Salisbury/Andover/Basingstoke Meet

So, we decided that this was viable, so now we have to decide: where, when, and who.

Personally, I'd prefer Salisbury or Andover, due to their relative closeness. However, if I'm outvoted, Basingstoke isn't that much further, I suppose

Salisbury
http://www.visitsalisbury.com/

Andover
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/localpages/andover-attract.htm

Basingstoke
http://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/leisure/

Hmmm, at a quick glance, I'd say Salisbury seems to have the most going for it. I do want to see Stonehenge one day, but not sure I could make a meet down there this year.

Salisbury is old and boring, all of Andover's stuff is nowhere near the centre, and I've not been to Basingstoke properly, so I can't criticise anything apart from the fact that their website is really dull

1. Salisbury is far superior (shops & sights wise) to Andover.
2. What?!? As the official Andovarian I feel I should point out that the town centre *is* Andover... There isn't anything outside it besides villages, housing estates and industrial estates... Although I will conceed on the fairground... That is miles out, but it has the best independant chocolate shop in the world!
3. Basingstoke is good - it has a cinema, hundreds of places to eat, a huge shopping centre & that's it...

Tim: You're not missing much - it's a bunch of rocks in the middle of a field....

And I've decided that Andover has the worst website...

I vote Basing or Salisbury....

I vote Salisbury as well, as it's easiest for me to get to. You can get to it from a lot of places if you go by train.

How does this sound for a plan? Meet up for lunch, go to the cinema, and finish with a bit of shopping?

Fine by me - although mid-August is gonna be a bit dodgy...

I vote Salisbury too, easy for me to get to on the train

Heh, looks like the South ain't into their history then

Bunch of old rocks???? That's what a taxi driver in Rhodes told me about this place ... [image=http://grecja.home.pl/galerie/dodekanez/rhodes-kamiros-_ng.jpg] ... Kamiros. That said, there is more to Kamiros than at Sailsbury

Looking at the map, think there would be enough to occupy me for two days (the old rocks one day, Salisbury itself the other), so I may do it at some point.

I vote Salisbury, only to be easy as everyone else has voted there....

I just thought I should mention that I won't be available for the next three weeks. My parents and sister leave for Egypt on Monday so I won't be able to go anywhere (my parents are my taxi service as I can't drive).

Buses go through Downton and Woodfalls all the time, can you not catch one of them?

Once every hour, and they're rebuilding the tannery bridge so buses are less than reliable at the moment. It's also really expensive.

Can't be as bad as the 6 quid I have to pay Plus, my buses are every 2 hours, so

It's about the same. Besides, I'd rather avoid spending money if I can.

I never said I wasn't into history
But what can you find interesting about a pile of rocks in the middle of a field? At least Kamiros was actually a building - Stonehenge is just a bunch of rocks... Literally.... And you haven't heard the recent local news reports with tourists complaining that it's over-hyped...
So good luck with spending an entire day there... £30 says you'd be bored 2 hours in....

As for Salisbury itself, now *that's* interesting (from a historical pov); it's got some really nice architecture, including the cathedral, and apparently Anthony Daniels was born in Salisbury.... Wooohooo!

Yeah the cathedral's well nice, not the best cathedral in England by a long way, but still quality.
If it's piles of rocks you want, someone pulled down a garage down the road from me and IT'S a big pile of rocks. Not many tourists either, bonus!

Hmm... Think I might start a seriously over priced tour of the aforementioned site...

Darn, you'll beat me to it! I'll expect some sort of reward for introducing you to the 21st century's favourite tourist destination?

You should try lying profusely about the significance of the site, like all European archaelogical site tours do!

You could always run the equally over priced food kiosk, or even build a hotel nearby... To quote the recycling people: The possibilities are endless!

Ok, how's this:
"And here we have a site of huge historical importance. It is believed that the greatest genius in the world, Joe Bloggs, stumbled upon his greatest invention on this very site - it is here, ladies and gentlemen, that Mr. Bloggs invented.... *Drum roll*...."

Geeeeeenius. Just think, where would we be today without Mr Bloggs and his flash of inspiration. Maybe we could also get one of those plaques put up, like they do for famous literary people?

It's what it does ( or used to do when it was whole) that is interesting.
Plus, if you go at the right time of year, the place is surrounded by druids with burning torches. Thta is cool

And that no one know how they built it. It wasn't just what's there now, there was a much bigger circle surrounding that, though that was destroyed when they built Old Sarum (I think).

Having to live near it for 14 years & being dragged on numerous school trips, it's kinda lost it's, er... 'appeal'

And the druids? They're scary....

It would be much cooler if the Pagans could practice their skyclad rituals in front of it. At least then there'd be something to look at

You say that now, but do you really want to see overweight or old and wrinkley people dancing about?