Road Trip - Day 5 - Salisbury, Stourhead, and Lyme Regis

My day started off fighting an incredibly strong desire to never leave the warmth and comfort of my bed that was fit for a princess. People who can afford to stay in five-star accommodation are insanely fortunate. I thoroughly enjoyed my taste of luxury B&B accommodation... candelabras on the breakfast table and mirrors that undoubtedly cost more than both my first and second cars combined. The guys who made the B&B knew what they were doing because when I got in the shower I didn't want to get out of there either. It has one of those ridiculously decadent torrential rain storm shower heads that practically drowns you when you stand under it.

I did eventually drag myself away and walked to nearby Salisbury Cathedral to take a look inside. They have the best preserved copy of the four remaining copies of the Magna Carta, a document created in 1215.





I hit the road and headed to Stourhead Estate, a National Trust property. (I became a member of Heritage Canada because it provides me with free entry to any National Trust property.) It has rained most of the day today and the past few days have been really cold so a beautiful mist covered much of the estate. Made for some interesting photos and the frozen pond with a thin coating of rain water on top created incredible reflections.

Stourhead House.

When I walked up to the front counter, a volunteer greeted me and asked if I was interested in taking a tour. No other guests were around and when I told her I only had about an hour at the estate, she offered to walk with me and explain the history and make sure I saw all the key spots. In addition to receiving a personalized history lesson on the property, it was also nice to just have somebody to walk with me around the park - I get tired of wandering around alone. My guide retired recently and decided to give one day each week to provide walking tours of the gardens at the estate.

The Stourhead village church in the background.
The Palladian Bridge in the foreground, used in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice.
See the extra photos for a shot of the Temple of Apollo, also used in Pride and Prejudice.

A miniature of the Pantheon.

My guide explained that when the gardens were built, the new style was to use the lay of the land and create "surprises" along the way. A different view around each corner, smooth contours around the edges of the large pond, and little monuments and buildings placed carefully around the property.


Ever since I first considered this trip to the UK, the site near the top of my must-visit list was Lyme Regis. As I've mentioned before, my favourite Jane Austen movie is Persuasion (1995) and there are several scenes shot along the water in Lyme. One of my quirky dreams that I never really thought would come true was to walk along the breakwater (built in 1820). My time in the UK is partly about making quirky dreams come true just so I can say I had the experiences. I wasn't able to fit in much time in Lyme, but at least I've been there.

Standing on the breakwater.
It was cold and the wind was howling... in case you hadn't noticed.

It's a strange feeling to dream of doing something for over 10 years and finally have it come true. It's partly disappointing because now the dream is done, but it's also thrilling to know that the world is small enough for dreams like that to come true.

The long, sloping, curvy breakwater.

The reason why I didn't walk to the end of the breakwater.

Jane Austen people know what this is all about.

A rare spot of smooth sand on the beach at Lyme.

A selection of extra pictures for those who are curious: Link Here