Scenic day - Sherrington, Wiltshire

We left London today and headed for our next AirBnb in Sherrington, Wiltshire. I must say I was glad to leave London in all its busyness and to be surrounded by lush greenery.

Our first stop was Fishbourne Roman Palace and Gardens. This was the site of the largest Roman home in Britain. It certainly was impressive, and the mosaic flooring that was uncovered in the 1960s was spectacular. The boys enjoyed going on a scavenger hunt for images and symbols in the many rooms of the palace's North Wing. The gardens were beautifully restored to what they would have looked like in their prime, and there were gardens with herbs for culinary and medicinal purposes.

Our scenic drive today

The palace in its heyday

Stunningly preserved floor mosaics

After Fishbourne, we headed to Weald & Downland Living Museum. This was just marvellous! We cannot believe that it is not mentioned in Lonely Planet or Rough Guides ... Ken heard about it in the Rick Steves podcast. 40 acres of historic buildings set amongst rolling hills and lush forests. Ancient style homes, Tudor homes and buildings & Victorian homes and buildings were lovingly moved here and restored. As much of the original timbers and other materials as could be kept were included in the restorations. I had always wondered why thatch roofs did not leak - never having seen them in real life before - but they are really thick and on a very steep pitch, so combined (generally) the rain just washes off and doesn't have time to soak in. Knowledgeable volunteer staff were informative and made the experience that much more valuable. We enjoyed a lunch on the park benches in the lovely warm sun (it was 23 degrees today!) and had a laugh at the boys as they squealed with joy when feeding the ducks.

Flock of sheep mid distance and a house in the far distance on the hill

Come hither on this comfy bed!

The ensuite in a tudor house! Very posh!

Pulled pork!

School for 6 children

Maypole dancing

Cloth was dyed using particular plants and all clothes were hand made to reflect practices and styles of the periods

Another suit choice for Ken - this one has removable sleeves

We enjoyed a cuppa and some Victorian cake (I made the error of calling it sponge cake!) before driving to Sherrington. Upon arrival at Sherrington we took a short walk through the village and came across some swans and their baby cygnet! Then, taking a short drive to the grocery store in a village a mile away, came across heavy traffic in the form of a flock of sheep! Such fun!

We drove past these rocks on our way to Sherrington! We'll be back to visit in two days time.

The road speed limit here is 90km/hr! Nuts! (Those are parked cars there to the side, leaving just enough room for one car) Needless to say we drive at a far more sedate speed.

Hey ewe! 

Our backyard for the next 5 days.

Our home in Sherrington