Stonehenge and Arundel Castle

When we asked mom and dad what they wanted to see while there were here they said 1) Stonehenge and 2) a castle.

Check and Check.

Here is dad. Braving the oncoming traffic directed toward him in a land where they think their direction is the right way. Maybe so, but since it's you and one other country - Australia, I think you've lost that argument.

Dad, you are commended for some sweet driving skills around those roundabouts.

We sorely mistook this lovely cathedral for a castle as we began our journey towards the wonder that is called Stonehenge. However, what was a 'castle detour' turned out to be the splendid Lancing College Chapel.

The College is a highly selective senior school for boys and girls aged 13-18 founded by Nathaniel Woodard in 1848.

It is a wonderful example of nineteenth century English Gothic design. The foundation is up to seventy feet deep and built of Sussex sandstone.

Our day-out continued along nicely, stopping for a brief moment in the local town for a nice full English to keep us going through the day.

We detoured our way to the stately Arundel Castle. The castle was built at the end of the 11th Century and has been a family home to the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors for over 900 years. It's one of the longest inhabited country houses in England.

The original castle was founded by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel who was William the Conqueror's most loyal barons. He was awarded a third of Sussex with the stipulation that a new castle be built near the mouth of the Arun to protect the approaches to Sussex from attack.

Because the castle is still used by the Duke and family we were not allowed to take photographs of the interior but it was a lovely place. Our favorite was the library. Row after row of books with cosy seating by the fire. My least favorite was the smell. There was a luncheon being held while were were there and whatever it was they were serving did not smell right. I get nautious just thinking about it now.

However, we did get to tour the lovely green gardens.

These tulips were AMAZING!

We spend a lot of time at the gardens. It was a nice sunny day but time was wasting. We still had a good two hours drive to Stonehenge.

Forget the sunny weather now. It turned windy, cold and rainy. But that didn't deter Eric from taking loads and loads of photos.

Mom and dad trying to stay warm and dry while listening to their audio guide.

The whole mystery of Stonehenge is intriguing and it's hard for me to think how old this is. It's said the monument evolved between 3,000 BC and 1,600 BC. I mean, can you imagine what it would have been like back then? It so OLD!

It's really in a beautiful setting on the hilltop with yellow wildflower fields in the distance. I was expecting it would be off the main road a ways but driving along anyone can see it from their car.

This was the one point the sun decided to shine for us. We utilized the opportunity gladly for a photo-op.

Many who have seen Stonehenge say they were disappointed and not all that impressed. We really enjoyed the experience and thought it was intriguing and beautiful. I would have to say if given the opportunity to visit again I would. The audio-guide was a little boring but did have some useful information. Otherwise you just walk around the perimeter of the stones.