POSTCARD | Winchester - It's All Cathedrals and Legend, Baby (Part II)

After lunch at a dodgy Irish pub, it was back to the cathedral for some more extreme sport.

While paying for entry earlier in the day, I'd noticed that there were tours of the cathedral tower. Now that will be a unique experience so I paid straight away for an afternoon tour. I was the only one to take that tour from our group.

We had two guides one of whom was Brenda. Pushing late 60's, she confessed that although we had to watch our step in one spot which had not very good railing support, we had nothing to worry about. If we saw her looking worried, it was only because she is scared of heights. Something in that for all of us I think.

The view was well worth it and the pace was well thought out re: the information that imparted as we went.

I was surprised that I did get a bit shaky going up the spiral staircases and I realised it was due to the flickering natural light as the person in front of me passed each window slit.

The staircase became as narrow as the width of our shoulders. The steps shrunk to the size of mouse-traps. It was good fun.

We made it to the top without any trouble and the view was well worth it. Unlike Sydney and the bridge-climb, there was no photgrapher waiting. They could be making a killing.

There was a Russian family in our group, and the kid of about 13 kept play-fighting with his Mum. Dude, chill-out we're up here without harnesses. I don't feel like being elbowed over the side to experience UK from the air without a parachute!

Then we hit the bell-ringers chamber. With its worn carpet, it was kind of like a cubby house. Shields that could have been in any scout hall decorated the walls. However instead of merit badges they commemorated 5120 changes rung on occasions like the coronation. Yes - some bloke worked out how to write music for bell-ringers.

I enjoyed the walk inside the roof most. We padded along from one end to the other and got an eye-full of the vaulted arches from the top and the an outside view from the walkway.

Thankfully, by this time the Russians were playing 'cathedral roulette' at ground level.