Ok, I really need a cool thought right now, which means that I must turn my thoughts to our recent holiday in the UK. Ahhh, I feel cooler already (not…!)… 😉

My first photo of the day shows a view of the Lacock Abbey inner courtyard, where some scenes from the Harry Potter saga were filmed. In fact, Harry freed Dobby in one of these cloister walks. Remember that scene? 🙂 Apart from the Harry Potter connection (ah, by the way, in case it’s not obvious, I’m a huge HP fan… 🙂 ), this is a lovely abbey, managed by the National Trust.

That reminds me: if you are visiting England, I think it’s a good idea to become members of the National Trust (or of English Heritage, depending on where you are…in Wales, we chose the latter). We paid, as I recall, £83.50 for an annual membership (of course, now that we have returned, I see that you can pay online for quite a bit less…sigh…story of my life), and once you are a member, you can enter all National Trust properties for free, so in the end it MORE than paid off for us…

I would also like to mention that the entire village of Lacock (Wiltshire) is lovely, not just the abbey. Many films and BBC series have been filmed there–the fabbbbbbulous 1995 BBC rendition of Pride and Prejudice, and also Cranford (2007). And quite a few others…Worth a visit, certainly…We bought some luscious organic handmade soap at a shop called “Quintessentially.” Mmmmmh…

Photo number two: Honey outside Lacock Abbey (that small thingy perched on the fountain…).

Photo number three: a view of the village of Castle Combe, “the prettiest village in England,” also located in Wiltshire, about 12 miles from Bath. On the right, you can get a glimpse of its 14th century market cross. Lots of history there…all the way back to Roman times…

Photo number four: this is a view of the famous (even though I confess I’d never heard of it…) Palladian bridge in Prior Park, an 18th century landscape garden located right outside Bath. Again, a National Trust property.

In case it isn’t clear from my photo (and no, now that I’ve had a closer peek, it most definitely isn’t), let me warn you that the climb down to the bridge is amaaaaaazingly steep, which is OK as long as you are going down. However, getting back UP the hill is an entirely different matter.

So don’t even think of going to Prior Park unless you are well prepared. For instance, you’d better be wearing sturdy shoes, not a pair of flimsy flip flops. And you’d also better be somewhat fit.

After going down the hill and taking about a million photos of the bridge, the pair of swans near the bridge and whatnot, we started to climb back up the hill, heading for a gate located just under that Georgian manor (see the very top of the photo). Let me tell ya, by the time we reached that gate, our hearts were pounding like mad…Spectacular views of the city of Bath from up there, though…

Oh, and it’s one of only FOUR remaining Palladian bridges in the world…How about that for a bit of trivia? 🙂

Photo number five: one of the adorable thatched cottages in Selworthy, a small village in Somerset. It is part of the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate (Exmoor National Park). Ah, the National Trust…again. 🙂

Photo number six…Well, just a shot that I particularly liked. A goat resting in a field with his little feathered buddy just outside of Arlington Court, in Devon. Yes, you guessed it…another National Trust property… 😀

Last but not least…a rainy day view of the rather rough sea off the coastal path near Crackington Haven, in Cornwall.

Ahhhh, the scenery…loved it! Even on a rainy day…and we had many of those during our two-week holiday. Didn’t bother us in the least…