A pilgrimage across southern England

[DrWilly]

Hours on the tinterweb looking for another room, fvck that lives too short.
It's just a place to sleep and if its central to all the places that you wanna visit then happy days.

How many pints in?

A flophouse might serve a single bloke out on the sauce, that really only needs a soft landing for when he passes out. But a dad with kid might want something more comfortable to relax in after a long way walking and sightseeing. Preferably with wifi.

[Mendip]

^ It was a non-refundable booking... I got a good price!

Reg Dingle is notoriously fussy when it come to hotel rooms. It's a great location, a great price even with a tenner for Wifi. I think it's been refurbished since all those bad reviews but I do hope the window opens. Anyway, we'll find out tomorrow.


One of my sisters lives in Wells so we drove the 15 miles across the Mendips to visit her a couple of days ago. Much to my daughter's constant annoyance all of these trips are educational and first stop was at a famous landmark at the bottom of Burrington Combe.



As we left to continue our journey I saw a sign and realised I'd taken the photo of the wrong recess in the limestone rock. There was nowhere to stop so I had to carry on and find a turning, do a U-turn and come back for a second attempt. I took a photo of a second cutting in the rock.



As we returned to the car, a kindly passer by asked if I realised that The Rock of Ages was on the other side of the road, by a green plaque saying as much. The daughter took great pleasure in telling him that her dad had already take pictures of the wrong rocks... twice.

Anyway... The Rock of Ages. The cleft running up the centre is the significant part, although a geologist would simply call it a less resistant layer of heavily folded Carboniferous limestone that has weathered faster than the surrounding layers.



In 1763 the Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady was travelling to Blagdon when he was caught in a storm. He took shelter in the cleft and while protected from the wind and rain he conceived the hymn, Rock of Ages.



Whether religious or not, I think it's a nice tune.



After dropping the car at my sister's we walked into Wells.

This is the Church of St Thomas (built 1856) minus it's spire which blew down in February during storm Eunice.



Wells is dominated by the 850 year-old cathedral. Building started in 1175 to replace an older church that had stood at the site since 705. Everywhere in Wells just smells of history.



A side view. We hit a lovely warm day again.



These soldiers are supposed to strike the bell with their lances on the hour but the clock had stopped. We were there around 11:30.



And that brown thing is apparently modern art... I think it says a lot when you compare the intricate stone figures carved around 800 years ago to that metal box monstrosity. It was cobbled together by someone called Anthony Gormley who also made the Angel of the North (according to my sister). I reckon I could weld up a more realistic figure using my arc welder and some scrap metal back in Korat in about 10 minutes. I kept my views to myself though as my sister and her daughter are into the arts, both being violinists, which is why they ended up in Wells in the first place.



And the front of Wells Cathedral.



No rusty metal box figures there.



A very relaxed place. Across the green from the cathedral, the Swan Hotel looked like a nice place to stay... probably a bit nicer than my Travelodge will be next week?



The Penniless Porch, built by some monk for the poor to shelter in while begging. I don't know who the girl was, she was nothing to do with us but I waited an age for her to leave but she was so engrossed in her phone I gave up waiting.



We had lunch in a 'cafe'... I am very different from my sister, there was an old pub the other side of the square. The windows were nice and historic but there was no cider.



Outside the cafe this plaque was embedded into the pavement.



I was gearing up to attempt the jump myself... I held the school 4th year record at my comp back in 1982 at around 4.5 metres and this didn't seem so difficult. Sadly, my daughter is now at an age where I embarrass her doing stuff like that and she refused to take a photo. In fact the daughter, sister and niece all disappeared so I was left on my own looking like a bit of a twat. Another memory put to bed.



But for those interested here was the local girl in action.



I was left to search for the rest of our gang... nowhere to be seen.



Only one place they could be really.





The Bishop's Palace is surrounded by a moat although it's become a bit clogged by algae at the moment.



We took a walk around the moat which is famous for it's swans. Here's a proud parent with five cygnets.



There's been a problem with blue green algae across the southwest this summer. It;s highly toxic and several dogs have died after ingesting tainted water. It was lucky we didn't have Maya with us because she'd have been in that moat, chasing the swans in a heartbeat.



A typical English countryside view in the other direction.



And a small waterfall at the end of the last side of the moat. I think they should look into increasing water circulation to improve the water quality... a subject close to my heart but not my responsibility this time. I'm on me hols.



And then back to the drawbridge and entance through the ancient walls into the inner sanctum.

That bell on the wall is for the swans to ring for food... but I don't think the current inhabitants had been trained.



It looked a bit high for the swans to reach, to be honest.



And the other parent hanging out with some ducks. The daughter also spotted a putrid, rotting pigeon corpse drifting about in this area but I kept it out of the photo.



The drawbridge and entrance to the Bishop's Palace.



And raised portcullis.



And Hal and Chitty still playing croquet. I'm determined to make myself a set back home. I'll have to warn the gardener to get busy on the lawn.



We didn't pay to go into the Bishop's Palace... and it wasn't my choice! But a little info...



The Bishop of Bath and Wells' reputation precedes him...



Back out in the real world and The Crown (where we should have had lunch imho...).



Famous for two events...



And more recently...



I also spotted a very rare sight in the UK... an open branch of my bank!



And finally, Vicar's Close... which is claimed to be the oldest, purely residential street with original buildings intact in Europe. There's been people living there since the mid 14th Century. I bet it would be a nightmare with planners trying to get permission for a shed here.





And that was it. On the way back I had to make one more stop at the bottom of Burrington Combe. Not for another picture of the Rock of Ages but to look at the goats. We'd seen a few up on the sides of the combe on our outward trip to Wells but there was nowhere to park, so on our return I parked up at the bottom and we walked up half a mile of so (much to the daughter's disgust).



And there they were...



Thes wild goats were introduced to help manage the vegetation.



This billy goat looked like the boss.



On the way back down to the car I spotted this cave. I used to do a lot of caving on the Mendips when I was younger, fitter and a bit slimmer.



I tried to get the daughter to go down with me but she just flat out refused. I think this was one activity too many for her... Roblox was calling.



So no caving that day... another memory put to bed.



But guess what... as a kind of nice finish to the day, the sister was on telly in the evening!

[armstrong]

I tried to get the daughter to go down with me but she just flat ou refused. I think this was one activity too many for her... Roblox was calling.

New Pet SIM X update just released on Roblox. I'd be raging.

[Edmond]

New Pet SIM X update just released on Roblox.

*turns on the iPad*

[katie23]

Hot Fuzz the movie! In which scene was that building included? Anyone know?

I still remember a scene, the one with the old man who had a horde of guns and a sea mine. "A hedge is a hedge... Blah 3x...what's he moaning about?"

I didn't understand the old man either, but I understood Simon Pegg's RP accent.

[Reg Dingle]

Hot Fuzz the movie! In which scene was that building included? Anyone know?

The pub crawl scene?

[Reg Dingle]

Everywhere in Wells just smells of history.

Nah that's old people and piss.

They went elsewhere to film a pub interior

Much of Hot Fuzz was filmed in Wells in 2006, with The Crown an integral part of the story and featuring in many of the background shots – we are The Crown at Sandford! The interior of The Crown was, in fact, The Royal Standard of England, England’s oldest freehouse, in Forty Green, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.

[Joe 90]

I'm determined to make myself a set back

Be cheaper to buy them here, you could get a full set for a fiver in a charity shop.

[Reg Dingle]

That bell on the wall is for the swans to ring for food... but I don't think the current inhabitants had been trained.



It looked a bit high for the swans to reach, to be honest.

There should be some string on there for them to shake...

Bell-ringing swans at The Bishop'''s Palace call for food - BBC News

[katie23]

@dill - is this the one? The Crown pub scene in Hot Fuzz?

[Reg Dingle]

Looks an interesting place that Wells.

Vicars’ Hall & gateway
The Vicar’s Hall was one of the first buildings to be constructed in the close in 1348. This communal area was built above an arched pedestrian entry gate to the street.

This originally had a storeroom, kitchen and a bakehouse inside and this is where the Vicars would eat on a daily basis together.

Although you cannot see all the rooms from outside on the close, inside there is the Chequer room, the Muniment, and The Treasury.

Apparently, one of the vicars was called The Receiver who would collect rents due from tenants around the city and also other payments due to the Vicars. This was kept in a large chest.

That 'Receiver' would have had more bellends than weekends (and Mendy's Bangkok passport official) bent over that chest

[Reg Dingle]

is this the one? The Crown pub scene in Hot Fuzz?

Ahhh, I was thinking of the wrong movie. Was it the prequel/sequel/next movie- The World's End- that had the pub crawl in it?

[Mendip]

I was chatting to this weird local guy who said he watched Simon Peg riding a horse down Wells High Street. I guess that must be a scene in the film. I'll check if it's on Netflix.

[DrWilly]

I tried to get the daughter to go down with me but she just flat out refused. I think this was one activity too many for her... Roblox was calling.

Smart enough not to go caving without a light or equipment?

Didn't you learn a lesson from the Thai soccer team? Looks like your daughter did.

After dropping the car at my sister's we walked into Wells.

What a fabulous day out. Wells is now on my list of places to visit. thanks for posting!

[Mendip]

^ I like to live a bit dangerously and besides, there's a torch on my phone!

Edit: By the way, one of the cave rescue divers in Thailand was from Bristol. The Mendips is famous for caving, as are many other limestone areas... Yorkshire and South Wales.

Edit again: It is a lovely, relaxed historical place. I would recommend a visit in the summer to get the best out of it. Next time I may stay the night in the Swan Hotel so I can get stuck into some cider. Hal visited earlier in the year and seemed to enjoy it as well.

[DrWilly]

^ I like to live a bit dangerously and besides, there's a torch on my phone!

I learned the hard way one time in a run down castle in Eastern Europe when my youngest ran ahead of me before I could turn turn the phone on in time and fell 6 feet down a vertical shaft onto a ledge. The shaft then dropped another 12 feet or so.

Fortunately, he was not hurt badly and I learned a good lesson.








One that the missus will not let me forget.

[DrWilly]

^ I like to live a bit dangerously and besides, there's a torch on my phone!

Edit: By the way, one of the cave rescue divers in Thailand was from Bristol. The Mendips is famous for caving, as are many other limestone areas... Yorkshire and South Wales.

In my second year of a geology degree we had a field trip to Buchan, Victoria which is famous for the Buchan caves. We had to spend a few days walking the hills and farms in order to create a geological map of the area. I recall our lecturers told us that there were plenty of caves on the land around and feel free to explore any we found. I guess H&S was different back then. Though discovering an unmapped cave and exploring was fairly exciting stuff.

[DrWilly]

Next time I may stay the night in the Swan Hotel so I can get stuck into some cider.

Enjoy that thought when you get to the travel lodge sans internet.

[hallelujah]

Enjoy that thought when you get to the travel lodge sans internet.

I'm loving this thread even more than I thought I would do.

All these great shots of the green and pleasant land, pies and pics of beer gardens (and Dil with his peanut butter perversions) has got me thinking it's time to take the TEFL World Tour back home next year!

Keep em coming, Mendip. We'll almost be gutted when you fly back!

[MarilynMonroe]

Wells is gorgeous, with so much history. Wells Cathedral is stunning! I love the old architecture. Lovely pics and stories.
Just tuning in, after being away for a few weeks. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

The Billy Goat, reminds me of the children's fairytale, 'The Three Billy Goat's Gruff'.

[Topper]

'The Three Billy Goat's Gruff'.

Which goat would you remind us of?

[MarilynMonroe]

Which goat would you remind us of?

Haha, probably neither as they are all boys. If I had to choose I'd be the great big billy goat as he charged the troll to get to the other side.

[Joe 90]

Haha, probably neither as they are all boys. If I had to choose I'd be the great big billy goat as he charged the troll to get to the other side.

Plenty experience of trolls on here.

[Looper]

Arise Sir Mendip, Knight of the grand order of the TOTY

Top photos. My great uncle lived in Bath and I have vague memories of visiting the Roman bath-houses as a nipper.

If ever there were a statue in need of being torn down by an angry baying mob and being righteously deposited in the closest Roman moat it is that artless, grotesque, incongruous appendage.


They look big enough to be flying the coup and finding a moat of their own. That's millennial cygnets for you.

[malmomike77]

They look big enough to be flying the coup and finding a moat of their own. That's millennial cygnets for you.

they haven't got their flight feathers yet loops