It would appear drinking is a universal pursuit.  There was an 'organised' function for the exchange students last night.  This involved beer pong, a pub and a nightclub (with some strangely old school music).  Not too different from home, except for the multi-national nature of it.

Today I visited Prior Park Garden which is (unsurprisingly) stunning.  Its not a garden in the sense that we know at home, it is more winding forest tracks and beautiful views.  The Gardens belonged to Ralph Allen who made his fortune, first in the postal system, then secondly in the Combe Down quarry.  He was a very shrewd businessman.  He employed John Wood to design this stunning house

as a showhome.  Bath society loved it, and today many of the buildings in Bath are made from the distinctive 'Bath Stone'.

Walking up the hill to the gardens tested my fitness, and as can probably be predicted I was rained on (the cup of tea warmed me up nicely), but it was absolutely worth it.  This is a beautiful bit of English country, and walking the same steps as the 'cream' of 18th Century society was quite a novelty.

This is Sham Bridge on the Serpentine Lake.

Beautiful views down to Bath.

The Palladian Bridge.  One of only a four in the world!

The graffiti on the bridge supposedly dates back to 1799. This is only 1839, but I also saw one dated 2012 - I guess people haven't changed all that much after all.