Mystics & Healing: Bath & Stonehenge
Monday, August 8th, 2011
by Kara Segedin
Like many an Antipodean in London it’s taken me awhile to get out of the city and visit the UK’s sights.
I’ve travelled to the Continent many a time, but until now have failed to explore my own backyard.
Two of my new favourite spots are Bath and Stonehenge in Somerset, South West England.
The Roman Baths is a well-preserved Roman site once used as a public bathing house and now a key tourist attraction at the centre of the town it gives its name to - Bath.
The Great Bath
The thermal pools and a fascinating museum are housed within a beautiful Victorian reception hall.
At the heart of the building is the Sacred Spring. The 46°C water rises here at the rate of 1,170,000 litres every day and has been doing this for thousands of years.
In Roman times a great Temple was built next to the spring in 60-70 AD dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva, a deity with healing powers.
However, it was the Celts who first discovered the scared site, building a shrine to the goddess Sulis before the Roman temple was constructed.
In Roman times, visitors would throw offerings to the gods or curses into the thermal waters - about 130 curse tablets have been found many related to thieves who stole of clothes while visitors were bathing.
The Terrace is lined with statues of Roman Governors, Emperors & military leaders.
Aside from worship, people came to the baths to relax and treat a variety of ailments.
Sadly you can’t take a dip in the water these days because of high lead levels (thanks to the original working pipes) and the risk of infections.
Oh, and the lovely green colour is caused by algae that grows in sunlight.
Now it’s time to head further back in history to a strange and mystical past.
Located near Salisbury in the Wiltshire countryside, Stonehenge is found in the most unlike of locations
Driving up the A303 motorway I caught my first glimpse of the famous landmark, standing in a large paddock surrounded by rolling green pastures filled with grazing sheep.
Despite the masses of tourists, Stonehenge remains a spooky and impressive sight - you can forget ever finding me there at night time!
Spooky Stuff in Stonehenge
This ancient monument dates from 3,700 to 1,600 BC. The tallest stone is 7.3m high and weighs over 45 tonnes! That sure is some heaving lifting!
The origins of Stonehenge are shrouded in mystery. The significance of its alignment with the rising and setting of the sun has puzzled many a scholar -was it a temple for sun worship, a healing centre, a burial site or a ancient calendar?
An even more fundamental, but no less intriguing question is how exactly did the prehistoric Britons move the massive bluestones across land and sea from West Wales to their current resting place in the West of England?
So what are you waiting for! Get off your butts and check out what England and the UK have to offer!
If you want to explore Bath, Stonehenge and much, much more check out these Topdeck trips.
