Roadtrip Day 7: Bournemouth to Bath

10th Oct, 2010

Well after a night Bournemouth in the worst hotel i've stayed in i had to get up early to move my car as i parked on the street cos the hotel carpark was full. Luckily there was a spot for me as somebody must have left early.
Oh no joke the hotel was crap... the staff were rude and i overheard the fact that they were overbooked and trying to relocate a couple of people. I got into my room and there were no pillows on the bed and the bathroom didnt look like it had been cleaned. Am gonna give it a really bad review...

But Bournemouth turned on another great day. I must be solar powered cos i'm happy when the sun is shining. Took a walk along Bournemouth beach before setting off for Bath via Salisbury. Today there were people in the water.
Drove along to Boscombe beach.They take great pride in the fact that they've artificially created a reef to create surf conditions... but the waves are puny... i'm sorry to be snobby but beaches arent anything like Australian beaches... makes me slightly homesick...

It's around a 45min drive to Salisbury from Bournemouth. There's not that much in Salisbury but a magnificent medieval church... the Salisbury Cathedral. It's a massive Catholic church... lots and lots of relics. Also home to a copy of the Magna Carta. There are only 4 copies left in existence and this one is considered to be the most legible.

The Magna Carta is a document or they call it a 'charter' that was written by King John around 1215. There was some rebellion amongst nobles due to his high taxes so King John had to write this document as a concession to keep the barons happy.

The 'importance' of the document is that some of the clauses are still found in the current constitutions of the UK and even the USA and also other Commonwealth countries.

The Cathedral itself is very cluttered with religious relics. From memorial sarcophagii to statues, paintings and brass painting and very beautiful stained glass windows. It's all very pretty but i felt sad at seeing all the idols.
Things made by your hands cant bring you closer to God...



After leaving Salisbury Cathedral I drove to Bath which is around an hr's drive. Couldnt figure out why it was so busy and the streets were so crowded but was informed that there was a big rugby match on and that Bath people are quite passionate about their rugby. Apparently Lewis Moody (who is the England rugby captain) plays for Bath... Well i guess i look like i like rugby too cos i was wearing my Wallabies jersey as well. (except that i have the jersey not cos i'm passionate about rugby but cos i had to buy something with the $200 canterbury voucher i won...)

The hotel i'm staying in is sooo nice. I was reading through some brochures and it's the one that's recommended by the Jane Austen foundation. I'm not surprised because of the interior decoration of the room. I got a free upgrade as well which is nice... yay! Big bed which i'm loving cos i miss my bed at home... well my back is missing my bed at home..

Decided to take a wander around Bath.There was time to do the touristy thing and visit the Roman Baths. Bath and Bristol lie along a crack in the earth's crust. The underground water passes close to the core before convection pushes it upwards. It's like the hot springs really. The water temp is apprently around 46 degrees.
Learnt about the history of Roman occupation and the origin of the Baths. Apparently the water is supposed to have healing powers and a lot of famous people - monarchs, nobles have come to Bath in search of healing.