Ye Merry Olde England - reloaded . . .

Thursday, October 16, 2014
Eastbourne, Lyme Regis, Tintagel, Wells, Glastonbury, England, United Kingdom
Back to reflections. . . sorry but it must be done!
Our panel beater shop gave us a courtesy car to use while they refitted Le Van's rear end . A nippy little VW Golf Fox . . . with a manual gearbox. Now, I know I've carried on about this in an earlier post but why, oh why, do they persist with these wretched monstrosities. Le Van is easier to drive, not to park . . . that's a different ball game completely. There, that's off my chest and I feel a whole lot better (P writing by the way)

Now, let's get on with our odyssey. First of all we had to stop in Eastbourne for three nights while Le Van's derrière was remodelled. Happy to say that her new rear end is in even better shape than new. All ship shape and shiny. The cost, however, has seen Peter wailing and gnashing his teeth while contemplating living in sackcloth and ashes. That's an overstatement as it came to just £750  or A$1,380!!! That'll teach him to be more careful when reversing. 
By the way, we said "had to stop in Eastbourne" but it wasn't like that at all. It is a delightful town, and was chosen because it is our dear friends', (Peter and Sheila) second home . The weather, of course, was super which definitely helps but the whole layout of the town and city centre was pleasant. That, coupled with an obvious focus on preserving the sea front's Victorian heritage makes it a real pleasure to walk along. All of this will be hugely improved when the pier is restored after a disastrous fire three months ago. But, the real highlight for us was a visit to Beachy Head . These are the highest chalk cliffs in the UK and look down on the famous Beachy Head lighthouse built in 1902 and still guiding sailors. That just capped off a wonderful day's wandering. 

 We tried visiting the much recommended town of Hastings but couldn't find it. Oh, we got off the bus in a place called Hastings (of 1066 fame) but failed to find anything but amusement arcades, fish and chip shops and an attempt at a waterfront that must have been designed by a committee. There are the ruins of the old Norman Castle but we did not bother. After, being spoilt rotten by experiencing such great places as Carlisle and Chester, Lyme Regis and Fowey, and many others, we were disappointed . And, because we don't want to be too negative we won't say anything about Bognor Regis where we are currently staying. Tomorrow, however, is 'visit Arundel day' and this we are really looking forward to.

Now, Arundel is a town worth noting. First of all, the River Arun runs through it. And, all Aussies and South Africans, place the emphasis is on the 'A' not the 'run'. So, it's not the Arundel Castle, it's the Arundel Castle. We were coached in this by the wife (did not get her name) of the local vicar, both of whom, hail from Melbourne. We spent a delightful 15 minutes in her company and learnt, as well, that they're both keen on narrow boats. Next week they leave for a week cruising the local canals with their trusty hound. Boy, we've met some wonderful people!

But back to Arundel. First of all, Peter and sister Joan, and baby (at the time) brother Michael, spent a week with their parents on the SS Arundel Castle sailing from Cape Town to Durban and back . So, just about every castle guide got the full boring story about the Union Castle Line's last two funneler . . . you get the picture? Back to the castle . . . it is still inhabited by the Duke of Norfolk, and has been on this site in a number of forms since the changeover from BC to AD. The current one was built in the 18th century, alongside the Keep which dates back to around 1100 AD. It was a beautiful day, crisp but sunny and just the ticket for viewing this splendid building in its even more splendid gardens. The whole presentation was terrific and we were able to view many of the rooms still used by the family on VIP occasions. Helps of course that at this time of the year rubber-neckers (including us) are thin on the ground. A building well worth a visit. The town itself is pretty historic and is where we met the lovely 'wife of the vicar'. Also, enjoyed one of the best pizzas we've had on this trip, and that includes Italy! So, that was that for the day and we returned to Le Van exhausted but happy. Looking forward to a wet day on the morrow with lots of rain predicted for our journey to Lyme Regis .

It's the end of the day here at the Wood Farm campsite near Charmouth and Lyme Regis. If you're ever this way, here's another great site to stay at for a few days. Mind boggling scenery on the sloping pitches, and excellent facilities. We spent the afternoon in Charmouth which, if nothing else, is happily clean and just a little eccentric. The main street is called The Street, and it's lined for a few kilometres with houses, pubs and shops, each with a story to tell - "so and so slept here in (pick a time from the 17th or 18th century)", or, "Prince so and so visited here in ..") Worth the afternoon we gave it. By the way, our trip started out very, very wet indeed. Windscreen wipers going full bore and peering into the murky distance as gigantic trucks sped past us - why is it that the more dreadful the weather the more frightening these monsters appear to be? We had packed away our sunglasses as being superfluous for the day,however, after about two hours of this, the rain slackened, the wind died down to a breeze and we spied a patch of blue sky . No prizes for guessing that within a half an hour the sunnies were out and shielding our eyes from the hot, bright sun! Love this weather!

Onto Lyme Regis (and memories of John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman). Our second visit to this lovely coastal town. The day was cloudy with patches of sunshine but it did not rain. This is one of those lovely little English coastal towns that look good in any light. Lots of history here and a charming little museum exuding information about its history. Essentially this coast line was/is a prime area for archeological discovery, yielding a plethora of prehistoric land and sea creatures. The museum also sent us over the road to a funny looking little cafe which did not look inspiring in any way. But, 'twas there we had the best coffee of our entire trip. Made to perfection . . . shouldn't judge a book by its cover! Oh, we should tell you about the bus trip here. First of all we'd been warned not to take Le Van into the town due to the very narrow streets . Of course this did not stop the bus drivers - and we're talking about normal size single decker buses. Talk about close shaving! So, that's it for the Jurassic Coast. Next stop is Saltash and the Dolbeare Park Campsite.

We stayed three nights at Dolbeare Park, visiting the riverside town of Saltash which lies just below the famous bridge by Brunel. It covers the Tamar River. For most of our stay the weather was to put it mildly - wild! We are approaching mid-October and guess that's winter on its way. Fortunately most of the rain fell overnight so we were never in danger of getting wet, but the wind?? Oiii!! Still we managed to revisit Polperro and Looe both coastal towns that we fell in love with on our last European jaunt. And, yes, they're still the same charming seaside villages they were last time. 

So, the weather is definitely getting cooler (15C today) and despite the sun still showing its face regularly we're definitely having to rug up - as can be seen in the photos . We're currently camped at the Trewethett Farm campsite, which, it turns out, also has the best view of any site we've been on to date. In addition to being a Caravan and Camping Club campsite, it is very, very well set up. Our site overlooks the sea and is the very best we've had so far. We've just returned from a walk towards Tintagel Head (of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table fame). We will be visiting Tintagel Castle tomorrow and Portwen of Doc Martin fame, the next day. But back to the walk . . . it was absolutely, stunningly beautiful. We were told that this is nothing unusual because this whole coastline is like, WOW!

Soooo . . . we're back from our visit to Tintagel and the famous castle of King Arthur. Turns out that the castle site is awesome. Very ancient and in some places well preserved but with no real link to a "King Arthur" because there is no real record of "King Arthur". Appears that the legend is just that . . a legend, with some fact about a mix of local heroes, mixed up with masses of fiction . But, it's well worth a visit. Beautifully presented, in absolutely, gob-smackingly, stunning scenery. Whoever lived here certainly had a great address and there is evidence of a thriving trade between the castle and its surrounds and the continent. So, an important place it was. 
 
After a very pleasant lunch and coffees in Tintagel village, we motored back past our campsite to visit the coastal hamlet of Boscastle. And, are we happy we did! Another one of those picture perfect Cornish villages-by-the-sea type places. Old as anything, and picturesque beyond description. And, we've still got Portwen to visit tomorrow . . . And, the weather's holding up. No rain for two days. Cold in the shade but warm in the sun. Just great!

Spoke to soon! A full day of wind and heavy drizzle kept us indoors doing indoor things until it started lifting around 5PM. So, we've had to postpone our visit to Doc Martin until next time. 

Next day dawned bright and sunny for our departure for Wells in Somerset (near Bath and Glastonbury) . Now we're looking forward to our visit with our friends, ChrysAlice (Chris and Alice) and Anthea & Michael. 

Wells is a lovely little town boasting a most impressive Cathedral. Dating back to the 12th century it is a wonderful building which was brought to life by a terrific guide who 'made' history come alive. Started out RC but changed over in the Reformation and it has a colourful history. It seems that the centre of the cathedral started subsiding soon after it was built (13th century, so the master builder (combination architect, engineer and builder) installed a set of amazing arches which, we hope, you can see in the photo. Apparently this is the only building of its type with this solution to a subsidence problem. And it must be working well because there hasn't been any subsidence since the arches were installed in AD 1300 and something. Something to think about Chris (our dear friend, the structural engineer)! Then the rain really started to pelt down so we returned to Le Van and our books, an early supper, "M .A.S.H" and "Lewis" on TV (we've said it before but it's worth repeating - UK TV is just as bad as Australia's). 

Day 2 in Wells and we were going to head off to Glastonbury after a quick visit to Wells to sort out our internet problem, when we were advised to have a quick look at the Bishop's Palace and gardens. Well, three hours later, two happy chappies were drinking coffee/tea and talking about what a lovely time we'd had this morning. Wells is named after the natural springs which happen in this area and in particular in the garden of the palace. There is no water shortage here! That was that for the day and we needed to head back to our campsite to see if Alice and Chris had arrived - they had! Soooo . . . last night the six of us (organised by Anthea and Michael) had a great catch-up at an Italian restaurant in Wells. Excellent food, only a little wine (!), and, most of all, interesting conversation. And that's what life is all about . . Tomorrow is Glastonbury day . .

Well, Glastonbury has come and gone, but what a great time we've had in the last 24 hours. First of all we heard from Andy and Vreni, our Swiss friends we met in Sarlat, France . . . then later on we met up with the in-crowd (Alice, Chris, Anthea and MIchael) for a walk-around followed by lunch in Glastonbury. This is a fascinating town! The bus deposited us at the top of a road leading into the centre. On either side are historical buildings ranging right back to the 7th Century. And many of them are occupied by what can only be described as 'hippie' shops. What a blast! This was followed by a pub lunch in another 15th century building. To cap that we went on a guided tour of the ancient Glastonbury Cathedral ruins. There were only the four of us by this time, ourselves and ChrisAlice, and we were taken in hand by one of the guides who was a show in himself. What a character - laconic, ironic, and witty to the core. But he brought the ruins to life for us. Definitely one of the best tours we've been on. 

Now we're back in Le Van preparing to travel to Black Horse Farm tomorrow - the final stop for Le Van because after this we hand her back and travel to London where we'll pen the final entry for our odyssey.

Good night and thanks for all the fish (more Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)
 

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Comments

Chris (the structural engineer)
2014-10-20

Thanks for sharing such beautiful stories and pictures. Awesome

Turandot
2014-10-20

Totally in awe. What an amazing adventure; and what fabulous memories to make.

Nar
2014-10-21

Just gets better and better! Looking forward to hearing about it first hand x

Neil and Tamara
2014-10-21

Well done Peter and Kathy look forward to your home coming and listening first hand over a long dinner. Congrats on a great adventure.

Alice
2014-10-21

What an amazing, interesting blog! What a lovely couple you are. I've always believed in fate and our meeting just goes to prove the theory - oh happy day!! We look forward to our next meeting wherever it may be. Have a safe journey home. With love. A x

Bruce and kathy
2014-10-21

What a wonderful trip of a lifetime - well done and thanks for the blog.

Joan McMurray
2014-10-25

Hi travellers whilst I have not read your English adventure yet, just to say what a wonderful and memorable trip you have shared with me. I've enjoyed every minute as yourselves, I've even put on weight with all the coffee and croissants. The squat toilet OMG and gobsmacked. (lol) God bless and lots of love Joan

2025-02-12

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