Posts Tagged ‘Dorset’

ITCHEN ABBAS — I left the Royal Yeoman in Grimstone mid-morning in glorious sunshine and headed north for Yeovil and Sherborne. I intended to visit Sherborne’s two castles and so, because it seemed logical, I chose to go Sherborne Old Castle first. Another picturesque ruin, it was originally built by one of the Bishops of Salisbury, and at one stage was owned by Sir Walter Raleigh. After taking a look around the castle grounds I drove over to the neighbouring new Sherborne Castle—which is a bit of a misnomer as it was orginally a hunting lodge—only to find that it was closed for a special event. As it was Saturday there could very well have been a wedding booked.
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GRIMSTONE — It was a slower start to the day today as breakfast was served from 8:30 am. The first destination for the day was the village of Cerne Abbas and the giant figure of a man carved into the hillside above the village. The look-out provided gives a good view of the Giant, and a nearby walk through woodland leads into the village. Other walks take you closer to the Giant but they looked like they would involve a lot of climbing far too early in the morning—so I had a quick look at the village instead.
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GRIMSTONE — Another glorious day, though a bit chilly first thing. I left Exeter the only way I knew how—via the M5. I exited at the next junction though and headed towards Sidmouth. Due to a warning that the route I intended to take was closed I decided to visit Bicton Park, a botanical garden, in order to give the accident or breakdown or whatever time to be cleared.
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