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Salisbury
has plenty of other charms beside its cathedral, although the spire
rising above the water meadows as so timelessly captured by Constable is
most peoples’ abiding vision of this city.
There are
quaint, half timbered buildings, a bustling market and inviting small
shops in the compact city centre. On the outskirts are the remains of
the prehistoric fortress of Old Sarum built by Iron Age people in about
500BC. Then there is the rolling countryside with its pretty villages
and thatched cottages. No wonder the Americans and Japanese love it
here.
We’d based
ourselves in the comfortable Travelodge tucked off the Warminster
by-pass less than a half-hour’s drive away. This was a great centre for
our family weekend’s activities – plus all four of us could be cosily
accommodated in one en-suite room for a very reasonable £70 (even less
sometimes with offers). There was a small shop, takeaway and restaurant
on the doorstep to add to the convenience.
We’d not
come to Wiltshire just for culture and countryside, but because our two
girls had heard about the famous lions of Longleat from their big
brother. My son is now in his twenties, but the everlasting impression
he has of his last visit, aged three, is of a monkey ripping a neat
little square in the vinyl roof of the car that we had at the time.
Six-year-old Sophie, in particular, wanted to see for herself just how
much mischief the next generation of monkeys could make.
Of course
everyone drives at a snail’s pace through Longleat safari park fervently
hoping that a few little monkeys will climb onto their cars. It’s quite
amusing actually to watch the rather worried expressions on the (usually
male) drivers’ faces whilst all the children in the backs of the cars do
their best to attract the monkeys.
It just
wouldn’t be the same if you drove through without the sight of a small
pink bottom pressed up against your windscreen, the scurrying of little
feet on the roof or the manipulation of your windscreen wipers/ washers
and windscreen rubber by tiny fingers.
Thankfully,
the monkeys were not dissuaded from their cheeky antics by the continual
downpour of rain. In fact, their attempts to lick the raindrops off our
vehicle’s paintwork were the cause of much merriment.
Obviously
the immense grounds of Longleat are better appreciated on a sunny day
but there was plenty to do out of the rain; the Marquis of Bath’s
fabulous house with its wealth of fascinating personal items, particular
portraits, on display; a fun mirror maze and a restaurant serving
delicious cream teas.
But we had
come for as close as possible encounters with the lions, tigers and
other animals that roam the various themed reserves – and we weren’t
disappointed. Wolves, lions, huge Siberian tigers, camels, eland, deer,
giraffe, zebra, white rhino, and water buffalo were all clearly visible
from the comfort and safety of our cars, huddling under trees or
nonchalantly shrugging off the weather.
We could
have spent the rest of the afternoon getting lost in a vast maze, riding
on a small train or visiting the hippos, sea lions and gorilla island by
boat, but were rather beaten back by the weather. |
