Castle experts say that it looks very French in style. Obviously the bastard got nostalgic in his old age.

OLD SARUM
Two miles N of Salisbury on A345, Wilts SP1 3SD. Zone D. Open daily from 1 April-30 Sept 10am-5pm (9am-6pm in July & Aug), shorter hours in winter, admission £3.30 adult/£2.80 senior & student/£1.70 ages 5-16 (prices for special events may be slightly higher). Ffi: 01722 335398, www.english-heritage.org.uk/oldsarum • On top of this immense and imposing ancient earthwork is what used to be Salisbury. Back in ancient times it was a fortress, and there have been people living here since the Neolithic age. It’s been an Iron Age hill fort, Roman fort, and was a Saxon strongpoint where people took refuge from raiding Vikings. Later on it was the site of one of the largest and richest monasteries in England (and the Domesday book was written here), but fell into decline after the local bishop decided to move Salisbury to where it is today. By the early 19th century it was notorious to parliamentary reformers as a “rotten borough” – a place that elected an MP to parliament, even though no one actually, like, lived there. Anyway, English Heritage look after the site now and, though it tends not to be as well-known as certain other ancient sites in Wilts, it’s a rewarding visit just for the frisson of all that ancient Englishness. Features regular guided tours during summer months, which are well worth getting on, plus occasional living history events and battle re-creations. If you don’t fancy the crowds, go anytime and bring a picnic.

OLD WARDOUR CASTLE
Nr Tisbury, Wilts SP3 6RR. Zone D. Open daily from 1 April-30 Sept 10am-5pm (to 6pm July & Aug, to 4pm Oct) and Sat & Sun only from Nov-March 10am-4pm, admission £3.60 adult/£3.10 senior & student/£1.80 ages 5-16 (prices for special events may be slightly higher). Ffi: 01747 870487, www.english-heritage.org.uk/oldwardour • In its time this was one of the most desirable addresses in all of England. A romantic, French-style fantasy set atop a hill in some pleasant countryside, and built in the middle ages, not just as a fortress but as a luxury home as well. Well worth a dropping in on for the atmosphere and the excellent audio-tour. It also hosts occasional living history displays and re-enactments over the summer, so it might be worth timing your visit to coincide with one of these. Or not, if you prefer to savour the atmosphere with fewer distractions. Some of ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’ (the one with Kevin Costner being upstaged by Alan Rickman) was filmed here, you know. It’s available for private functions and licensed for civil ceremonies as well.

ROMAN BATHS & PUMP ROOM
Entrance via Pump Room, Stall St, Bath. Zone A. Open daily 9am-6pm (until 10pm in July & Aug), shorter opening hours in winter, admission £11 adult (£11.50 in July & Aug)/£9.50 concs/£7.20 child/£32 family. Ffi: 01225 477785, www.romanbaths.co.uk • See Museums section.

STONEHENGE
Stonehenge, nr Amesbury, Wilts SP4 7DE. Zone D. Open daily 9.30am-6pm (9am-7pm Jun-Aug), shorter hours in winter, admission £6.60 adult/£5.60 student & senior/£3.30 age 5-16/£16.50 family. Ffi: 01980 624715, www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge • Ho-hum… OK, it’s one of the most important heritage sites in the world, so you’ve gotta go visit sometime. These fabulous stones were erected between 4,000-5,000 years ago, at massive effort by our ancestors, for reasons that our finest academic minds, assisted by ever-more-sophisticated technology, can still only make educated guesses about. Thankfully, some of our least fine minds, aided by wishful thinking, can offer absolute certainty that it was the work of ‘druids’ (it so bloody wasn’t, you know) or space aliens. Anyway, the visitor experience is considerably less-than-fabulous. There’s the traffic rumbling past on a bloody great dual carriageway a few yards away (you have to go through an underpass beneath same to get from the car park and box office to the henge) and don’t bank on being able to commune with your ancestors in any meaningful way as the stones are fenced off and, of course, there’s usually hordes of visitors. On the plus side, there’s a branch of Pie Minister, the audio tour and bookshop are very good and the National Trust owns miles and miles of the rolling plains hereabouts so you can go for long walks (no shade, mind, so don’t do it on a scorching day) and see some of the lesser ancient sites in the vicinity. Frankly, though, if it’s ancient rocks you want, Avebury is altogether more pleasant and in many ways a more interesting and complex, er, complex.

TINTERN ABBEY
Tintern, Monmouthshire NP16 6SE. Zone C. Open daily to Oct 31 9.30am-5pm (9.30pm-4pm in winter), admission £3.60 adult/£3.20 child, concs/£10.40 family. Ffi: 01291 689251, tinyurl.com/2oa6dj • Quite famous ruin this, of an abbey founded in the 12th century, the first Cistercian house in Wales and only the second in Britain. The Cistercians were famously ascetic, setting up shop in only the most inhospitable places, but the abbey grew in wealth and power over the next 400 years before the monks were turned out during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536. What remains is still pretty impressive, inspiring a painting by Turner and, in 1798, a famous poem by Wordsworth. An easy Sunday afternoon outing from Bristol, and the village of Tintern itself is worth a wander around.

WOOKEY HOLE CAVES & PAPER MILL
Wookey, nr Wells, Somerset BA5 1BB. Zone B. Open daily 10am-5pm (last tour) (last tour 4pm earlier in winter), admission £15 adult/£10 concs, ages 3-14/£45 family (2 adults + 2 children). Ffi: 01749 672243, www.wookey.co.uk • It might look like a hefty admission price, but you do get your money’s worth if you set aside most or all of the day for your visit. You get a guided tour of the caves, which are pretty spectacular and have been a site of human habitation and activity since the days when the locals would catch their dinner by driving the odd mammoth off the cliffs. Then you get to see the papermill and see how paper is made – they’ve been doing it here for 400 years. There’s also a museum of the caves, a magical mirror maze, the Fairy Garden and the Dinosaur Valley, which comes complete with life-size dinosaurs. There’s also the Pirate Island crazy golf course (separate admission), but the Days Out Guide’s very, very favourite bit remains the Penny Arcade, where you buy old pre-decimal pennies to feed into the sort of ancient arcade machines that your grandparents lost their holiday money on when they were kids. There’s also the circus-themed Big Top Restaurant, presumably a result of the place having been taken over a few years ago by Gerry Cottle of circus fame. With all the Cottles’ flair for old-skool showmanship, the place only just veers on the right side of being tacky, which makes it all the more fun.

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