Neither of us had ever visited Portugal before (I have been to Madeira, but it’s not actually Portugal..), so we had no real idea what to expect.
Overall, unfortunately, we were a little disappointed. However, this may have had much to do with the ‘welcome’ we received at our 1st campsite (lukewarm), the weather whilst we were there and the roads (especially the tolls..). There were some highlights and we will probably return for a 2nd view – we think we will probably fly in though and not take the van.
So here is what we learnt in our time in Portugal.
It’s often very windy. I mean very windy…
The sunsets are spectacular
There are numerous boardwalks near the beaches, along which you can cycle and walk. Very useful.
The country is very, and immediately, different to Spain
The language, whilst there are occasional similarities, is also very different.
I think the Portugese are very used to people saying Gracias instead of Obrigado… (I did my best, but was a bit useless to be fair…)
We struggled to find campsites but eventually found a really good chain, Orbitur – we stayed in 3
Our favourite site (not an Orbitur) was a little one on the outskirts of a lovely little town, Zumbejeira. IF we ever took the van back we would definitely head here.
Well what can I say?! We have seen sights that we never expected, walked, cycled, climbed (& cycled up) mountains, walked along the edge of a gorge, visited cathedrals & churches, learned so much history, watched wildlife, found some hidden gems, explored new places and met many, many people.
We got our heads around the toll road system in Portugal (and really didn’t like it!) We discovered the differences between Spain & Portugal (there are many), and also the difference between Basque country and the rest of Spain (not that many, mainly attitudes. Although signs are still written in both Basque and Spanish this is a compromise these days, rather than a necessity).
The hidden gems included the caves of Aguadar, the Camino del Rey, Isla Plana (nr Mazarron), El Rocio (just south of Sevilla, in the Donana National Park), Ciudad Rodrigo and the, not exactly hidden but rather unexpected, delights of Salamanca 🙂
Places we’ve stayed:
We stayed in 20 campsites throughout Spain & Portugal, and in the UK, so far, a total of 3, including our ‘home’ site of Kia Ora & 1 night at a totally unsuitable site in Peasmarsh. Other than that we’ve stayed at 1 site in East Sussex for 3 weeks – partly due to laziness, but also because there is so much to do within striking distance that it seemed daft to move and lose any exploring time!
Our favourite places to actually stay, taking into account the site we stayed on and/or the sights to visit close by, have been:-
Zarautz, (Gran Camping Zarautz) north coast of Spain. For both the site and the area this was good for 5 days. If you had a car possibly would be good for a little longer. The beach and scenery is amazing.
Pamplona, (Camping Ezcaba) just south of Zarautz. Not so much for the campsite itself but for the cycle path into Pamplona and the old city of Pamplona itself. Also for Olite and Aguadar just south of Pamplona en-route to our next site.
Isla Plana, (Los Madriles) near Mazarron and south of Cartagena. For both the campsite (possibly our favourite) and the immediate area of sea and mountains. We loved cycling up into the mountains and discovering ruins and towns that are not on the main route. We would definitely visit again and this time head towards Mazarron.
El Rocio, (La Aldea) south of Sevilla in the Donana National Park. The site was pretty good, but the ‘frontier’ town of El Rocio and the birds and horses of El Rocio itself, together with the Ermitas made this an absolute highlight.
Zumbejeira, (Camping Villa Park Zumbejeira) halfway between the Algarve and Lisbon. The site was absolutely lovely, and we also enjoyed the little town and the historic fishing village a few miles away. We think you could probably cycle there from the site. Good for a few nights and, if we did ever return to Portugal with the van (which is unlikely), we would definitely visit here again.
Salamanca, (Camping Don Quijote) heading back into the north of Spain. Nice site and easy to get into Salamanca; either a cycle ride along the river or on the bus. Salamanca is wonderful – we wish we’d had another day!
Comillas, (Caravaning Oyambre) on the north coast within easy reach of both Santander and Bilbao for the ferries (closer to Santander). Wonderful site! The area is delightful with great walks and cycling opportunities and also a lovely little town close by (we cycled) in Comillas – among it’s delights is an Antoni Gaudi designed house, El Capricho.
Rye, East Sussex.(The Cock Inn & Eagles Garth) Unfortunately not for either of the sites we’ve found ourselves on, but the area of East Sussex and Kent (particularly the Weald) is rich in history and heritage with so many places of interest to visit. It kept us busy for almost 3 weeks, and, when we return from Ibiza, we will be heading for North Kent to visit the areas we haven’t yet seen (Sandwich & Deal, Margate & Ramsgate, Chatham Docks, Canterbury – properly, Leeds Castle etc.) Actually we might need more than a week!
Zoom in to see the ‘steps’ up the hill
Highlights of days out:
In Spain our favourite days out were:-
Camino del Rey – stunning.
Salamanca – breathtaking.
Discovering El Rocio
Cycling into the mountains in Isla Plana
Cycling to Pamplona
Cycling into Comillas & discovering the unexpected wealth of history awaiting us
Horses grazing in the water at El Rocio
New Cathedral of Salamanca
In Portugal our favourite days out were:-
Sintra, near Lisbon. Hands down – wish we’d had 2 days 🙂
Wandering around Zumbejeira and discovering the historic fishing port.
In the UK our favourite days out have been, so far:-
Rye, town and Harbour
Battle Abbey and battlefield
White Cliffs of Dover, South Foreland lighthouse and the Deep Fan Bay tunnels
Scotney Castle
Old Town, Hastings
Winchelsea town & it’s cellars
Bodiam Castle
KESR – steam train
Discovering the Brightling Follies on our walk
White Hart, Newenden for Sunday lunch 🙂
Tree on the 1066 battlefield – TurnrightoutofPortsmouth
The White Hart at Northiam
Looking back down once I was safely back at the top!
Steps down into the Salutation Inn cellar
Things we wished we’d done (or hadn’t..):
We found that there are many places in Spain that we either want to visit for the 1st time, or return to in the future. For instance, we want to return to the area of the Camino del Rey (Desfiladero de los Gaitanes) and we must make sure we visit Sevilla next time!
We wish we had gone to Jerez & Cadiz (definitely next time). We just didn’t have enough time.
We wish we had headed towards Zaragoza and not made a detour meaning we ended up at a bad campsite..
We wish we had headed to the right out of Los Madriles and visited Mazarron.
We wish we had arrived in Cobapino later than we did, and therefore spent longer in a couple of the places we visited before we got there.
We wish we had known how expensive the Portugese toll roads are, and how bad the alternatives are. We wish we had found a campsite closer to Sintra so that we could have visited 2 days running.
Calvin wishes that we had stayed an extra month in Spain…. 🙂
People we’ve met:
We have met some wonderful people on our travels, and are keeping in touch with a few.
We had a couple of boozy nights in Cobapino with Steve & Denise and Roger & Jill. Great fun. All lovely friendly people who would do anything to help anybody out.
We met many older couples (I’m talking well into their 70s) who have been touring for 50 years+, and are still going strong – with bikes on the back and everything. They were all absolute inspirations to us. And then there was the Swiss couple who were into their 80s and still towing a caravan – they were out longer than us the day we went to the Alhambra Palace…
Many people that we met didn’t have a return ferry ticket booked; they were all just taking it as it comes 🙂
In Portugal we met Trevor & Jude who come from the Isle of Wight, and then Jenny & Graham (Graham is still playing hockey in Olympic style tournaments – fair play).
We’ve not met anybody we didn’t like (although there was Mr & Mrs 45 minutes….)
We met a young couple with a 5 month old baby who were using their parental leave to tour Europe 🙂
Back in the UK we met Norman & Jane – hello you 2! And most recently I must mention Martin Fishwick (I’m so sorry I didn’t get your wife’s name) who is, in just a matter of weeks, embarking on a lifelong ambition to cycle from Lands End to John O’Groats. I didn’t ask Martin how old he was, but I’m fairly sure he’s older than me… So I just want to say good for you Martin, and all the best for your adventure in June 🙂
How we’ve changed:
We are definitely more relaxed – even though we were fairly laid back to start with! Petty things that really mattered just a few months ago are just completely irrelevant now. Most things have lost the power to stress me out – although a certain mobile provider came pretty close…
Proof of my relaxedness (I know that’s probably not a word!) comes in the fact that, with just 3 days before we fly, I haven’t packed for Ibiza or even checked the tickets lately! Normally I am packed at least a week before 🙂
It’s difficult to register that we are already over 3 months into our adventure – in some ways it’s gone so quickly.
Calv has accepted that he needs glasses.
I will talk to pretty much anyone (even more so than before). Calv always would talk to absolutely anyone..
We’ve learned that we can manage on less money. We are even spending a lot less on food! Going shopping for anything else is pretty much off the agenda (unless we actually NEED something!)
I’ve definitely lost weight – I have no idea how much, but it’s heartening to know I can do it. I’m hoping that I might have lost enough for it to be noticeable by the end of the year!
We are very happy in the van – it barely even registers that we ARE living in the van at the moment. We don’t think anybody believes us when we say this!
The only thing I really miss is a washing machine, and that’s only because the site we’ve been on for the last few weeks doesn’t have one. If there’s a laundry on site it really isn’t a problem.
I look at things differently now. Coming ‘home’ I noticed the lilac draped over the houses and all the other beautiful flowers, the wonderful views on our journey were taken in too. We really do live in the most beautiful country and we’re so pleased to be getting the opportunity to discover and appreciate if properly ☺
We also know that this is a lifestyle that we would like to continue – next year we would very much like to take in Croatia during a European tour in the spring. Watch this space 🙂
On a slightly different note I would like to thank everybody for reading my ramblings – I do hope that you continue to enjoy.
Saturday we did 2 things that were completely different to anything we’ve done before, and we really enjoyed both experiences 🙂
So it was back to Winchelsea on the Saturday morning for the mediaeval cellar tour. We met at the town well in front of The Armoury, a house that looks far older than it actually is, apparently parts of it only date back to the 1930s.
There were about 15 people on the tour (which is apparently a smaller group) and our guide started by giving us a brief history of Winchelsea itself. We then headed into the 1st of the 5 cellars that we were visiting.
They’re not all, as we would perhaps expect, directly underneath houses. In fact the 1st one we visited was in the front garden of a rather modern house! This one was rather plain but we were able to learn how they were built and see the original floor (many have had the floor relaid with concrete. The cellars were all different, some more elaborate with steeper steps (and sometimes more uneven), some even with more rooms! The last one we saw actually had 2 entrances 🙂
My favourite though was the 1 that is actually being used by the owners – it was complete with a 1970s record player, dart-board and dining table! It had a very steep entrance straight from the front door (as would once have been..)
Steps down into the 1st cellar (in the front garden of a modern house)
Recess in back wall
Recess and light source
Entrance to the Salutation Inn cellar
The back wall in the 3rd room of the Salutation Inn cellar
Steps down into the Salutation Inn cellar
Figure on a column of Salutation Inn
Detail of Saluation Inn ceiling
The cellar used as an entertainment room 🙂
Entrace to Entertainment cellar..
Front entrance to the cellar with 2 doors
Steep steps to final cellar
The back way in..
Final cellar
After a further wander around Winchelsea, which is so full of history, we headed off to the Carr Taylor vineyard. Here we had a wander around the vines – unfortunately, of course, these are at the beginning of their growth season so they’re not yet heaving with fruit (end August and September are the best times to see this as harvesting takes place in September/October).
We then had a wine-tasting which came with more information on the wine and the vineyard. I have to admit that I liked the Rose and the Cannonball (white) of the still wines, but the Sparkling Rose was a revelation, possibly the best I have ever tasted!
We spent almost £120….! The people we met at the vineyard were lovely and there was Oscar who was expertly helping his mum in the shop 🙂
Speaking of which this is how small vineyards like this survive as they don’t have the capacity to supply the major supermarkets. I will definitely be aiming to buy my sparkling wine from here in future if I need some for any events 🙂
Sunday 30th April
We have been sharing our campsite for the last couple of nights with a group of Renault 4 enthusiasts from Europe (Holland, Belgium & Germany) who, Calv managed to find out, were heading to a rally at Hole Park today.
As Hole Park is very close to us we decided to go and have a look.
It was a bit of a disappointment as there was just 1 Renault 4 there when we arrived, and having paid our £7, each, to go in we realised that all that was on offer was a wander around the garden and woodland. I know this is something that many people enjoy, but it’s not generally on our list of things to pay to do….
Added to that that the gardens weren’t particularly special… There were a few areas that were a bit prettier (lilacs, looking down onto the pond and the bluebell & wild garlic woodland – however, we can generally go for a walk and find bluebells & wild garlic fairly easily…)
Looking down on the pond at Hole Park
Lilacs at Hole Park
The Bluebell Wood, Hole Park
When we’d finished our walk around there were still only 3 Renault 4s in the designated car park. So we headed off towards Sissinghurst (National Trust).
Just down the road we encountered beautiful Benneden. And several of the elusive Renault 4s! After a quick detour we headed down the lanes towards Sissinghurst.
Now I know that Sissinghurst is also a garden attraction but, we are members of the National Trust so it doesn’t really matter if it’s not up our street – we just leave. Also there are areas of the house that are accessible as is the tower and the kitchen of the South Cottage. There is also a story to be told – about Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicholson, who saved the house and created the garden.
Gateway through the Front Range, Sissinghurst
View from the top of the tower at Sissinghurst
The gardens themselves are much more to my taste; a riot of colour that has some sort of form, plus orchards in full bloom. There is also a moat, gazebo and boathouse.
Unfortunately it wasn’t as warm as we’d thought (we had decided not to wear our jackets…), so we cut our visit short and headed home to sit in the van while it rains…
Wednesday started as a quiet, do nothing kind of day. By the time we’d had our lunch though we were getting restless, so we decided to go for a cycle ride around Rye Harbour.
This was, sort of, a success… We lost each other when Calv went off ahead and I couldn’t see what way he’d gone! Never mind we found each other eventually and I still did 8 miles (and took the photo above – we spent the ride trying to stay ahead of the black raincloud!)
Before getting back in the car we popped into the bar of the Rye Harbour Holiday Park for a cuppa (coffee for Calv and hot chocolate for me), where we chatted with the bar manager who gave us some local snippets about Winchelsea Beach and Winchelsea itself. Winchelsea is often referred to as the smallest town in England, as it has a school, shop, church, town hall and mayor (although it seems this is purely a ceremonial post).
Saturday dawned grey and drizzly (as forecast), and we had tickets for the steam train (Kent & East Sussex) travelling between Bodiam and Tenterden – we were getting on at Northiam.
Having booked online we went to the ticket office to pick up our tickets. I was preceded by an elderly German man counting out his change, pretty much penny by penny! Bless him 🙂 I wanted to upgrade our tickets to 1st class for an extra £2 each, but was thwarted by the fact that there wasn’t a 1st class service running that day 😦
The train was packed, as it was when we returned from Tenterden later in the day when there was a massive party, again Germans, booked for a cream tea.
There is something about travelling by steam train – I think it brings out the child in all of us 🙂
We spent a few hours in Tenterden (just because we wanted to travel only by steam train and not by the diesel option). As it has been described as the ‘Jewel of the Weald’ Continue reading “Steam Trains, Walks, Tunnels and Tales”
After an eventful few days we finally had a day in the van catching up on jobs. It’s sparkling again!
Suitably rested we resumed our active new lifestyle on Thursday! We were heading further afield this time with a final destination of Deal in mind, via Folkestone (neither of which places we intended to stop….)
We made our way along the A259, the coast road, and shortly after New Romney (which was the furthest we have got so far on this trip) we were passing through Sandgate when Calv spotted a castle through the housefronts. So we turned round and went back to find it, parked up and went for a wander.
Sandgate Castle from the beach
Sandgate Castle from the Promenade
We found the castle easily enough, but unfortunately it was closed. So we found our way onto the seafront promenade (once you start walking it’s quite a way before you can leave (without turning round anyway))! From here we could get a good view of the castle, and, of course, the vast pebbly beach – I wonder where the name ‘Sand’Gate comes from?? As with many of the beaches in this part of the country the beach is steeply terraced down towards the water.
The beach at Sandgate
All in all a pretty little town (home to the new Saga Corporate HQ, a glass building on the hill overlooking the town).
Next up, Folkestone. We’ve stayed at the Camping & Caravanning site in Folkestone before (set on the clifftop overlooking the remains of the temporary harbours built during the war), and so are familiar with the Eastern end of the town, including the old fishing port.
As we drove along the B road towards Dover we visited the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel le Ferne. Again we have visited this before, briefly, but it has changed rather a lot since then! A wonderful new visitor centre has been built including a ‘Scramble Experience’ – we were worried that we would spend too much time in here if we visited so didn’t go in – another time perhaps.
The memorial is very poignant; a wall detailing the name of every 1 of the 3000 airmen involved in the Battle of Britain, the memorial itself in the shape of a propeller with a statue of a comtemplative airmen in the centre. There are also 2 replica planes on display.
The Memorial Wall at the Battle of Britain Memorial
Memorial to the Airmen
The Battle of Britain memorial
There are the mounds from 2 gun emplacements facing the sea, and, apparently, there are also 2 underground hospitals near the site (unfortunately not open to the public – or actual obvious where they are).
Replica plane at the Battle of Britain Memorial
The Memorial from the Sky (Picture of a picture at the site)
We paid £1 to park for an hour, it’s £3 if you want to stay all day – there are also walks to take from here.
We finally made it to Dover and the Whitecliffs (National Trust), only to find that both the underground tunnels and the South Foreland lighthouse weren’t open today (we should have checked before leaving home!) Never mind, they’re open from Friday to Monday so we’ll come back on Monday, meaning that we can also visit Dover itself. As we drove through the town we noticed that there were many old buildings to see, and feel that perhaps it gets a bad press? We’ll find out next week, and let you know..
So we sat at a picnic table above the Port of Dover (which seems to be extremely busy and efficient) to eat our lunch, had a quick wander (I found out that the car park and visitor centre are on the site of an old prison, later a military garrison).
Moving on again towards Deal I spotted an unusual church as we drove past Ringwould, unusual in that there was an onion dome as a spire! So round we turned again. The church was utterly charming and the churchyard held 2 ancient trees, (one 1300 years old, the other just 1000 years old), some beautiful blossom trees and, apparently, gravestones that are considered to be works of art in themselves.
The church itself reminded me of my mum as she would have loved it, mainly due to the lovely flower arrangements inside.
We took a short walk around the village and found the old Forge, the old Bakery and the Bier mentioned on an information board just outside the church.
Back in the car we set off again towards Deal, but before we got there we found Walmer Castle (English Heritage; see the main photo). This is a very interesting castle with displays set up from different stages of it’s life and the people who have lived there as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (including such luminaries as William Pitt, the Duke of Wellington, Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother).
By the time we’d finished here it was well past 4pm and having been out since 9.30am (yes – we managed to get up, washed, dressed and made our lunches by 9.30!!) we knew it was time to head home. We’ll visit Deal on the same day that we visit Canterbury and Sandwich.
Friday 21st April
A nice lazy morning with a walk around Rye Harbour planned for the afternoon. On arriving at Rye Harbour we found there is a large free carpark (donations welcome) opposite the entrance to the nature reserve, which is also next to a Martello Tower and a holiday park.
The path through the nature reserve is suitable for both walkers and cyclists. There are 5 birdwatching hides placed around the reserve, and you will also find the above cottage – on it’s own (much as I expected to see at Dungeness!) and the historic, listed Mary Stanford Lifeboat Station. (Read more about this event by clicking on the link.)
We stepped into one of the hides and were told that the bird in the main picture below is a Whimbrill – I’d never seen one of these before, it’s a little like a curlew. We also saw oystercatchers.
As an aside, in the morning whilst looking out of the van towards the woods, we saw a striking orange breasted bird, with a bluey/silver back, roughly the size of a thrush. With an expert on hand in the hide we found out this was most likely a bullfinch, which we confirmed when returning to the van and checking online 🙂
Whimbrill at Rye Harbour
The lifeboat station has not been used since the launch in November 1928 which saw the entire crew of 17 fail to return. Making this all the sadder is that 5 minutes after they had eventually managed to launch in a dreadful storm an all-clear was issued (all hands on the ship they were aiming to help were safe). They were unable to see this recall due to the storms.
Efforts are being made to restore the station to it’s former glory and provide education within it’s walls.
Our walk took us about 4 1/2 miles and having identified suitable paths for cycling we will return in a few days and aim to cycle to Winchelsea (another limb of the Cinque Ports).
Tomorrow, Saturday, we’ve booked tickets to travel on the steam train. KESR, that travels between Bodiam and Tenterden.
Easter Monday dawned a little grey so we resolved to stay put. However after lunch we were getting a bit restless so decided to head down towards Dungeness.
On the way we took the seafront route, driving past Camber & Broomhill Sands. We were pleased to note that there was a good off-road cycle route running for miles from Rye towards Lydd.
We found a Go-Kart track off-route just past Lydd. It was a proper track and we were able to watch a few laps before heading on towards Dungeness.
As we drove down the road towards the New Lighthouse of Dungeness we encountered a landscape unlike anything we’ve really seen before in the UK. To the left we could see the ruins of boats and old tracks that would have been used to drag said boats up and down the beach. We think that some were still in use. But the majority of the beach resembled a boat graveyard. On the right, maybe 1/2 mile away, the power station dominates.
We also went past Prospect Cottage; previously the home of Derek Jarman, and late film director, and famous for the garden he designed for the cottage. It’s very pretty and stands out compared to most of the cottages along this stretch towards the huge expanse of shingle beach.
Speaking of the cottages I have to say that I felt a little misled by many of the travel programmes that feature this area. My expectations were that there would just be a few abandoned cottages dotted along the shingle, but this isn’t the case at all. There are dozens of old cottages. Many of these started as railway carriages and they have been added to over the years. But there are also several, clearly, brand new structures in place. Some are being used as galleries. They are almost all occupied in some way.
This is what I was expecting to see at Dungeness!
There’s no doubt this is a remote place to live, and I can imagine it gets fairly bleak at times (it was windy enough when we were there!) But there is a pub and post boxes, and also a café/restaurant (The End of the Line, also the ticket office for the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Miniature railway).
This railway runs 13 1/2 miles to Hythe (a trip of about 1 1/4 hours in total). Calv enjoyed standing outside studying the engine whilst it was waiting in the station. He suffered later though as the whistle blew very loudly right next to him and he had a persistent whistling in his ear for the rest of the evening!
We had a really good view of the railway from the top of the Old Lighthouse (a new one was necessary as when the Power Station was built it blocked the view of the lighthouse from the channel – good planning then…)
It cost £4 each to visit the lighthouse and on a good day you can go outside at the top (as long as you can get through the rather low opening – I hesitate to call it a door!) The keepers lived in the roundhouse that you can see in the pictures.
Dungeness Old Lighthouse
A section of the stairs in the old lighthouse
The Roundhouse at Dungeness from the top of the Old Lighthouse
View from the top of the Old Lighthouse
We then wandered back towards the New Lighthouse with a diversion along the boardwalk towards the sea (see the main picture). We saw sea-kale growing on the beach, and apparently part of the reason for the boardwalk is to protect rare plant-life. We didn’t actually make it to the New Lighthouse as it was so windy and cold. So we headed back to ‘The End of the Line’ for a cup of tea (actually a very good cup of tea…) and this is where Calv stood outside for 10 mins ‘inspecting’ the engine.
There is also an RSPB centre which we didn’t have time to visit unfortunately.
We headed a little further along the coast through Greatstone on Sea and Littleton on Sea, seeing some rather impressive houses and other buildings, such as this old water tower (looking like it was perhaps halfway through a renovation?) We were also following the line of the miniature railway, but only as far as New Romney where we got back onto the main road and headed home to the van.
Tuesday 20th April
We started the day by heading into St Leonards to get some washing and shopping done.
In the afternoon I had found a walk that I wanted to do in nearby Brightling – 10 miles away. It looked interesting as it was concerned with finding some of the Brightling Follies, built by ‘Mad’ Jack Fuller (many prefer for him to be called ‘Honest’ Jack).
We parked up outside the St Thomas a Becket church where a very nice local man, Simon, chatted to us about our walk and told us a bit more about Jack Fuller who seems to have been a fascinating man who did much good in the area.
Simon is involved in trying to provide more information on Jack Fuller and his follies in the village, by turning the red phone box outside the church into a mini-museum. Good luck Simon – it’s a brilliant idea.
We began in the church, where the Pyramid is located. This is actually Jack Fuller’s mausoleum. As we rounded the corner of the church we were confronted, yes confronted, by sheep protecting their young, and we had the impression that they didn’t want us entering that particular area! So we retreated… In the church we noted that the pews held cushions and that every cushion was individual. I found one for a John Fuller – I wonder if that was Mad (Honest) Jack’s??
Lambs in the churchyard
St Thomas a Becket in Brightling
The individual cushions in St Thomas a Becket church, Brightling
We then started our walk well by going in completely the opposite direction to that we were meant to – only we didn’t know this for a while. However, the upshot of this was that we managed to see all 6 of the follies (one of which, the observatory, isn’t actually a folly but scientific pioneering – as advised by Simon; thanks Simon!)
So we’d seen the Pyramid. Now as we walked out of the village, along the road, towards Woods Corner we could see glimpses of the Obelisk. Coming to a junction we could now see the Observatory. We had by now realised that we were going the wrong way but decided to continue. So we took the road to the right and before we turned right again we had a much better view of the Observatory. A little further down the road we had an unobstructed view of the Obelisk. Unfortunately neither is accessible, the Observatory now being a private residence. Both of these were a bonus as we wouldn’t have seen them properly, if at all, had we gone the right way!!
Now we were looking for a public footpath to get us back on track (or so we thought..) We eventually found one immediately after the entrance to the British Gypsum mine. This took us down a long field and into woodland.
The woods were beautiful with many different wild-flowers as well as the usual bluebells and snowdrops.
We also saw an ancient tree which was pretty amazing. There is also a covered conveyor belt running through the woods, which is something to do with the mine.
We were getting increasingly worried that we were going in completely the wrong direction, and as my phone battery was running out we didn’t have much time left on using google maps to help keep us on track!
On emerging from the woods we turned left, which didn’t feel right.. I managed to squeeze the last bit of battery out of my phone to confirm that, yet again, we were going the wrong way.
Once back on track we were constantly looking around to see if we could spot any of the remaining 3 follies. We were finally rewarded with a view of the tower! We chose to head back to the car to charge up my phone and then drive to the tower. We actually sat outside trying to get back up to 10%.
The Tower, is actually accessible and at the very top there’s a rickety ladder, which Calv duly climbed up… As we were walking back over the field to the car Calv suddenly shouted out, “There’s the Temple!” And it was indeed, in the distance 🙂 This prompted me to scan the horizon to see if I could see the Sugar Loaf (a folly resembling a church spire). My turn to shout out “There it is!” We’d found all 6 – happy days 🙂
We then drove around the edge of the Brightling Park in search of a closer view of the Temple and the Sugar Loaf. We found the sugar loaf and were able to access this. We also found a closer view of the Temple, although this wasn’t accessible.
We’d walked about 4 miles in total. I have to say some of the stiles were very high – I’ve only got short legs! Calv found it highly amusing watching me trying to get over these. I had the last laugh though when he had to lift me off a couple of them!
On Good Friday we awoke rather tired from the activity of the previous 3 days. We therefore resolved to do nothing all day.
This didn’t happen of course, although we managed until well after lunch, when we headed off the local independant supermarket, Jempsons, to pick up a couple of bits and pieces. We also filled up the little car as their fuel is the cheapest we’ve seen for a long time.
On returning we decided to wander along the lane that we’re based on, Stoddards Lane, to see what we could see, including the sheep.. and a couple of inquisitive dogs.
We’ve decided that this is a perfectly acceptable lane to cycle along, and with the church as our destination it will be worthwhile.
Having driven round a little more we can now add to the many things we’re seeing regularly:- Sheep and lambs, thatched cottages, converted barns, narrow lanes and farms – lots and lots of farms! We’ve also seen a helicopter parked in somebody’s front garden (there are some amazing houses here..) – apparently this isn’t the only one, and the one that’s closer to us (Calv heard it take off the other day) may well belong to a certain world famous star – who’s quite old now! (Well, probably about 70 anyway…)
There are so many beautiful flowering blossom trees. My favourite is one that I spotted in Rye on our 1st day here.
Beautiful blossom in Rye
On Saturday we set off early (well, early for us anyway) at about 11.15am having decided we were heading to Hastings. We parked up at the end of the Old Town, at Rock a Nore, and set off on our tour having finally managed to pay for the parking (very expensive…!) There would have been more spaces if only people could manage to park properly…..
On returning from Hastings we searched, in vain, for the pub that we thought we’d seen at the end of our lane. My memory is obviously failing me! We were hoping to pop in for Sunday lunch on Easter Sunday. (I eventually found it on our way to Bodiam today, Sunday, nowhere near where I thought it was!!) It’s The Cross Inn at Cripps Corner and looks rather nice.
However, we decided to try the White Hart in nearby Newenden for our Easter Sunday lunch today. Another lovely little village with a beautiful church and pictures up in the pub showing what it used to look like before the A28 was built.
Also a lovely lunch and, if we’re staying for as long as we’re expecting (using this as our based for visiting East Sussex and Kent), we will definitely return. Very friendly and relaxed atmosphere, and just about 5-10 minutes down the road.
The White Hart at Northiam
Lunch in the White Swan, Northiam
Parish church of St Mary’s at Northiam
Inside St Mary’s, Northiam
The 3rd station on the Kent & East Sussex Steam railway is situated here (the other 2 being Bodiam to the south and Tenterden to the north (we’re hoping to do this tomorrow, but are watching the weather closely – we might have to wait until next weekend..)
We then decided to stay out and visit Bodiam Castle (click here for my review). Having re-joined English Heritage on Thursday we now joined National Trust for the 1st time – quite expensive (a total of about £180 for the year for both), but when you think of how many attractions we can visit, then you can see how much we’ll save (I reckon we’d have spent that within a few weeks at an average of maybe £25 between us each visit).So we’re all set for the next few weeks before we head off to Ibiza for my niece’s wedding at the beginning of May 🙂
Yesterday we thought we were leaving Bosham for Rye, then we didn’t as we realised that we weren’t booked in until today. Only today we realised that we were actually booked in for yesterday, 10th, but we decided that the 10th was today….
We are, quite literally, struggling to know what day it actually is!
Anyway we, belatedly, left Kia Ora this morning and Calv decided we would follow the A259, as far as possible, along the coast. This was rather lovely for most of the way as the sun was shining and, being the Easter holidays, there were lots of people out and about enjoying the sunshine.
We stopped in Brighton for a walk and some lunch and it was very busy (even though the photo above makes it long empty). It’s no longer free to park along the seafront, as Calv remembers; it’s now £2 for an hour and £4.20 for 2 hours.
After leaving Brighton we were held up by various roadworks and an accident where a bus had taken out a traffic light in Peacehaven.
Despite this we were glad we went this way as we saw areas that we desperately want to re-visit, such as the area near Birling Gap with a winding river, where we’ll be able to put the kayak in. We must buy those wetsuits soon!
We finally arrived at our site, The Cock Inn at Peasmarsh.
Hmmm… Our intention had been to stay here for 9 nights. We spent that 1st night looking for somewhere else. First thing the next morning we set off 3 miles down the road to have a look at a site I’d found. So much better for us, so on we moved. Our new site has peacocks and peahens as well as the obligatory chickens!
Once settled we set off to see Rye in the afternoon. What a lovely surprise this charming little town is! (I have a funny feeling that ‘charming’ may be a much overused word in the coming months!!)
It is, indeed, ancient – as noted on the town signs. If you want to know more about it then read my review here.
Today, Thursday 13th April, we sat in the sun and cleaned the van in the morning and then, after a lunch of salad (yes, for me too!) we headed out to explore a little more of the surrounding area.
We drove through some beautiful little villages, looking out at scenery with numerous oast houses with their distinctive conical roofs, topped with a white angled cone, white boarded traditional houses, fields of rapeseed, sheep and glimpses of bulrushes, denoting water even where we couldn’t see it. What we don’t see are many abandoned buildings (although there have been a couple of tumbledown farm buildings); any available barns and oasthouses have long been converted to substantial dwellings.
We crossed the steam railway just before Bodiam (within easy reach of the castle). The Tenterden to Bodiam steam line runs to here. A train was just about to depart which meant the gates were being closed by the station master (apparently along the route the driver jumps out and closes and opens them himself!) He tried to wave us through, but as if we were going to miss this! So we watched the train depart and can’t wait to take a trip on it ourselves 🙂
The steam train waiting to leave Bodiam Station – TurnrightoutofPortsmouth
After visiting a motorhome sales centre (very disappointing range available) and trying to visit a reservoir (inaccessible) we decided to visit Battle.
We re-joined English Heritage as we entered the Abbey, and began our visit. Please see my separate review for details. Needless to say this is a wonderful attraction and we would highly recommend it. Very informative and the way the information is presented is excellent.
Even if you aren’t a member of English Heritage I would suggest that it is well worth the entry price.
We knew Spain was mountainous, but perhaps not quite HOW mountainous
As a result the Spanish are very good at tunnelling and building viaducts, through mountains and spanning valleys.
Most roads are very, very good
I don’t speak Spanish very well and really need to up my game (I now realise how good my French actually is…)
Spain is a massive country
The toll roads are excellent, and not usually very expensive
However, I have read that the prices change according to demand in some areas, for instance, along the Costa del Sol (AP7) prices are far higher in the summer
There is however a choice of roads to use so you don’t have to use the toll roads.
Toll roads are denoted by the ‘AP’ designation
It is well worth using a map that shows Michelin recommended towns and villages (shown by a green box). You may not know what the point of interest is, but it is often worth investigating (we visited Olite, Aguadar, Ciudad Rodrigo and Fromistas as a direct result of using the green boxes on the map)
Fuel is cheaper in Spain than the UK and diesel is cheaper than unleaded.
Fuel is much, much, much cheaper in Gibraltar (80p per litre……)
Supermarkets are very good in Spain.
Our favourites were Mercadona, Lidl and Supersol (in the south)
San Miguel is extremely cheap (all beer is, but Calv drinks San Miguel if given the option)
The A7 along the Costa del Sol is not a nice road. Although there are several proper slip-roads there are also just normal junctions joining this fast road, which also has bus-stops and a walkway just the other side of the crash barrier. Out of season we would always suggest using the AP7 (the toll road)
You must head inland for some lovely views and attractions. Visit some viewpoints, climb some mountains and walk along the Camino del Rey!
We actually preferred the North of Spain, definitely the North West…..
Salamanca is absolutely beautiful and you need at least 2 full days to see it all.
There is not much variety in the food you’re offered in most cafes and restaurants
Spanish drivers are, in the main, respectful towards cyclists and there are road-signs advising that 1.5m space should be given.
Cycle helmets are to be worn on urban roads where the speed limit is 50kmph or more. There is a fine of 100 Euros each for transgression. It’s not heavily enforced, but we did get stopped (although not fined..)
Many of the beaches on the Costa Del Sol and Coasta Blanca are not actually that nice, quite gritty and black. The best one’s (the exceptions that we saw) are those at Benidorm and Alicante. Where we stayed at Cobapina near Marbella there was a lovely sandy beach.
The beaches in Northern Spain are lovely – we saw Zarautz and Oyambre in particular.
Antoni Gaudi built a house in Comillas in the north – El Capricho.
The ACSI card is extremely useful – in low season participating sites will cost a maximum of 19 Euros per night
However, it’s always worth checking the site’s website as sometimes it can work out cheaper to use their own deals. Especially if you’re planning to stay for a while.
With a couple of notable exceptions, Pamplona and Salamanca, the cycle paths were generally pavements shared with pedestrians (who were, however, generally fairly good at staying on their own side). (I’m sure that there are other exceptions – we only saw a tiny fraction of this huge country!)
On the quieter roads cycling was perfectly okay, even for novices like me (I prefer traffic free routes wherever possible!)
As in France there were many, many tumbledown, abandoned buildings dotted around everywhere.
Spanish TV. Obviously we didn’t watch much TV that was in Spanish (although we did at times!), but there were a lot of American shows on channels like Paramount and Energy. At first we thought there weren’t any adverts. How wrong we were!
The TV programme might be on for upwards of 1/2 hour before any adverts. Then the programme will just suddenly be interrupted – not at a natural pause, not even mid-sentence. No the programme will stop and the adverts start mid-word! Then you will have anything up to 7 or 8 minutes of adverts… Sometimes you will then just have another 5 minutes of programme before another set of adverts.
In Benidorm there are several English speaking radio channels.
Some of them are almost good……
There are areas of Spain that are more British than Spanish
We will definitely be returning. Next time we will probably head west along the north coast from the ferry, and therefore spend more time in the north and the interior than in the resorts in the south
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