After savouring the flavour of America's deep south, the next taste would be from our own fair shores in and around Somerset. We spent a few days there driving and walking through the countryside, visiting ancient monuments, and the like. I was surprised to find that in Salisbury Plain I could see further afield than when looking across the wheat fields of Illinois. The fields were also much more structured, and separated from each other by hedgerows in patterns of brown, gold, red and green. This could be seen clearly from the summit of Glastonbury Tor, a place that I have always wanted to visit and finally did. It was worth it - WHAT a place! WHAT a view!
Another great asset of the English country, is the manner in which the houses have been built. Every village has been constructed from local materials, meaning that as you drive through them you see the colours subtly changing, through reds (iron rich sandstone), dusky yellows (loamy clays) and mottled greys (slate and rough hewn granite). This lends a wonderful sense of identity and individualism to every new location, something that has been lost in the mass production and distribution of building materials such as brick that can now be bought for a new build in any colour desired ("Staffordshire Blue" etc.) Now, to build in local materials is being encouraged as an eco friendly approach to new build and as a result, the cost of these materials has rocketed making it prohibitive to attempt in some places. Sad.
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