After a lovely flight on Virgin Atlantic, we headed west with a driver from Celtic Horizons, making three stops on our way to Bath.

Avebury: Older Than Stonehenge

First up were the Avebury stones. At 6,000 years old, they’re just as odd and mysterious as Stonehenge — the standing stones here form the largest prehistoric stone circle in Britain. The sun started to appear as well. Perhaps it was the druids.

Lacock: A Village Frozen in Film

From there we stopped in the village of Lacock in Wiltshire County, just outside the Cotswolds. An unspoiled village, it’s been used as a filming location for everything from Harry Potter to Beauty and the Beast to Downton Abbey.

Castle Combe: A Cotswold Time Capsule

Our last stop was the village of Castle Combe — a lovely, typical Cotswold village. It’s like walking through a time capsule. The historic nature almost requires you to slow down and just “be” in its presence.

Our First Time in Bath

We then reached our destination for the next two nights: the city of Bath, in the county of Somerset. It had long been on our list of places to visit, and after many stays in London, we decided a weekend in Bath would be a welcome change of pace. It lived up to its reputation.

We checked into the Hotel Indigo.

Lunch at The Architect

First up was a very light lunch at The Architect — some wine, pâté, and crispy pig cheeks over mash, with a great view of Bath Abbey in the distance.

Gin and Tonics at Bath Distillery

Bath is a big gin town, so we did what the locals do — pre-dinner cocktails at the gin bar run by Bath Distillery, known for their craft flavored gins. Fun vibe, very good cocktails. Not bad for two guys still running on three hours of sleep from a red-eye flight!

Dinner at Garrick’s Head

Dinner was at Garrick’s Head: Bath Chaps (marinated shredded pork belly, deep fried), Cornish mussels in cider cream, and wagyu burgers. The mussels won the night hands down — sweet, succulent, and tasty.