Wiltshire, Somerset, Yorkshire & London

Travel Day One - 24 August 2018 - Arriving in London 🛬

Engine difficulties at Atlanta International Airport delayed the flight to London Heathrow. Despite the setback, I eventually arrived at around 10 a.m., traveling on the same Virgin Atlantic route my friend and I had taken the previous year.

Fortunately, it was a quiet period for international arrivals, so the immigration queues were short — through UK Immigration in under five minutes. With passport stamped, the Heathrow Express took me directly to London Paddington. From there, a train to Bath through the English countryside in Wiltshire and Somerset. It was a Bank Holiday weekend and the trains were busy, with plenty of passengers going places.

A friend met me at Bath Spa train station — he'd come down from Manchester with his driver, and the three of us were all fairly worn out by the time we reached the Holiday Inn Express. An early check-in was available, which was a small mercy. Later, we found a nearby pub to talk through plans for the next couple of days. Feeling hungry and budget-conscious, Chinese takeout became dinner.

Day Two - 25 August - Visiting Wells Cathedral

The next morning brought a proper English breakfast at the hotel: bacon, eggs, beans, croissants, and muffins. The bacon stayed on my plate. After breakfast, we drove to Wells.

Finding a parking spot took a few minutes, but once parked, the walk toward the cathedral had more going on than expected — it was Market weekend, and the town center was packed with vendors. Right outside the cathedral, a town crier was reading out news and humorous ads about local businesses.

The craftsmanship of the cathedral was impressive, especially the stained glass windows. We spent about two hours exploring inside before taking a leisurely stroll back through the market and the town.

After Wells, we drove back through the Somerset countryside to Bath. I suggested trying something different for dinner — a pizzeria I'd looked up beforehand called Franco Manca, near the train station.

The pizza at Franco Manca was excellent. Probably the best I'd had in a long time. The crust was right and the toppings tasted genuinely fresh. We drove back to the hotel and mapped out the next day, which was all about Stonehenge.

Day Three - 26 August - Sunrise at Stonehenge and Avebury 🐑

We were up early to get to Amesbury for sunrise at Stonehenge. I'd booked special access earlier in the year — the kind that lets you walk among the stones in the inner circle at sunrise. Despite a cloudy sky from an approaching storm front, it was an incredible experience. A full hour standing among the stones.

After Stonehenge, we headed to Avebury to explore the stone circles. You can actually touch the stones there, and the sheep wander freely around them. Avebury felt more relaxed than Stonehenge — less managed, more open. It had started to rain by the time we walked back to the car park.

Then the drive back through the Wiltshire countryside to the hotel in Bath.

Day Four - 27 August - From Somerset to Yorkshire

We drove up to Manchester to visit my friend's father, who keeps a kind of mini-museum in his home. Walking in, the sheer volume of antiques and curiosities was immediately striking. A wonderful man, and his collection was worth every minute. After a glass of Chianti, we headed to my friend's house, where I'd be staying for the next two nights.

That evening we ordered pizza from a local place run by an Italian man with over forty years of experience. It showed. After dinner we wound down watching a film.

Day Five - 28 August - The National Railway Museum in York 🚂

We drove up to York and visited the National Railway Museum, which covers the full history of the railroad. The highlights were the Mallard — the record-holder for fastest steam train — and the original locomotive built by George Stephenson. We spent a good amount of time working through the exhibits before driving back through the Yorkshire countryside to my friend's house.

Day Six - 29 August - Train from Leeds to London Kings Cross, British Museum, and more 🚅

I boarded the LNER from Leeds to Kings Cross. On arriving in London, the underground to Russell Square, then a short walk to the Morgan Hotel — one night in London before the flight home.

Once settled, I walked around the corner to the British Museum. I had a list of things I wanted to see, though some were on loan to other museums. About an hour inside, and I couldn't resist picking up a few postcards from the shop. For a late lunch/early dinner, VQ Bloomsbury — a falafel burger and chunky fries.

After eating, I strolled down to Treadwell’s Bookshop, browsed for a while, and walked out with two books and a tote bag. Then back to the hotel for the evening. The room was small, and had a shared patio overlooking the back of the British Museum that I never used — but proximity to the museum and the bookshops was the whole point of choosing it.

Day Seven - 30 August - Heathrow to Atlanta 🛫

Up at 5 a.m. Checked my bags, checked my emails, found a notification from the airline: flight delayed until 11:40 a.m. Returned the room key, then made my way to Euston Square for the tube to Paddington and the Heathrow Express to the airport.

At the airport, the delay extended again — this time to 2:00 p.m., due to something found with the electrical panel during pre-flight checks. The knock-on effect was missing my connecting flight from Atlanta to Nashville. Delta was helpful and got me rebooked on a later flight without much fuss.

After the long flights, the waits, and the scramble at the connection, I finally made it home to Nashville, exhausted. A Lyft from the airport was the right call.

Using points from my Capital One Venture card, I managed to offset some travel-related expenses, which brought the overall cost down considerably.