Loyaulte me lie (UK trip 9/9)

Manchester, Monday 3 July 2006
England is in the middle of a heatwave, and the hotel didn't have A/C (none of them do) so we awoke to a sweltering morning. We checked out and hit the road.

On the way to Manchester, we stopped at Bosworth Battlefield, the last stand of Richard III. The battlefield itself hasn't changed, but the visitor center has really improved their exhibit over the past ten years. There were several hands-on arms and armour displays, allowing one to try on chainmail or fire a longbow.
I also noticed more white roses planted on the grounds, and I laid one on the stone marking the spot where King Richard fell.

After leaving the battlefield, we stopped at St. James Church in nearby Sutton Cheney, a small church traditionally held to be where Richard heard his last Mass before the battle. The church chouldn't have held more than maybe 50 people, but it had a lovely stained glass window, and a memorial to Richard in the back.
After Sutton Cheney, we drove to Manchester. We lost about 45 minutes due to a navigational error on my part - the M60 ring road around Mancs intersects the A57 at two points, and I got confused. Still, we arrived safely and are relaxing during our last night here. Tomorrow we take the long flight back to the States.

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Well, there you have it - my trip in a rather big nutshell! I hope that you've enjoyed touring with me in spirit.

For those of you wanting more pictures, my online gallery is here. There are 468 pictures, and no captions, but I hope you enjoy them nonetheless.