So in the middle of our London week, there were a couple of excursions – Side Quests if you will! I have friends who are also traveling in Europe and the Uk at the same time as D and I, and both of our extra excursions were with them. We met through the Widows support group and we decided in the planning stages for our trips, that we absolutely had to meet up. It’s been great!

The first of our Side Quests, was a day trip to Windsor castle, Stonehenge and Bath… and it was phenomenal! I am so glad that we decided to do this tour, it was amazing to get out of London and to see some of the landscape on the way to these places – not to mention just how awesome the places themselves are!

We had to get to the coach station quite early, which given the 24 hour nature of public transport here was no problem. I feel like we have managed to get our heads around timetables, busses and most of the trains (overground, underground, district lines, circle lines etc) quite well, and Google maps (offline) has been very helpful with directions to bus stops and train platforms. We have reduced the number of wrong turns quite significantly (and if you’ve ever had to go anywhere ‘new’ with me, you’ll know that’s quite an achievement!)

Our first stop on the tour was Windsor Castle. It is stunning, and looks just like you would expect a castle to look. It has all kinds of turrets, battlements, arrow slots and gatehouses. We lined up with a gazillion other people to pass through security and to be given instructions. It is still very much a royal residence, and although the king was not home when we came calling, the extra precautions do make sense.

Once inside, we walked though the grounds and to the part of the castle that houses the staterooms, and let me tell you they were seriously impressive. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photos – which was a bit of a shame as there is so much to look at and take in that photos would be helpful to remember it all. We saw all kinds of chambers filled with unbelievable artwork and artefacts. We saw the parts of the castle that were burned in a huge fire in 1992, and then rebuilt about 5 years later. We also walked through St George’s Chapel and saw the spot that the Queen sat for the funeral of Prince Philip (which one of the saddest things I have ever seen).

A quick walk back through the town of Windsor – and a stop for snacks at a bakery, and we were back on the bus. Our tour guide Leon was full of information about royal history, and made the 1 1/2 hour drive to our next destination feel much quicker – although I’m pretty sure some of us also managed a nap on the bus!

Stonehenge was our next stop, and one I had been super excited for. I have always found it so fascinating… what is it? Why is it there? How did they build it? …. I’m not sure I have any more answers than I did before, but it was definitely an awe inspiring thing to see. You aren’t allowed to get particularly close to the stones, and there are sooooo many people there, but it is fascinating to walk around the site, and there was almost a quietness as we all took it in. The stones are huge, at the top of a hill, in a field surrounded by more fields. It was windy when we got there, but the sky was blue and the sunshine warm. I am so glad that I was able to have this experience, I think it will stay with me for a long time.

Our third stop for the day was a very small town (4 streets) called Lacock. It is owned by the National Trust and has been used as a set for all kinds of films including Harry Potter. We had our lunch here in a very cute pub after a stroll through the streets. The town is super quaint and picturesque and I’m so glad it was one of our stops.

Our final stop was in the town of Bath. It sits right on the river Avon and is very pretty. It takes its name from the hot springs that were used for bathing by the Roman’s when they were building their empire in about 60-70BC. Unfortunately we didn’t have a whole lot of time to do too much exploring, so I’m putting this on my list of places to come back to! It absolutely needs more than a couple of hours, but I’m not complaining about the bits that we did get to see!

The drive back to London was about 2 hours, and very quiet! I think most of us on the bus took the opportunity to reflect on the day, check out our photos – or maybe just have a nap! It was such a fabulous day, and I am so glad that we had the opportunity to do it! We finished our day with dinner at a great Lebanese restaurant before heading home for a well deserved sleep!

I’m still pinching myself most days that I am here and having this fabulous adventure. I’m feeling incredibly lucky – with sore feet and a new found drive to get more fit!