Magična južna Anglija / Magical southern England

Magična južna Anglija

Že v svojih zgodnjih najstniških letih sem začela sanjariti, da si moram enkrat ogledati Anglijo. Anglija me je privlačila in vlekla, še posebej njen južni obalni del, pokrajina, imenovana Cornwall. Vendar vedno se je nekaj zgodilo, da nisem mogla priti do tja. Potem pa je prišlo poletje leta 2016 in moje sanje so se uresničile. S partnerjem in z njegovim bratom smo se odpravili na road trip prav po južni Angliji. Naše popotovanje bi se moralo na polno začeti že prvi dan, vendar smo zaradi nepredvidenih okoliščin večji del dneva preživeli na letališču, oziroma tam, kjer oddajajo avtomobile.

Z izjemo najema avtomobila za kakšen dan na različnih grških otokih s partnerjem namreč nisva nikoli le-tega najemala za daljši čas. Pa še, ko sva ga, sva ga plačala z gotovino. Tako smo nameravali narediti tudi v Angliji, vendar smo na neprijeten način ugotovili, da to ne bo mogoče. Za najem smo potrebovali kreditno kartico z visokim kritjem, mi pa je nismo imeli in čeprav smo imeli dovolj denarja, avta nismo mogli najeti z njim.

Na koncu nam je s pomočjo znancev, ki sta takrat prebivala v Angliji, le uspelo, a to je že druga zgodba.

Ko smo končno dobili svoj avto, se je bližal že večer, zato smo se odpeljali kar na lokacijo, kjer smo imeli rezervirano prvo bivališče. Bivali smo v Polygon villas v Southamptonu. Imeli smo rezervirano sobo za tri osebe z zasebnim straniščem z zajtrkom. Za eno noč, kolikor smo tam bivali, smo odšteli po 35€ na osebo. Parkirali smo na ulici, vendar so nas opozorili, da naj pravočasno umaknemo avtomobil, saj bodo dopoldne že začeli zaračunavati parkirnino.

Soba je imela eno zakonsko posteljo in eno samostojno ležišče. Bila je manjša, s starejšo opremo in moram priznati, da ne preveč čista. Sploh kopalnica je bila zoprna in za školjko je zamakalo, tako da nad bivališčem nismo bili najbolj navdušeni, vseeno pa ni bilo tako slabo in zajtrk je bil okusen – strežen.

Prvih nekaj korakov po sledeh kralja Arturja

Naslednji dan smo se odpravili najprej v Winchester. Moram vam priznati, da me je to mesto povsem očaralo. Bilo je nekoliko večje mesto, vendar z občutkom manjšega. Mnoge vrstne hiše in stanovanja so bili opremljeni z vrati različnih živih barv, kar je mesto delalo še bolj očarljivo. Okolica je bila urejena, veliko je bilo muzejev z brezplačnim vstopom, imeli pa smo tudi srečo, da je tisti dan sijalo sonce in bilo zelo toplo, tako da je bil dan enostavno popoln.

Razen lepega občutka in pisanih vrat, mi je iz Winchestra najbolj ostala v spominu The great hall, ena največjih znamenitosti v mestu. Tam se namreč nahaja okrogla miza, okrog katere so se zbirali Arturjevi vitezi. Ni na tleh, kot bi si morda predstavljali, ampak so jo obesili na steno. Njene noge so se namreč stoletja nazaj polomile in so jo tako najlažje ohranili in predstavili. Okrogla miza je veličastna. Kot nam je povedal prijazen starejši vodnik, jo je za poseben banket dal izdelati kralj Edward I., na njej pa so zapisana imena vseh Arturjevih vitezov.

Ko smo si ogledali dvorano, ki se ponaša s kar nekaj zanimivimi in lepimi detajli, smo se sprehodili še v vrt kraljice Viktorije, ki je prav tako očarljiv.

Magični Stonehenge

Po vsej Angliji je več kamnitih krogov, ki burijo domišljijo, toda prav noben ni tako znan in oblegan kot prav Stonehenge, tako smo na ta popolni dan obiskali tudi to čudovito stvaritev.

Na tej točki vam ponujam še en nasvet. Če ne želite uro, dve ali celo več zapraviti s čakanjem na vrsto, si vstopnico nabavite že na spletu. Obstajajo celo različne povezane vstopnice, ki vam bodo prihranile kar nekaj denarja, če si boste v resnici želeli ogledati vsaj večino atrakcij, ki jih obsegajo. V vsakem primeru pa boste z nakupom preko interneta prihranili veliko časa in živcev.

Sedaj pa se vrnimo k tej magični, tako posebni stvaritvi, do katere vas, ko kupite vstopnico, lahko brezplačno odpeljejo avtobusi ali pa se odpravite tja peš. Seveda boste lahko Stonehenge opazovali le od zunaj in se ne boste mogli sprehajati med samimi kamni. To je namenjeno samo posebnim ljudem z veliko denarja. ?

Dejstvo je, da sloviti Stonehenge v Aveburyu niso postavili druidi, saj njegov nastanek sega v neolitsko dobo. So pa bili druidi tesno povezani s temi kamnitimi krogi, saj so jih uporabljali za svoja zborovanja in ceremonije.

Vsekakor sem oseba, ki je zelo občutljiva na različne vibracije, in ko sem se približala Stonehengeu, me je prevzela posebna energija. Ta me je napolnila z mirom in nekakšnim vznemirjenjem, v vsakem primeru pa z velikim spoštovanjem in s ponižnostjo.
Ker je sijalo sonce, sem se lahko namestila na travnik ob njem in uživala v energijah, ki so me obdajale in me napolnile. Začutila sem, da se je tam dogajalo nekaj veličastnega in zavedala sem se tega, kako majhna in nepomembna sem proti tem mogočnim kamnom, pa vendar sem se jim zdela dovolj vredna, da so me napolnili s čudovitimi občutki. In še nekaj sem opazila… Edine ptice, ki so zasedale mogočne kamne, so bili vrani. Vrani med drugim poosebljajo vodnike, ki ljudi vodijo v onostranstvo. Zanimivo, kajne?

Ko boste obiskali Stonehenge, pa vas ne bo pričakal samo ta čarobni kamniti krog, ampak še marsikaj zanimivega. V okolici centra, kjer lahko kupite vstopnice, se namreč nahajajo tudi muzej in zanimive starodobne hišice, ki vam bodo prikazale, kako so živeli v času, ko je Stonehenge nastajal.

Končno v Cornwall

Po ogledu Stonehengea smo se odpravili na relativno dolgo pot do zame tako težko pričakovanega Cornwalla. Za naslednje tri dni smo se nastanili v očarljivem obmorskem mestecu St. Columb major, v še bolj očarljivi hišici The Mews.

V The Mews smo za tri noči bivanja plačali 97€ na osebo in za to smo dobili ogromno. Celo dvonadstropno hišico, z garažo, ki je bila sicer premajhna, da bi jo uporabljali, in z majhnim vrtičkom ob hiški. Hiška je bila res čudovita. Prikupno opremljena, s kuhinjo, v kateri so nas pričakale tudi osnovne potrebščine, kot so čaj, kava, sladkor, sol in mleko. S pečico in mikrovalovno pečico ter z dovolj posode in prostora za kuhanje in posedanje. Iz kuhinje si prišel do dnevne sobe z usnjenim kavčem, veliko televizijo z brezplačnim Netflixom in kupom katalogov, letakov in vodnikov, ki so opisovali, kaj vse si lahko ogledamo v širši okolici. Po stopnicah si prišel do kopalnice, ki je bila prav tako založena s potrebščinami. Mimogrede, v Angliji, pa tudi na Škotskem, imajo drugačne pipe, kot pri nas. V bistvu sta nad koritom dve pipi. Ena z vročo in ena z mrzlo vodo, tako da se moraš znajti. Ko si po stopnicah nadaljeval še višje, si prišel do dveh sob. Ene večje, z zakonsko posteljo in dovolj veliko omaro, druge pa s samostojno posteljo in s prav tako dovolj veliko omaro. Bivanje v tisti hišici je bilo res nekaj posebnega in to tako zelo, da se mi je zazdelo, da bi lahko tam kar živela.

Tudi mestece St. Columb major je očarljivo, vendar se ne nahaja čisto ob morju. Napolnjeno s tipičnimi angleškimi hišami, tudi tistimi vrstnimi, ki imajo vhod čisto ob cesti. Tam pa se nahaja tudi veličastna cerkev vredna ogleda.

Prav v tem mestecu sem najprej opazila, da mnogi Angleži, še posebej tisti iz južne Anglije, še verjamejo v pravljice – tako kot jaz. ? Vile so namreč tako ali drugače del vsakdana tamkajšnjih prebivalcev, kar me je resnično presunilo. V trgovinah prodajajo amulete v obliki vil, na vratih so tolkala v obliki vil, v vrtovih pa čepijo kipi drobnih in velikih vil. Čudovito, kajne?

Grad sredi morja

Naslednji dan smo se odpravili v obalni kraj Marazion, blizu katerega se nahaja dih jemajoči St. Michael mount. Gre za grad z zanimivim vrtom, na otočku sredi morja. Do njega sicer vodi pot zgrajena iz kamnov, ki pa je razkrita samo do popoldanske plime. Takrat se kamnita pot skrije pod morje, čolni ki so zevali iz suhega peska, pa se vrnejo »domov«, in se zazibajo v morski vodi, ki jih spet oblije.

Grad je bil žal preveč zaseden in ga nismo uspeli obiskati, obiskali smo samo botanični vrt, ki ga obdaja in opazovali lepe razglede na obalo pod nami. Je pa otoček sredi morja name vseeno pustil velik vtis, saj je res nekaj neverjetnega doživeti tako veliko razliko med plimo in oseko.

Kjer se Anglija konča

St. Michael Mount nas je očaral, pa vendar se nam ni niti sanjalo, da nas za tem čaka še nekaj neverjetnega in nepozabnega. Med letaki v hišici The Mews smo našli naravni rezervat imenovan Lands end – Konec kopnega, in za zaključek dneva smo se odpravili še tja.

Lands end nas je pričakal z neverjetnimi pogledi na klife in mogočno morje, do katerega segajo. To je točka, kjer se Anglija konča in točka, ki me je povsem prevzela. Tam bi lahko posedala ure in ure in vpijala vso to lepoto ter mogočnost. Če boste imeli možnost, vam vsekakor priporočam, da se vsaj za kakšno uro odpravite tudi v ta čudoviti naravni rezervat.

Kralj Artur, angleške čarovnice in duhovi tihotapcev

Naslednji dan nas je čakal kar zapolnjen dan. Najprej smo se odpravili na Tintagle castle, grad v katerem naj bi odraščal kralj Artur. Pot do vrha, kjer je bila trdnjava, je bila kar dolga in naporna, vendar nas je nagrajevala s čudovitimi razgledi. Pod trdnjavo pa se nahaja tudi očarljiva majhna plaža, ki se ponaša z jamo, v kateri, če smo dovolj pozorni in odprte glave, lahko vidimo okameneli obraz čarovnika Merlina. Četudi ga ne najdemo, pa bomo nagrajeni s pogledom na zanimiv slap, ki se izliva direktno v morje.

Pot nas je vodila naprej v svetovno znani Muzej čarovništva, ki se nahaja v vasici Boscastle. Moram priznati, da sem od njega pričakovala več, toda res je tudi to, da so bila najbrž moja pričakovanja visoka. Pa vendar je muzej nekaj posebnega, saj se v njem spoznamo z različnimi oblikami čarovništva, zasledimo knjige urokov in lahko celo prisluhnemo posnetkom magičnih urokov, ki so jih izgovarjale znamenite čarovnice iz tistega področja. Tudi vile, škrati in druga pravljična bitja imajo svoje mesto v muzeju, seveda pa ne gre niti brez razstavnih eksponatov povezanih z wiccansko religijo.

Pred koncem popotovanja smo zavili še v svetovno znano krčmo Jamajka, ki je bila navdih za knjigo Daphne DuMaurer, Jamaica Inn. V krčmi si lahko privoščite kaj za pod zob ali kakšno pijačo, v njej pa se nahaja tudi zanimiv muzej tihotapstva. Morda najbolj zanimivo pa je, da v tej krčmi še dandanes prirejajo prav posebne večere, ko gostje prihajajo na lov za duhovi, v krčmi naj bi jih namreč kar nekaj strašilo.

Začarani gozd

Že tako poln in zanimiv dan smo zaključili z obiskom zanimive jame, Carglas Caverns. Upravnik jame in okolice je mlad par. Gre za nekdanji rudnik, v katerem je mladi arheolog, ki jamo upravlja, razstavil skoraj vse elemente iz periodnega sistema. Gospodič je zelo prijazen in dovolil nam je, da smo si jamo ogledali kar sami.

Jama je sicer simpatična, vendar mene je še bolj očarala Začarana globel – Enchanted dell. Med sprehodom po gozdnati globeli na vsakem koraku srečuješ manjše in večje kipce vil. Postavljeni so tako, da moraš biti pozoren, da jih najdeš. Skrivajo se na drevesih, v grmičevju, na gobah… Tudi druga magična bitja srečaš na popotovanju, vsi kipci pa so ročno izdelani. Nepozabno!

Če se boste odločili, da si boste ogledali ta čarobni kraj, bodite pripravljeni na naporno vožnjo po ozki cesti, obdani z visokimi stenami, kjer se dva avta ne moreta srečati, zato se vam lahko na poti hitro naredi, da pridete do polovice poti in se morate vzvratno peljati kar nekaj kilometrov, do kotička, kjer se lahko ustavite in spustite nasprotno vozilo mimo. To se vam lahko ponovi večkrat.

Čisto prave čarovnice

Prišel je tudi čas, da smo zapustili našo ljubko hišico in se odpravili naprej. Najprej smo se napotili do Glastonburya, kjer sem obiskala Chalice well & gardens.

Chalice well je eden najbolj priljubljenih svetih vodnjakov med Britanci. Vodnjak in vrt, ki ga obkroža, sta živo svetišče, namenjeno meditaciji, povezovanju z duhovi in prepuščanju spiritualnosti – in tako je že stoletja. Prav ta kraj naj bi namreč bil nekdanji Avalon. Chalice well je bil nekoč znan kot krvavi izvir zaradi  vode, ki teče po tleh močno prepojenih z železom in ima tako rdečkasto barvo. Tudi okus te zdravilne vode je po krvi. Resnično – poskusila sem jo. Več je verovanj, kaj ta voda predstavlja. Meni je najbližja tista, da predstavlja samo esenco življenja in je tako neustavljiva življenjska sila. Vrt okrog vodnjaka pa je razdeljen v osem t.i. sob. Vsaka je namenjena nečemu drugemu. Seveda vam je lahko jasno, da ne govorimo o pravih sobanah, temveč o predelih vrta.

Lahko bi vam napisala še mnogo dejstev o keltskem vodnjaku, ki je že sam po sebi nekaj posebnega, toda jaz bi vam rada približala predvsem energijo, ki sem jo tam čutila.
Ko sem si vzela nekaj minut časa in sem se prepustila delni meditaciji, popolnemu miru, je mirnost, ki obdaja Chalice well, vstopila v vsako celico mojega telesa. Napolnila me je z mirno energijo, ki je umirila moje nemirne misli in telo, ter mi dala občutek, da je celoten svet povezan v eno. Vsak delček narave je tudi del nas, kot smo mi del narave. Vsak človek je povezan z vsakim drugim človekom na tem svetu, pa čeprav samo zaradi istega neba, ki diha nad nami. Tam se sicer zadržuje kar nekaj wiccanov, pa tudi pravih čarovnic.

Da, pravih. V Angliji sem namreč tudi v živo srečevala čarovnice. Nekatere celo takšne, ki so povsem odkrito kazale svojo naklonjenost magiji, celo s črnimi ogrinjali in hex bag-i (uročenimi mošnjički). V Glastenburyu sem našla celo živi čarovniški tempelj. Ko sem vstopila vanj, me je pozdravil vonj kadila in dišečih palčk ter zvok žuborenja vode, ki je tekla skozenj in se zbirala v velikem vodnjaku. Ko so se mi oči privadile polteme, ki so jo razbijale samo številne prižgane sveče, sem povsod po templju opazila obešene amulete, hex bag-e in ostale malenkosti povezane z uroki. Eno od čarovnic so ravno takrat celo krstili ali sprejemali v “čarovniško gnezdo” – ne vem, saj nisem želela motiti svetega obreda in sem se raje spoštljivo umaknila. Že energija, ki je prevevala ves prostor, me je stresla in vedela sem, da je magija tam še kako živa.

Koraki skozi zgodovino v Bathu

Preden smo dan zaključili v Bristolu, kjer smo bivali tisti dan, smo obiskali rimske terme v Bathu. Gre za zelo zanimiv muzej, v katerem boste izvedeli ogromno informacij o rimski zgodovini. V rimskih termah se seveda ni mogoče kopati, toda ogromno časa vam bo vzel že sam sprehod skozi terme.

Priporočam vam, da si tam vzamete avdio vodnike, s pomočjo katerih boste muzej resnično zares doživeli in se veliko tudi naučili. Imejte v mislih, da si je za rimske terme v Bathu potrebno vzeti nekaj ur časa.

Iz Batha smo se, kot že rečeno, odpravili v Bristol. Bivali smo v centru mesta, v moderno opremljenem apartmaju Merchant Almhouses, kjer nas je nočitev stala 39€/osebo. Apartma je lep in zelo prijazen lastnik (pa tudi čeden ? ), Alberto, nam je uredil celo brezplačno parkirišče v bližnji parkirni hiši.

Mimogrede, če bi v Angliji radi žur, potem se odpravite v Bristol. Mi smo sicer šli spat, ker smo bili utrujeni, vendar smo slišali, da so mladi noreli in žurali na polno v okoliških lokalih in po celem mestu. Kar žal mi je bilo, da se jim nisem mogla pridružiti – ker sem bila preveč utrujena, in ker fanta nista bila ravno za to. Za bivanje pa v tem primeru brez težav izberete Albertov apartma, saj je v središču dogajanja.

Vasica kot iz bombonjere

Predzadnji dan našega popotovanja smo se odpravili v vasico Castle Comb. Vasico imenujejo »bombonjerasta vasica« in resnično je simpatična in očarljiva, sprehod po njej pa vam ne bo vzel veliko časa.

Nadaljevali smo v Avebury, v naslednji kamniti krog, v katerem pa se lahko tudi sprehajaš. Res je mnogo manjši kot Stonehenge, ampak je vseeno zanimiv. Sama sicer tam nisem čutila posebej močne energije, a mogoče tudi zato, ker je ob obisku Aveburya močno deževalo in sem imela vsega že malce dovolj.

Tam smo se ustavili še v dvorcu Avebury. Gre za opremljen dvorec, v katerem pa se lahko vsega dotaknete, sedete na stole, v roke primete knjige… skratka po svoje doživite stare čase. V okolici je tudi mnogo vrtov, za katere si je dobro vzeti več časa. Nam ga je žal zmanjkalo.

Tisti dan smo bivali v Swindonu, v apartmajih The Haybarn, ki so bili polomija, vendar jih na bookingu ni več v ponudbi, zato z njimi ne bom izgubljala časa.

Mogočni Windsor

Sami smo potovali z letališča Luton, z Wizzaer-om, saj so bile letalske karte zelo poceni. Povratna karta z dodatno prtljago nas je namreč stala 126€. Zadnji dan smo tako poleteli šele zgodaj zjutraj in smo noč preživeli na letališču – kar sicer ni bilo najbolj prijetno, vseeno pa nam je omogočilo, da smo izkoristili tudi zadnji dan. Tako smo se najprej odpravili na ogled gradu Windsor.

Windsor je rezidenca britanske kraljeve družine in je res veličasten. Tudi tukaj vam predlagam, da si vzamete avdio vodnike, za ogled gradu pa računajte nekaj ur. Vstopnica ni pretirano poceni, se pa splača, saj imate res veliko za videti. Različne sobane, kapelico, vrtove… Je pa grad tudi precej oblegan, tako da bodite pripravljeni na gnečo.

Dan smo zaključili z ogledom mesta Oxford. Za razliko od drugih mest, smo sem šli z avtobusom s parkirišča, po t.i. sistemu park and ride. Mesto je lepo in polno zgodovinskih stavb. Po njem pa vam vsekakor ne priporočam vožnje.

In tako se je končalo naše popotovanje po južni Angliji. Bilo je čudovito in komaj čakam, da se vrnem tja. Če imate kakšna vprašanja, pa kar vprašajte v komentarjih. Potrudila se bom, da vam na vse odgovorim, če bom le znala.

Magical southern England

As early as my early teens, I was dreaming of visiting England someday. England has always enchanted and intrigued me, especially it’s southern part, a county called Cornwall. However always something came up and my dreams left unfulfilled. Then came the year 2016 and my dreams finally came true. My partner, his brother and I went on a road trip across southern England. Our journey should have well and truly started the first day, however because of unforeseen circumstances, we spent most of the day on the airport, specifically at the rent-a-car dealership office.

Except of renting a car for a day on different Greek islands, my partner and I, never rented a car for a longer time, and when we did rent a car, we always paid with cash. That is what we also wanted to do in England, but we found out, rather awkwardly, that that will not be the case. If we wanted to rent the car, we needed a credit card with a high enough balance, but we didn’t, so even though we had enough money, we couldn’t rent the car with it.

So, a top tip – if you want to go anywhere in Great Britain and will want to rent a car, take with you a credit card with a high enough balance, otherwise you won’t be able to. In the end, with help from some acquaintances, who were living in England at the time, we managed to do it, but that is another story.

When we finally got our car, it was already evening, so we drove to the location, where we had our first accommodations booked. We stayed at the Polygon villas in Southampton. We booked a three-person room with a private bathroom, with breakfast. For the one night we stayed, we payed 35€ per person. We parked on the street, however we were told to move the car the right time, because the parking toll is charged in the morning.

The room had one double bed and an extra bed. It was a bit on the small side, with older furnishings, and, I must admit, not particularly clean. The bathroom especially was unpleasant, and it leaked behind the toilet bowl, so we weren’t particularly thrilled with our residence for the night, however it wasn’t all that bad and the breakfast was tasty – and it was served.

First few steps on the tracks of king Arthur

The next day we headed on to Winchester. I must admit that the city fully captivated me. It is a larger town, but you still get the feeling like you’re in a smaller town. Many of the terraced houses and flats were adorned with front doors of different vibrant colours, which made the city even more charming. The surroundings are very tidy, there are lots of museums with free admission, we were also fortunate that the sun was out on that day, so it was quite warm, and it made for a perfect day.

Apart from the pleasant feeling and the colourful doors, the thing that stood out the most for me, was The Great Hall. One of the biggest sights in the town, because there you can find the round table, around which Arthurs knights gathered. It is not placed on the ground, as you would imagine, but it is hung on the wall, as its legs broke off centuries ago and that was the easiest way to preserve and display it. As the nice, older guide told us, King Edward I. had it made for a special banquet and on it all of Arthur’s knights’ names are carved on it.

After we went through the hall, which boasts quite a few interesting and ornate details, we went for a walk through Queen Victoria’s garden, which is also quite charming in its own right.

Magical Stonehenge

You can find stone circles all around England that stir the imagination, but none are as well-known or visited as Stonehenge, so on that perfect day, we went to see the wonderful creation.

Another top tip, if you do not wish to spend an hour or even two waiting in line for a ticket, buy it ahead of time online. There are even several linked tickets, which can save you a lot of money if you intend to visit at least most of the sights that are included in the price. In any case, with an online purchase, you will save a lot of time and nerves.

Now let’s get back to this magical and special creation, to which, you can take a free bus ride included in the purchase of the ticket, or you can also walk. You can only observe Stonehenge from the outside, you can’t walk amongst the rocks, that is reserved only for special persons with lots of money. ?

Fact is, that the famous Stonehenge in Avebury wasn’t built by druids, because it’s origin dates to the Neolithic era. The druids were, however, tightly linked with these stone circles, as they used them for their gatherings and ceremonies.

Definitely I am a person, who is very in tune with different vibrations, so when I drew nearer to Stonehenge, I was engulfed with a very special energy. It filled me with serenity and some sort of thrill, but also with deep respect and humility. Because it was sunny, I sat on the meadow beside it and enjoyed the energies that swept through me and filled me. I felt that something grand had taken place there and I knew how small and insignificant I am in comparison to these stones, but still they found me worthy enough, that they filled me with those glorious feelings. I also noticed one other thing… the only type of bird that were occupying the rocks were ravens. Ravens, amongst other things, represent guides that guide people to the otherworld. Interesting, isn’t it?

When you visit Stonehenge, you will not find only this magical stone circle, but other interesting things as well. Around the centre, where you can buy tickets, is a museum and interesting ancient houses, that depict how life was, when Stonehenge was being built.

Finally, to Cornwall

After visiting Stonehenge, we set on a relatively long trip to, for me, highly anticipated Cornwall. For the next three days we stayed in a charming seaside town of St. Columb Major, in an even more charming house called The Mews.

For the three nights stay in The Mews we payed 97€ per person, and we got a lot for our money. A whole two-storey house with a garage, which was to small to use though with a small garden beside the house. The has truly was wonderful. Neatly furnished, and in the kitchen, there was also tea, coffee, sugar, salt and milk. There was also an oven and a microwave, and enough pots and pans for you to cook with and furnishing to sit around. From the kitchen you went to the living area with a leather couch, large television with Netflix and a bunch of catalogues, flyers and guides about the sights in the vicinity. You got to the bathroom up the stairs, and it was also packed with necessities. By the way, in England and in Scotland also, they have different faucets than here. Over the sink there are two faucets, one for hot water and one for cold, so you had to get creative. When you continued up the stairs, you came to two rooms. One larger, with a double bed and a quite large closet, and one with a single bed and it also had a quite large closet. Staying in this house was really something special, so much so, that I felt I could easily live there.

The town of St. Columb Major is also quite charming, but it isn’t located directly on the coast. It is filled with typical English houses, also those terraced houses, that have the entrance at the side of the road. There is also a church, which is worth a visit.

It was in this town, that I first noticed, that many Englishman, especially those from southern England, believe in fairy tales – just like me ?. Fairies are in some form part of the everyday of the residents, which really moved me. They are selling fairy shaped amulets in the stores, there were doors knockers in the shape of fairies, and they had smaller and larger statues of fairies in their gardens. Wonderful, isn’t it?

A castle in the middle of the sea

The next day we headed to the coastal town of Marazion, near of which the breath-taking St. Michael’s Mount is located. There stands a castle with an interesting garden on top of a tiny little tidal island. There is a granite causeway leading to the island, but only until the afternoon tide. At that time the granite causeway hides underneath the sea, and the boats that were peeking out of the dry sand return “home” and rock on the sea surface, which embraces them again.

The castle was sadly too full, so we didn’t manage to enter it, we only entered the botanical gardens, that surrounds it and gazed on the beautiful views of the beach below us. The island in the middle of the sea still made an impression on me, for it was unbelievable to experience that big of a difference between the high tide and low tide.

Where England ends

St. Michael’s Mount was really captivating; however, we had no idea, that afterwards, we are going to be in for something truly magnificent and unforgettable. In the flyers in The Mews house we found a natural reserve called Lands’ End and at the end of the day we headed there.

Lands’ End greeted us with amazing views on the cliffs and the mighty sea to which they reached. It is the point where England ends end a point that fully captivated me. I could sit there for hours on end and soak in all that beauty and might. If you have the chance, I really recommend spending at least an hour in this magnificent natural reserve.

King Arthur, English witches and spirits of smugglers

The next day, we had quite a full day. First of we headed to Tintagel Castle, a castle where king Arthur supposedly grew up. The way to the top, where the fort stood was quite long and tedious, but was rewarding with its beautiful vistas. There is also a charming little beach, located directly beneath the fort, which features a cave, in which, if you are alert and open minded enough, you can see the face of the wizard Merlin in stone. Regardless if you see him or not, you will be rewarded with a view of a waterfall that runs directly into the sea.

Our trail led us to the world-famous Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in the village of Boscastle. I must admit, I was expecting more from the museum, but truth be told, my expectations were probably quite high. But still the museum is special, because you get to know different kinds of witchcraft, discover books of spells and even listen to recordings of magic incantations, that were spoken by renowned witches from those parts. Fairies, dwarves and other mythological beings also have their spot in the museum, and of course there are also exhibit pieces regarding the Wiccan religion.

Before the end of the day’s journey we stopped by the world-renowned Jamaica Inn, which was the inspiration for Daphne du Maurier’s book Jamaica Inn. You can get a bite to eat or a drink in the inn and it also houses an interesting Smugglers museum. Probably the most intriguing part is that the inn still hosts special nights, where patrons of the inn come in for a ghost hunt, because it is said that there are still some that haunt the inn.

Enchanted forest

We finished our already full and exiting day by visiting an interesting cave called Carglas Caverns. A young couple are managing the cave and its surroundings. It’s a former mine in which the young archaeologist, who is the manager of the mine, displayed almost all the elements from the periodic table of elements. The young man is very nice, and he’d let us walk around the mine by ourselves.

The cave is cute, but I was more enchanted by the Enchanted dell. Through the walk around the forest dell you can find all sorts of fairy statues in every nook and cranny. But you have to keep your eyes peeled, because they are arranged in such a way that they are hidden on trees, in shrubbery, on mushrooms. You can also find other magical beings on you journey and all statues are hand-made. Unforgettable!

If you plan to visit this magical place, be prepared on an arduous ride on a narrow road, surrounded by tall walls where two cars can’t meet. It can happen that you will get halfway and will have to reverse a few kilometres to a spot where you can let the other vehicle pass. That can happen many times.

Real-life witches

The time has come to leave our lovely little house and move onwards. First, we headed off to Glastonbury, where I visited the Chalice Well and gardens.

Chalice well is one of the most popular holy wells amongst the British. The well and the garden that surrounds it are a live temple, meant for meditation, connecting with spirits and embracing oneself in spirituality – it has been like that for centuries. Right there, is said, that former Avalon once was. Chalice well was once known as the blood spring, because the water flows on land that is rich with iron and has a reddish colour. It also tastes like blood. Truly – I have tasted it. There are many beliefs, what the water represents. To me, the closest one is the one that it represents the essence of life and is, in that sense, an unstoppable force of life. The garden around the well is separated in to eight rooms, so to speak and each is meant for something else. Of course, it is clear they are not really rooms, but parts of the gardens.

I could write a whole lot more facts about the Chalice Well, which is special in its own right, but I would rather like to paint a more precise picture of the energy that I felt there. When I spent a few minutes in partial meditation, full of serenity, that serenity that envelopes Chalice Well seeped into every cell of my body. It filled me with a peaceful energy, which calmed my restless thoughts and gave me a feeling that the whole world was wrapped into one. Every piece of nature is a part of us, and we are all part of nature. Every human being is connected to other human beings on this world, even if it’s only because of the same sky that is drawing breath over us. It is also frequented by quite a few Wiccans and real-life witches.

Yes, real ones. I have met real-life witches during my stay in England. Some were even displaying their affinity to magic with black robes and hex bags. I even found a witch’s temple in Glastonbury. When I entered, I was instantly greeted with the smell of incense and incense sticks and the murmur of water, that flowed through it and gathered in a large well. When my eyes got used to the half dark, which was broken only by a plethora of candles, I saw amulets, hex bags and other items used in spellcasting all around the temple. One of the witches was baptised and initiated into the witch’s circle – I’m not sure, because I didn’t want to interrupt the sacred ritual, so I rather respectfully retreated. But the energy that was radiating in the area really shook me and I knew that magic was very much alive there.

Steps through history in Bath

Before we ended the day in Bristol, where we were staying that day, we visited the roman bathhouse in Bath. It’s a very interesting museum, where you get lots of information about Roman history. You can’t bathe in the roman bathhouse, but the walk through the bathhouse will still take quite some time.

I recommend taking the audio guides, which will help you to truly take in the museum and you will also learn a lot. Keep in mind, that you need to take quite a few hours for the Roman bathhouse in Bath.

From Bath, as said before, we headed to Bristol. We stayed in the centre of the city in a modern furnished suite called Merchant Almohuses, where the nights stay cost us 39€ per person. The suite really is nice and the very kind (and handsome ?) owner, Alberto, also got us free parking in the nearby parking garage.

By the way, if you want to party in England, then head to Bristol. We actually went to bed, because we were tired, but we heard some younger people that were partying and having a good time in the nearby bars and all around the city. I was feeling a bit sad, because I couldn’t join them, but I was awfully tired, also the guys weren’t up for it. In that case you can easily stay at Alberto’s suite, for its right in the middle of all the action.

Chocolate-box village

The penultimate day of our trip we headed to the village Castle Comb. The village is called “a chocolate-box village” and it truly is cute and charming, and a walk through it won’t take you a lot of time.

We continued to Avebury, where there is another stone circle, and you can walk through it. It’s much smaller than Stonehenge, but still interesting. I didn’t feel that much energy there, maybe because when we were visiting Avebury it was raining quite heavily, and I had just about enough of everything.

We also stopped at Avebury manor. It’s a fully furnished manor where you can touch everything, sit on the chairs and stools, pick up books, in short relive the olden times as you please. There is a multitude of gardens near it, for which you should take a bit of time to visit. Sadly, we didn’t have the time.

That day we spent the night in Swindon, in The Haybarn suites, which were a disaster, but they are not listed on booking.com anymore, so I will not waste my time with it.

The mighty Windsor

We travelled from Luton airport with Wizzair, because the tickets were inexpensive. A return trip ticket with extra luggage cost us 126€ per person. We flew back early in the morning the next day, so we spent our last night on the airport – which wasn’t entirely pleasant, but it did enable us to fully use our last day in England. So, the first thing we went on a tour of castle Windsor.

Windsor is the residency of the British royal family and it really is grand. I suggest using audio guides here too and the whole tour can take a couple of hours. The ticket isn’t inexpensive, but it is worth it, because you have lots to see. Different chambers, a chapel, the gardens. The castle is quite popular, so be prepared for a crowd.

We finished the day with a visit of Oxford. As opposed to other cities, we didn’t drive to the centre, but we used the Park & Ride system, so we went by car to the Park & Ride parking lot and took the bus to the city. The city is beautiful and full of historical buildings. I definitely do not recommend driving there.

Thus, ended our trip through southern England. It was amazing and I can’t wait to return there. If you have any questions, ask away in the comments section. I will do my best to answer them, if I can.