The last time I went to Wells it was a freezing January day and the cathedral looked forbidding. I also didn't have much time to explore so getting to go back on a warm September day was a treat. Driving from Bristol through the Cheddar Gorge was amazing. Such an interesting landscape carved through rolling Somerset countryside. The road is fun, narrow and winding with lots of blind corners. There are plans for a whole weekend there exploring, school holidays were not the best time to stop.
I love exploring the history of this place. I've read Pillars of the Earth, that huge book about the building of a cathedral, a few times over the years and visiting similar places brings back the stories. The lives of generations of stonemasons and builders so entwined in the history, their skilled craft on show, and how they managed to make such magnificent structures with rudimentary tools. Wells Cathedral is one of those special places where the whispers of history are in every corner. The Bishops Palace next to the Cathedral is a peaceful spot with a moat surrounding gardens, ruins and buildings.
Onwards from Wells after exploring the area, we arrived at a very special place, Nunney. It's hard to describe Nunney except to say I'd love to live in one of those picturesque cottages with gorgeous gardens beside the stream, near the ancient bridge, overlooking the Norman castle. Yes, the Norman castle. Having learned more about my family history, I have a smattering of Norman ancestry on my father's side so Norman history is suddenly interesting. After a wander over the moat and through the ruins, a Somerset cider at the local pub was needed. Another place to return for a longer visit. Stonehenge was on the way home so I click a quick pic through the window. It didn't look too bad with a filter.
This week has been one to catch up on pieces I'm needing to get completed. With the Queen passing there is an air of subdued sadness and all conversations are royals related. A time of grief and new beginnings and many stories of how the Queen has impacted people's lives. I was talking to a young friend about how he might see a queen and two kings in his lifetime. Being 23, his comment was he may see three kings. Extraordinary to think most of us have only known Queen Elizabeth, what history she has reigned through. I was at Windsor the day before she passed and it was very quiet, not so now.
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| Bishops Palace Wells |
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| Inside Nunney Castle - Couldn't resist the dog |
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| Nunney Castle and moat |
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| Moat action - Majestic swans and their babies |
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