Whilst everybody else was tucked up at home watching James Bond or getting snarled up in holiday traffic a team of five LGO's (Long well green orchestra's) met up for a walk across the Bath southern slopes. I Set off nice and early because I don't know the south of Bath that well and ended up half an hour early near the Sham Castle. A little while later Peter, Dan and Alison turned up as did Ruth.
At 11 we put our best feet forward and set off on our tour which cut across Bathwick Hill with views over the city which took my breath away. I was pointing out churches and Peter pointed out schools - nobody dared point out the pubs! We also saw the train pulling out of Bath station and also the huge incongrous gothic tower and spire of St Johns peeping out of all that classicism. Anyway we carried on down a hill and past a small farm and past a weird looking cemetary with some interesting buildings in it although one covered in tarpaulin. This was in a small combe and and what caught my eye was a creepy nightmarish octagonal building which looked like it had walked off a hammer horror film. It was infact the nonconformist chapel of 1860 by Baths rogue goth Arhitect who designed some very weird buildings in the city - this octagonal thing was true to form. I was also interested to read that the poet AE houseman and architect JE Gill is buried there too. However I'm not usually one for cemeteries as they give me the creeps but it was interesting to see this hidden away far from anywhere!
We past our way through a field where someone was shouting at their dog and then across some woods and down the side of Prior Park's great garden and house.
We saw a very tempting door through to the park which just happened to be open - course we would have paid up if we had been required - honest!!! We didn't get to see the park as the entrance was miles away and a national trust gnome came complete with green overalls came out of a nearby house and told us we couldn't get in that way and told us to close the gates (even though it was him who had left them open!!).
Anyway I guess he mus have been suspicious of us as a mi5 hellicopter was circling up above us - no doubt sent by him to keep an eye on us for infiltrating his gardens. He probably had us down as litter louts and had the copter on the look out for us!!! However we made haste up the hill and found a nice place to sit and have our lunch with an excellent view of the city. Not quite so nice for the poor ant hills below - some of whom came out to see who was perched on their mobile homes - probably ruining their tiny plasma TV screen receptions. Anyway we had a good meal admiring the view.
We walked up by the uni and past a field with a lone white horse under a tree. Some of us were confused as to which white horse people were pointing at as there was one in the distance! The horse in the field looked bored and would probably have quite liked to have put his feet up and watched the grand national if the farmer had shipped a TV in. He certainly didn't notice us.
We carried on past the dogs home and predictably I started to feel upset. Everyone who knows me will be aware that like my dad I love dogs. I love animals anyway but I particularly like dogs and always adopt every single stray that I see. I could actually feel my eyes going - particularly when I saw a black dog bounding about in his kennel barking presumably for an owner or somebody to love it. I know sometimes people die or are made homeless but I just can't understand people who have a dog and then just send it away when they get tired of it. It's a mentality which I suppose one can tie into the whole consumerism thing - people want things and then put them aside when their done. Except an animal is not a thing! I've always believed that if humans have souls (That bit which is your personality - the thing that makes you you) then animals sure as heck have one too. I guess it's also the reason I'm a big James Herriot fan too.
Anyway we carried on until we reached the last feature of the walk which was the sham castle which in its GothiK with a K forms may have looked like a real castle if you had drunk too much. But of course it was a Folly built for the rich and frolicsome of the 18th cent to laud over the people of Bath below.
We arrived back at our cars at 4 and said goodbye. It was a very varied walk and very enjoyable with some excellent views of places I hadn't been to before.
However my excercise hadn't finished as I had to get back to take Jasper for a three mile walk.
At 11 we put our best feet forward and set off on our tour which cut across Bathwick Hill with views over the city which took my breath away. I was pointing out churches and Peter pointed out schools - nobody dared point out the pubs! We also saw the train pulling out of Bath station and also the huge incongrous gothic tower and spire of St Johns peeping out of all that classicism. Anyway we carried on down a hill and past a small farm and past a weird looking cemetary with some interesting buildings in it although one covered in tarpaulin. This was in a small combe and and what caught my eye was a creepy nightmarish octagonal building which looked like it had walked off a hammer horror film. It was infact the nonconformist chapel of 1860 by Baths rogue goth Arhitect who designed some very weird buildings in the city - this octagonal thing was true to form. I was also interested to read that the poet AE houseman and architect JE Gill is buried there too. However I'm not usually one for cemeteries as they give me the creeps but it was interesting to see this hidden away far from anywhere!
We past our way through a field where someone was shouting at their dog and then across some woods and down the side of Prior Park's great garden and house.
We saw a very tempting door through to the park which just happened to be open - course we would have paid up if we had been required - honest!!! We didn't get to see the park as the entrance was miles away and a national trust gnome came complete with green overalls came out of a nearby house and told us we couldn't get in that way and told us to close the gates (even though it was him who had left them open!!).
Anyway I guess he mus have been suspicious of us as a mi5 hellicopter was circling up above us - no doubt sent by him to keep an eye on us for infiltrating his gardens. He probably had us down as litter louts and had the copter on the look out for us!!! However we made haste up the hill and found a nice place to sit and have our lunch with an excellent view of the city. Not quite so nice for the poor ant hills below - some of whom came out to see who was perched on their mobile homes - probably ruining their tiny plasma TV screen receptions. Anyway we had a good meal admiring the view.
We walked up by the uni and past a field with a lone white horse under a tree. Some of us were confused as to which white horse people were pointing at as there was one in the distance! The horse in the field looked bored and would probably have quite liked to have put his feet up and watched the grand national if the farmer had shipped a TV in. He certainly didn't notice us.
We carried on past the dogs home and predictably I started to feel upset. Everyone who knows me will be aware that like my dad I love dogs. I love animals anyway but I particularly like dogs and always adopt every single stray that I see. I could actually feel my eyes going - particularly when I saw a black dog bounding about in his kennel barking presumably for an owner or somebody to love it. I know sometimes people die or are made homeless but I just can't understand people who have a dog and then just send it away when they get tired of it. It's a mentality which I suppose one can tie into the whole consumerism thing - people want things and then put them aside when their done. Except an animal is not a thing! I've always believed that if humans have souls (That bit which is your personality - the thing that makes you you) then animals sure as heck have one too. I guess it's also the reason I'm a big James Herriot fan too.
Anyway we carried on until we reached the last feature of the walk which was the sham castle which in its GothiK with a K forms may have looked like a real castle if you had drunk too much. But of course it was a Folly built for the rich and frolicsome of the 18th cent to laud over the people of Bath below.
We arrived back at our cars at 4 and said goodbye. It was a very varied walk and very enjoyable with some excellent views of places I hadn't been to before.
However my excercise hadn't finished as I had to get back to take Jasper for a three mile walk.
