Day 3: Wells

After waiting for a while for Peter to get his act together to make us breakfast, we breathed deeply, and let it go.

Tim, our guide/driver, met us outside and we started our trip to the Cheddar Gorge and Wells. Tim is so genial and easy to be with. We drove through Bath chatting away and started through the countryside. We went through the Mendips, hilly limestone country, to the Cheddar Gorge. The caverns and used to age cheese, and Cheddar Man was found in one.

It was carved out by the Yeo river and has steep rock cliffs. It is populated by brown Saoy sheep, 10 or 12 of which were brought here many years ago from Scotland by a man who thought they were cute. They can climb up the steepest tracks and are usually seen in the early morning. We did get lucky and see two!

One end of the gorge is owned by the National Trust and the other is owned by the Marquess of Bath who is looking to cash in! Tim was able to stop in a small public lot in the tourist area and showed us where there was a cheese shop that he had heard was good. We walked down the street which was chockablock with fudge shops, ice cream shops, souvenir shops, fish and chips shops, and all the usual tat found in tourist areas.

The shop was a grave disappointment. Very commercial. We tasted their vintage cheddar and mature cheddar. They are only allowed to give you one tiny sample. They were not memorable. We did stop in a shop selling Marshfield ice cream, which is supposedly the greatest. I had a small cup of Caribbean coconut, and Pat had death by chocolate. It was very, very good.

We passed through the non-touristy part of Cheddar and Tim showed us the market cross. There are carved stone steps that a farmer would stand on and make a deal on selling livestock or crops. The roof was topped by a cross which meant that the deal was blessed by God. If you were sold a sick sheep, tough luck.

Then onto Wells via Glastonbury. We passed Glastonbury tor with its tower on the summit. Then drove through town, which has many many shops, devoted to dream catchers, crystals, astrological charts, and any other mystical products you could possibly imagine. We just kept on going.

Wells is a dream. Absolutely beautiful Cathedral precinct. Tim managed to get a perfect parking space so we all walked to see the Vicars Close.

Then we walked through a beautiful grassy area, which was used as a common cemetery for plague victims to the Bishop’s Palace. It is surrounded by a moat with swans swimming in it. The whole area is so beautiful, the gardens are gorgeous.

We had sandwiches sitting under an awning with a beautiful view. I had coronation chicken. I’ve always read about it and now I had the opportunity to try it! It’s chicken salad with some curry powder in it. It was tasty.

When you leave the cathedral/bishops palace precinct, you pass through a covered porch area called Penniless Porch. There was a stone bench where a beggar could sit while waiting for people to go to the cathedral.

Then you enter the main street of the town of Wells. It looked very pretty and well-kept and half way down the street there was another market cross.

We were lucky enough to have booked a private tour and had Mark as our guide. He was a spectacular guide and spent two hours giving us such detail about the building of the cathedral, and the meaning of so many things within. The most remarkable thing is how the architects and masons used geometry to figure out how to build the cathedral.

There is a wonderful astrological clock, and we waited for it to chime the quarter hour.

It was about an hours drive back to Bath. We would be early for our dinner reservation, so Tim dropped us off at a pub he likes. I asked about their cider. I was given taste of two different kinds. I ordered a half (pint) of the carbonated one.

It was delicious, but it packed a punch. 

We walked over to The Scallop Shell for dinner. Limited menu of fabulous very very fresh fish. I had fish and chips and Pat and Ria tried several different offerings, including scallops, prawns, sea bass, and mussels. Of course everything came with chips (and mushy peas).

Then a much needed walk back to the B&B.

Love,
Lynn

P.S. Here’s a joke told to Tim by his grandniece:

I went to Bath the other day and got mugged by 6 dwarves. Not happy.