You won’t find Mel Gibson or a Thunderdome on this tour, but you will find a great day out exploring some of the most fantastic historical sites the SouthWest has to offer.
MadMax Tours, named after the owner, Maddy, and the family dog, Max, has been running tours from Bath since 1991. Recommended by Rick Steves, Lonely Planet and Rurubu, take a look at what they offer:
Stonehenge and Avebury Stone Circles Full Day Tour:
25 pounds
8.45am - 4.30pm
Cotswold Discovery Full Day Tour:
27.50 pounds
8.45am - 5.15pm
Stonehenge Afternoon Tour:
15 pounds
1.30pm - 5.15pm
You can book the tour through MadMax or through the tourist information office in Bath.
I explored the first tour and had a fabulous time. The weather was miserable and cold, but the tour guide was fun and the group a good bunch of travelers from around the globe.
The day starts by meeting at the Glass House at 8.30am for an 8.45am departure time. There is a coffee shop right there to pick up some munchies and your morning cup of joe (something this traveler was very grateful for). Once you are all aboard (maximum of 16 people makes the tours small and personal), and buckled in your tour guide will give you a brief history of Bath as you head out into the countryside.
There are 4 main stops on the tour starting with legendary Stonehenge. Now, I have waited a long time to see this impressive megalithic monument and had heard conflicting reactions to this historic site, some are awed by its age and sheer magnitude, others find it to be, well, “a pile of rocks….”. Unfortunately, due to vandals, you are no longer able to wander amongst the stones and get a real sense of the history behind them. So, well I was indeed fascinated by them, the passing highways and rope preventing entrance, did much to diminish my awe and instead I found myself looking at “a pile of GIGANTIC ANCIENT rocks…”. But its still a must see in every travels to do list.
Stop number two is Avebury Circle. This lesser known megalithic monument (say that fast after a couple of shots of tequila), was far more impressive to me. Whether it was the fact that you could walk around amongst them or the that the circle these stones form is 16times larger than Stonehenge and almost 1000yrs older, I am not sure. Not to mention the fact that there is a mystical energy that runs here and if you try your hand at dowsing, (2 metal rods held in either hand usually used in finding water), you might find yourself very surprised.
Voted the prettiest village in England, Lacock National Trust Village is truly a gem. Consisiting of properties that date back to the 13th and 18th centuries this is a popular Hollywood filming location, the most recent being “Pride and Prejudice”. The Abbey was also used in the filming of the first two “Harry Potter” films, you can even find Harry’s parents house where he-who-must-not-be-named gave Harry his famous lightning scar.
Your final stop explores the southern part of the Cotswolds and Castle Combe. Not a single majestic castle as the name might imply (its stones were used to build the manor house, now a fabulous hotel), but rather an idyllic village set on a winding river nestled in a wooded valley. This charming stop evokes images of gentler times.
And there’s more… from the legend of Clei Hill (reported to have the highest number of UFO sitings in the UK which might go hand in hand with a prolific number innocent looking mushrooms), a view of a giant horse carved into the chalk hillside, to a traditional thatched inn frequented by Charles Dickens. There is lots to see and more to explore. So go ahead and step back in history with MadMax Tours.
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