So: you’re on a budget. You’re an Anglophile. You’re aware that England, despite its lack of overpriced beach resorts, is a very expensive country. And you want to visit attractions that can bring you in touch with its history. Is it possible? Our own sararevell set out to answer this question, and the result -- a detailed journal of touring England for free -- has landed her a spot as our thriftiest Traveler of the Week.
In Avebury, a “postcard-pretty village” a two hours’ drive from London, the entry fee for a Stonehenge-like site is a grand total of zero dollars. In recounting the site, Sara made sure to mention the place’s history: “It is estimated that the circles were constructed in the ‘New Stone Age’ era around 2600BC, the stones are arranged in three concentric circles within a surrounding bank and ditch. Signs around the site state that their original purpose remains a mystery but like Stonehenge, it is assumed that they were used for ceremonial or ritualistic purposes.”
Fans of British mythology know a thing or two about round tables. For a glimpse of one in a castle, tourists can pay a visit to the Great Hall in idyllic Winchester: “The Great Hall in Winchester, at the top of what is now the city’s main shopping area was once part of Winchester Castle and is proclaimed to be one of the finest examples of 13th century medieval halls. Now home to a small museum and the not-so-small round table, the Great Hall itself is long and bare but nonetheless impressive.” Not-so-small, of course, is an understatement: the table is “a 1,200kg tabletop of English oak, five and a half metres in diameter.”
For a guide to Albion that won’t tear a hole in your wallet, go take a look at Sara’s incomparable journal. Trust us -- your bank will thank you.
More Things to Do in England
Things to Do in London
Things to Do in Dover
Things to Do in Manchester
Posted by tdbeckwith (Thomas Beckwith)