Across the River from Wales: Bath, Gloucester, St. Briavels

On Thursday we returned to Belgium after a merry week in the south-west havens of England. During our previous forays into the country we spent most of our time in urban areas, and so decided for this trip it would be nice to steal away into the countryside and do some hiking, although we stopped in a few notable towns along the way. Traveling from Belgium afforded us the unique experience of riding the Eurostar train which bridges England and Europe via an underwater tunnel, taking us from Brussels to London in a brief two hours. 

Our first destination was the gorgeous town of Bath, nestled in the lower region of the rolling Cotswoldian hills. Bath is famous for, and obviously named after, its ancient Roman Baths and temple site of worship to the syncretic Romano-Celtic deity Sulis Minerva. The 18th-century Georgian architecture and honey-coloured stone buildings of which Bath is comprised gives the town a luxurious yet quaint quality, which we thoroughly enjoyed during our short day and a half stay there. Our accommodations were in a 18th-century mansion converted into a hostel, which was located atop Bathwick Hill and provided a great vantage point for venturing into town or going for walks in the surrounding knolls and valley slopes, which were also teeming with spring baby bunnies. 

On our first night, just about to venture in to town to find some grub! 

West facade of the Bath Abbey Church. We loved the sculptures depicting the angels climbing Jacob's ladder on the two towers.

The streets were so peaceful as we strolled around for a few hours after supping. This square was full of crowds the next day.

Back on Bathwick Hill for the sunset, spinning and frolicking around as I am wont, making for blurry pictures etc. 

On our way into town for a day of sightseeing! Daffodils abounded everywhere we went! 

The canals in Bath are so picturesque... I had to snap a picture of the 'Jemima Puddleduck' boat. Beatrix Potter fans unite!  

View of the Pulteney Bridge! You may recognize the weir from the scene in the film adaptation of Les Miserables, when Javert (Russel Crowe) commits suicide. - facts courtesy of Megan the Tour Guide

Me pointing at a fascinating plaque that reads: "EDGAR, FIRST KING OF ALL ENGLAND WAS CROWNED BY DUNSTAN ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY IN THE SAXON ABBEY ON THIS SITE ON WHITSUNDAY 973 A.D."
COOL. 

Kyle below one of his favourite stained glass windows in the abbey which depicts some of England's most heroic figures. 

Quire selfie! 

Its not everyday that you can go directly from an ancient site of Christian worship to the pagan one just next door!

Me in front of probably my favourite feature of the whole museum exhibit (which is fantastic) - remnants of Temple pediment featuring the peculiarly Celtic looking Gorgon's head, likely the work of sculptors from Gaul in the later first century A.D. 

sulis aquae

After touring the Roman Baths we headed to the famous Royal Crescent, found ourselves a park bench and people-watched.  

After having tea in a nearby cafe we found an antique bookshop with many treasures! Including this veritable tome which Kyle so wanted to keep. 

aaaannndd this delightful old marked-up, dog-eared, early-19th-century copy of Homer's Iliad, in Greek of course. Poor Kyle was pining. 

Then like any pair of quirky Canadians with an afternoon to spare, we went and played some putt-putt golf. 

:D

From Bath we took a bus to the county town of Gloucester, one of the many English cathedral cities on my must-see list. The cathedral is famous for its cloisters and best-preserved medieval lavatorium in England, not to mention that Gloucester Cathedral is the final resting place of king Edward II who was mysteriously murdered at Berkeley Castle in 1327. I had the privilege of taking a seminar class during my undergrad which focused on the tumultuous reign of Edward II. So I suppose out of all the English kings, I am best acquainted with his history. 

Again, pointing excitedly at a plaque denoting an historically significant landmark. This one reads:" KING EDWARD'S GATE GAVE ENTRANCE FROM THE MAIN STREET OF MEDIEVAL GLOUCESTER TO ST. PETER'S ABBEY PRECINCT. THE BODY OF KING EDWARD II WAS HERE RECEIVED BY THE ABBOT FOR BURIAL AFTER THE KING'S MURDER AT BERKELEY CASTLE IN 1327."
COOOOOLLLL!!!!!!

   

                      

There he is in his fancy alabaster tomb. 

                     

 A prolific cult grew up around the tomb of Edward II, drawing thousands of pilgrims to Gloucester Cathedral and inspiring numerous miracle stories. When Richard II visited his grandfather's tomb in 1378, he was so inspired that he petitioned to have Edward II sainted. Richard also apparently felt compelled to adorn the site with his personal emblem, the chained and collared white hart, which you can still see, brightly painted! 

This is the lovely 15th-century Lady Chapel, with the Norman baptismal font that they still use today! 

.... the cloisters......



                         

Oh, ya know, just whistlin' and washing my hands in the 14th-century lavatorium... this is where the monks would wash their hands before meals of course. 

                       

For obvious reasons the cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral were transformed into the corridors of Hogwarts for the first two Harry Potter movies. So that's neat. 

                   

*sigh*...intricate fan vaulting, stained-glass windows, what more could a medievalist want?

                   

The adorable street featuring the house which inspired Beatrix Potter's The Tailor of Gloucester, now a museum/shop! 

                   

I know its rather silly, but this was also on my travel-list. 

                   

Gloucester has historic docks on the river Severn which we were happy to wander around and explore on such a sunny spring day before turning in. 

Our final destination was the town of St. Briavels, located in the Wye Valley region and Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire - also designated as one of the U.K.'s "Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty." St. Briavels is so near the Welsh border that by crossing over the river Wye, we incidentally found ourselves in Wales. The road signs (with English and Welsh) and national Welsh flags with their imposing red dragon were quite indicative of our unique geographical situation.

Our accommodations were equally unique, this time in a medieval castle and English Heritage Site. Originally built during the Norman period (c.1075), St. Briavels castle served as the seat of royal administration for the Forest of Dean. In the 13th century it became a favourite hunting lodge of the notorious King John, and was also frequented by William the Marshal, first earl of Pembroke, reputedly "the world's greatest knight." The lucrative iron forges within the Forest of Dean made St. Briavels an optimal centre for the manufacture of crossbow bolts which were shipped across the kingdom to supply royal forces and arm England's Marcher Lords against repeated incursions by the Welsh...... I could go on but I guess I'll stop nerding out so that you can look at pictures.

In front of the castle! Both of our rooms were on the left tower in the background. The blue bag that Kyle is holding contains a bunch of potatoes we bought for a pound from a sweet old man who lives in the village.

steamy potato photo op.      CTFU. 

This is the lovely refurbished old kitchen and gatehouse. The wheel in the upper-right is what would've been used to raise one of the three portcullises that defended the castle. We spent a lot of time reading in here during the evenings. There's not really a better place to read Stoker's Dracula. 

exploring and hobbiting in the nearby dales

spring time = lambs and lambs and more lambs ergo cuteness everywhere. How and why people eat these little babies is beyond me. 

me in the foreground of some rather over-zealously spray-painted sheep. 

My nook in the Constables Quarters.

Early on our second day at St. Briavels we embarked on a 16km hike to Tintern Abbey, Wales. The town in the distance is in fact that of Llandogo, Wales! 

shameless self-timer shot

"It's so pretty I could die!" Was a frequent assertion along our walk. 

More frantic gesticulations: I am pointing at the sign which marks our trail along Offa's Dyke Path. Offa's Dyke Trail is a national trail that follows a great dyke that the Anglo-Saxon king Offa ordered to be constructed in the 8th century for rather mysterious reasons. Historians believe that the dyke was meant to divide Offa's Kingdom of Mercia from the Celtic kingdoms of what is now Wales. The entire trail is huge, spanning a total of 285km. 

The forest floor was blooming with bluebells and wild garlic flowers. 

Kyle had to snap a photo of these jolly fly-fishermen and their dog-companion. This was one of many times along our trip when Kyle was reminded of his dad, Brent, who loved fishing and being in the great outdoors.

me and some swans.

These hedge-rows, hardly hedge-rows, little lines

Of sportive wood run wild: these pastoral farms,

Green to the very door;

Although we picked a sunny day to hike, it had rained the night before and so we spent a lot of effort navigating slippery patches of mud. It appears I am trying to threaten the mud with a bold karate-chop gesture. HAIYA. 

Kyle preferred to employ a Gandalfian walking stick to escape the dreadful mud patches.

This is one of about 7 pictures Kyle took of me clinging to the forest edge... I was actually laughing my arse off the whole time. The whole predicament was so silly. 

That on the banks of this delightful stream

We stood together; and that I, so long

A worshipper of Nature, hither came

Unwearied in that service.

On Brockweir Bridge, about to cross over into Wales.

Wales was less muddy but more puddly. This also taken from a 'struggling megan' series while Kyle had chosen a less wet path and was laughing at me. 

Then all of a sudden it started to rain rather forcefully, so we took refuge under quite the character of a tree.

peeking out from our haven

a very nice old tree indeed

Just around the river bend from the town of Tintern, Monmouthshire.

Tintern Abbey, founded in 1131. 

Tintern Abbey was the home to a congregate of Cistercian monks, whose monastic way of life was characterized by strict austerity, obligatory manual labour, and denial of secular society and worldly goods. For these reasons the order of the White Monks as they were called, often founded their abbeys and monasteries in the remote wildernesses of Europe. 

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by Henry VIII, the abbey, like many others, fell into ruin. I would argue, however, that it is one of the more beautiful vestiges of the medieval world I have seen yet. 

Since the 18th century the abbey has attracted many visitors and was celebrated by Victorian poets and painters alike. 

We sat down for a very medieval lunch of local apples and cob loaf. 

O sylvan Wye! thou wanderer thro' the woods

Back up the hill to our castle. 

On our way back from Tintern we saw two herds of roe deer. Since I've been studying medieval hunting and poaching for my MA thesis, I took the opportunity to apologize to the deer on behalf of my race for all the horrible things we've done to them. Kyle was chuckling as I yelled, "I'M SORRY DEER."  

We also spotted this gorgeous falcon! 

We spent the next two days relaxing and reading, going for strolls and talking. It was refreshing to disconnect from social media and unchain ourselves from our laptops for a good week.

Some overgrown ruins in a valley just below St. Briavels

I came among these hills; when like a roe

I bounded o'er the mountains, by the sides

Of the deep rivers, and the lonely streams,

Wherever nature led;

The fairy falls and pools of Slade Brook.

wherein druidic mistletoe was still found on ancient oaks

As we emerged from the woods we were greeted by a great knarled arboreus sentinel! I am sitting on one of his roots!

Goodbye, sweet lambs.

That is all for this post, methinks. I really ought to get going on some school work in preparation for the week ahead. I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our trip to England. Fortunately this anglophile will be returning to that beloved island in July to attend the Leeds International Medieval Congress and then ramble about the Peak District for a few days with the visiting Wall clan!



The bits of poetry included above are taken from William Wordsworth's Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour. July 13, 1798. 



Love M & K