Brighton...aka party central.  A large attraction to this area is the club scene.  A vibrant live music culture permeates several of the downtown entertainment corridors.  The pier and boardwalk are also a focal point for visitors and locals alike.  Brighton has documented history dating back to the Neanderthal, based on what we heard on the street in the early morning hours, they are still around!  Lol..  Party town.  The city has a predominantly 20th century architectural perspective, having been severely bombed during WWII.

A beautiful old theatre with black striped legs on top. A perfect metaphor for this city.  Cultured and crazy at the same time.  A short trip west, we find the town of Lewes.  A quaint town with many pedestrian streets, filled with antique shops, pubs and a brewery dating from the 1700's, all in the shadow of a 12th century castle.  Johanne and I made a deal. She got me to join her in the antique shops and I did the same with the pub.  Happiness for two!

Our main event for the day was to visit the site of the 1066 Battle of Hastings between William the Conqueror and Harold II, the then Anglo Saxon King of England........   turns out that William and Harold were brothers, both wanting the throne..... something had to give.  The battle was nasty, starting at daybreak, it continued throughout the day, with over 7000 dead.  The blood in the field flowed like a river.  We visited the Abbey that was built by William in recognition  of those that lost their life in one of the most important battles in English history.  The tour is interesting and well worth the visit.  It's starts with a 20 minute video detailing the events and the players that lead up to the battle.  Once the film is completed you can walk the grounds supported by a hand held radio that will describe the area, while you walk.  Even if you don't like history you can't help getting caught up in the magnitude of the battle.

Today the Abbey is used as a private boarding school.

 The site of the battle above.

Hastings, is our stop for the night.  Another seaside town.  We booked ourselves into a small inn called Townhouse Rooms.  It turned out to be just perfect.  We had a third floor room over the pub.  While is sounds a little sketchy, it was actually quite comfortable.  The pub food was good too.  Tomorrow it is the white cliffs of Dover and the castle.

Be well

Cheerio

Portsmouth definitely took us by surprise.  We arrived there mid-week, there are no festivals, no major events, no shortage of hotels and yet we can not find one.  We did overlook one small item. Portsmouth is a major ferry port, with numerous departures from this port town to France, Spain and Ireland.  The hotels are full as tomorrow's early departures force the passengers to arrive early.  We have two choices. a 500 pound room or a 100 pound room.  Neither are super attractive.  One is a super small room in a pretend  5 star hotel (1000 cdn) or a super small room in a sketchy neighbourhood with a nice view of the beach and our car.  Which could prove important.... we would be able to watch the locals breaking into our car as we enjoy the view of the English channel.  Since we have nothing worth stealing, we chose the latter.  As it turns out, it was a good choice.  The room was clean and quiet and centrally located close to the main drag.  We found a nice restaurant to go to....rib night, food fixes everything.  The experience of winging accommodation is now complete and not to be repeated.  New plan is to follow the old plan, book ahead.

Portsmouth, was like most of the previous seaside towns we have visited.  Not that interesting to be frank.  We toured the hot spots early in the morning and made our way east along the coast. The harbour is a "must" to wander around.  Portsmouth has the world's oldest dry dock still in use. It is also the home to some very important naval ships.  The HMS Victory and the HMS Warrior seen below. The HMS Victory was Lord Nelson's flagship vessel, sporting an impressive 104 guns, this 1765 warship was a key power in the Battle of Trafalgar.  The ship was dry docked in 1922 and used as a museum.  We couldn't visit as it wasn't open during our stay in Portsmouth.  We did get this nice shot to the HMS Warrior.  Built in 1861, it was the first armor plated warship.   It only lasted 10 years as the navy moved to non sail warships.  Today it is a museum.

The spinnaker tower, marks the reclaimed area of the city.  What was a naval yard is now shops, restaurants and upscale condos.  We left the city as the workday began, driving along the M27 west toward Chichester.  It is notable how different the seaside cities in the UK are to those found in North America.  Our seafronts are generally, high dollar modern locations, here in the UK they seem to try hard to hang on 19th century style.    The Brits fill these towns on most summer weekends, happy in the memories that were created by visits with families in the past.  Pleased to pass the traditions on to their children.  Since we don't have the family history to relate to these places, our impressions are based on what we see, which is just not nearly as impressive as the medieval towns we have visited.  Which brings us to our next stop... Chichester.  We are happy again.  This is the kind of England we like.  Narrow streets, lots of old architecture.  I would go on but I think you get the idea.   We spend a few hours wandering around town.  It was market day to boot.  So armed with our newly learned market protocol, we waited in line (still hard to get used to that) to get some fresh fruits, cheese and bread for snacks later.

 This is called a butter cross.  Built in 1501 as a covered market.  It marks the center of town.

 The statue of Saint Richard of Chichester guards the cathedral.

 Shopping on the main drag, no cars please!  A little further down the road, we stopped at the town of Arundel.  While small, it has many heritage buildings and a fantastic castle that towers over the village.  A nice spot to stop for a picnic lunch, which is just what we did.

 After our late lunch it was off to Bristol for the night.  Tomorrow we visit Bristol, Lewes and the site of the Battle of Hastings.  It should prove to be an interesting day.

Be well.

Cheerio

We had the full English before leaving Burley Manor.  For those that have not experienced the full English, let me explain....breakfast starts with a visit to the breakfast bar.  There you can choose from a variety of cereals, toast, jam, juices, coffee, tea, croissants and fruits.  Once you are nicely sorted, the waiter will take your order for the hot choices. This morning, Johanne had the crepes, a healthy stack liberally anointed with rich double cream and jam. No maple syrup.  It didn't last long and there was no offer to share, so it must have been good. I had the usual. Medium poached egg, two rashers of bacon, two small sausages, roasted tomatoes and baked beans.  This all star line up is always offered with a brown sauce. I pass on brown sauce, thank you.  I think the brown sauce is HP.   The bacon in England is so good, not fatty, very lean like our back bacon, which I now know we stole from the Brits.  The sausage is also lean.  It is a big meal, I love the full English!!!!

OK back to business.  In order to get to Stonehenge, we must travel through Salisbury. We decide to make a stop and we are glad we did. The town is really beautiful, the cathedral is a work of art.

As we toured the cathedral, we were witness to something unique.  Nicholas Pope's famed work of art called" the Apostles speaking in Tongues Lit by their own Lamps".  How is that for a title.... This group of 33 Terra cotta figures is a re-enactment of events described in the New Testament where the Holy spirit came amongst the apostles in the form of a cloven fire.  The lighting of the lamps is done once each day, we were there to witness it.

This pic of engineering marvel below is the mechanics of what is believed to be the oldest working clock in existence.  Built in 1382, this clock has no hands, the weights are designed to ring the church bell once each hour.  The clock is wounded daily and keeps excellent time.

Salisbury is only 8 miles from Stonehenge, yet it feels like another planet. I am sure you are all aware of this historic site and the many different theories as to its meaning and purpose.  Most believe the site was a burial ground and/or a ritual pilgrimage location.  The circular stone structure is also considered a healing site.  Some of these huge stones arrived here from Wales.  That is an incredible distance to move some rocks, not to mention it was done between 3000 and 2000 BC!  Arthurian folklore has Merlin wielding his magic powers to move the rocks from Ireland. The rocks having been brought to Ireland by giants.  No mention of aliens at the museum, but one really has to wonder....was this a landing platform? Lots of questions, no definitive answers.

The experience is worth the visit. Arriving at the info center, you pick up your radio for the self guided tour, from there you can walk to the site or ride the trolley. We chose the latter, it looked like rain.  It takes a good 1.5 hours to go through the tour, the radio guide is well thought presented and informative. Still, no mention of aliens. Can you say government conspiracy?

Winchester cathedral.  Who sang the song that became a number 1 hit in 1966?  This town has a very prestigious postal code, being one of the most highly regarded places to live in England.  Which of course equals expensive.  Forget about parking anywhere inside the city walls, unless you live there, it is forbidden.  We tried, there are ample spots, and ample parking police, just hoping and praying that some poor sod, aka us drooling at the prospect of an ideal spot, will take the chance. Cha-ching go the city coffers each time the ticket gets handsomely pasted on the wind screen.  70 pound sterling later one realizes it it much better to walk!

The clock that you see below is known as the curfew clock.  Each night at 8pm, the clock would chime, letting the villagers know it was time to put out the  fires.  It served as a great fire prevention tool.  It would also make it difficult to arrive home late from the pub using the old adage, "I lost track of time". It still rings to this day.

The house above was Jane Austen's home.  Modest for such a famous author. Jane died in Winchester, and is buried at the cathedral.  Johanne is happy now,  the whole Greenway incident, a distance memory.  For those that missed it, we looked, unsuccessfully, for Jane's summer home on the coast a few days ago.  Finding Jane's last home softened Johanne's disappointment.

This is the entrance to the Great Hall, where the knights of the round table would meet.

The knights table hangs on the wall inside the hall.  It is not the original, however it does date from the 13 century.

The only problem with this visit is, I am know stuck with the song "Windchester Cathedral" bouncing around in my head.  I bet a few of you will be hearing it now too. Hahahaha!!

Onward to Portsmouth, our stop for the night.  At least we hope...for the first time on this trip we are going to wing it for hotel accommodations..

Be well

Cheerio

The weather is pleasant for our drive through Dartmoor National park.  Our route will take us through Princeton the site of a prison constructed during the Napoleonic wars and still in use to this day. One of its guests brought attention to the area in June of 1921, although not the type of attention you would expect.  Dr. Helbey, medical officer for the prison was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle, two small children riding in the sidecar survived.  The locals were convinced it was the Legend of the Hairy hands that caused the accident.  Two weeks later, a coach driver lost control on the same stretch of road. Then in August of that year, an Army Captain reported that a pair of invisible hands had taken hold of him and forced him off the road.  The story received national attention.  

 Most of the incidents happened near the 13 century clapper bridge found in Postbridge (see below).  There are many other reports with the same theme.  A journalist described fighting for control of his car with a pair of hairy hands that magically appeared.  The fight lasted several minutes then the hands disappeared.  On another occasion, a man and woman were camping in the area when suddenly, she saw a large pair of hairy hands trying to open the caravan door, only retreating when she made a religious sign.

We didn't see any hairy hands during our drive through or during the stop for pictures.  Although,I did see an old spinster that needed a shave when we popped into the pub beside the clapper bridge.  Maybe they are related!!!

The park would be familiar to movie goers.  Some scences of "The War Horse" produced by David Spielberg were shot here as well as the fictional 1994 Quidditch World cup final between Ireland and Bulgaria from the Harry Potter movie.

A little further down the road, we made a pit stop at the Bovey Castle hotel.  This place was luxury defined.  Built by William Henry Smith, owner of WHSmith bookstores among other things, it has 64  rooms, 22 lodges and 18 hole golf course. Spa, hunting fishing etc, etc.  I parked the rental right in front.  You can see it in the picture (except ours is white).

Single malt room! Nice!!!

A short time after leaving the castle, we arrived at Ashbury Hotel for two days of golf.  This place has it all. 7 golf courses, shooting range, billiards, bowling alley, spa, arts and crafts. Best of all, it is all included in the hotel fee. Johanne and I dropped our luggage and headed out for 18 on the Pines. The card measured the course st 6400.  It played longer.  Wind elevation change and a damp course all added to the challenge. 78 for me 109 for Johanne.  We played again the following morning on the Kigbeare course. More trees, big elevation changes and 6600 yards on the card. Played shorter.  76 for me 108 for Johanne.  Quick lunch and I went out again. Johanne passed.  I played the short Oakwood course.  5800 yard par 68. Three holes and the skys opened up. I bailed. We had a nice dinner, not fancy, very much family style.  We shot some pool, bowled a few games and called it a night.  I played again early the next day on Kigbeare again. I was first off and played in 2.5 hours.  78.  This place offers amazing value, we really enjoyed it.

You can see why they called the course the Pines.

We made a few friends out there. The only downside, the lack of stable internet service.  We are in the country so it is to be expected.  Bags packed, we headed towards the sea for Plymouth, traveling along the Jurassic Coast. Bangs !To get there we travel the A30, not an M class motorway, but definitely a motorway.  About 30 minutes into our trip, we see a road sign with a Canadian flag on it.  It felt strange at first and immediately inviting to see our flag after so many months away.  We did the only thing a true canuck can do, we took the exit and followed the flag.  Below is what we found....a little piece of home in England.  The chapel is the burial place of Ontario's first Lieutenant Governor, John Graves Simcoe.  The land and the chapel were given to the province of Ontario in 1966. Imagine that a piece of Canada is in England! Interesting.  We visited the site, we could not find the customs area, so are we now in England illegally? Where is the duty free?

Back on the A30, we arrived at the coast and the village of Lyme Regis.  The town is known as the Pearl of Dorset and part of the Jurassic region.  Fossils can be found on the cliffs and along the beaches.  The area stretches 153km populated with evidence of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rock formations spanning 185 million years.  For the record, I looked that info up, it isn't something you just know.

This area played a big part in Jane Austen's literary career.  She wrote "Persuasion" there and John Fowles wrote "The French Lieutenant's Woman" in this area.  The movie version with Meryll Streep was also filmed there.

Just before we arrived in Plymouth, the navigator screams STOP!!!  Full brakes , hand brake too....we do a nice little turn skid coming to a halt right under the sign for Abbotsbury.  Our ten minute diversion was worth evey minute.  A beautiful little village.

 Upon arrival in Portland, we went directly to the quarry.  Portland stone has been  the preferred building material for domes of England's most treasured landmarks, St Paul's cathedral and Buckingham palace to name a few.  We went yo visit the old quarry now used as an art park.  Local artists are free to pick a stone and carve away.  The location is special, the view over the cliff edge is fantastic.

Our last stop for the night is the Burley Manor. This home was built in 1852 and served as the center of operations for a vast agricultural empire.  In the  early 1930's, it became a hotel except for a very brief time where it served military purposes during WWII. It is back to being a hotel again.....  They are feeding us too.  

Delicious country duck pate, smoked salmon and smoked haddock to start, and a simple but flavourful beef bourguignon for me.  Johanne had a shrimp salad and Dover sole in lemon butter. Perfectly cooked. We had a nice light house red from burgundy to help with digestion.  We passed on dessert.

The end to a long satisfying day. Tomorrow we go deep in history to Stonehenge.

Be well

Cheerio.