The White Cliffs of Dover…we didn’t see any bluebirds!

Sunday 29^th September

WARNING: Today’s blog will be short and sweet because not only do I have to pack but Downton Abbey is on TV as well!

This morning we drove to The White Cliffs of Dover National Trust Visitor Centre and enjoyed a walk along the top of the famous cliffs.

In this photo you can see a ferry from Calais, 

France coming toward the very busy port of Dover.

Looking back toward Dover…you can see the port where the ferries come from and go to France. If you look carefully you can see two figures on top of the cliff top…they give an idea of the scale of the cliffs.

Another figure on the cliffs…it’s me! 

Don’t worry mum I’m not as close to the edge as I look.

Dover Castle from the cliffs.

4 roll on/roll off ferries in the harbour…

there is a constant stream of cars, caravans 

and lorries driving in and out of the port.

It was a great vantage point to watch the hustle and bustle of the world’s busiest passenger port. It’s very interesting the way the roll on /roll off system works so smoothly.

From Dover we headed for Chartwell, the home of Sir Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine. They undertook extensive renovations simplifying and modernising the home, completely transforming it when complete. 

It is now owned by the National Trust.

The house has been preserved as it would have looked when Churchill owned it. Rooms are carefully decorated with memorabilia and gifts, the original furniture and books, as well as honours and medals that Churchill received.

The interior of the house is an absolute treasure trove but unfortunately there is a no photography policy in the interior of the house and Sir Winston’s Studio.

Sir Winston and Lady Clementine also refurbished the immediate grounds, which fall away behind the house, shaping them into overlapping rectilinear terraces and garden plats, in lawn and mixed herbaceous gardens. They are linked by steps descending to lakes that Churchill created by building a series of small dams, the water garden where he fed his fish, Lady Churchill's Rose Garden and the Golden Rose Walk, a Golden Wedding anniversary gift from their children. The garden areas provided inspiration for Churchill's paintings, many of which are on display in the house's garden studio.

This statue of Sir Winston and Lady Clementine is in the garden.

From Chartwell we headed to The Bakery for our last night in the UK. Again the place lives up to the photos on the internet & we’re very happy with our room.

We have brought our suitcases an all the bits and bobs we’ve accumulated in the car and have it all sorted…ready to do a final pack...this time tomorrow night we’ll be on the plane headed for home.

Two castles in one day!

Saturday 28^th September

After a delicious breakfast we walked along Marine Parade to the Brighton Pier and then had another wander through ‘The Lanes’ and the ‘Laines’ too. We then set off for Dover and Howard our GPS took us inland when I expected that he’d take us along the coast. I suggested that seeing we’d be going through Sissinghurst we should visit the Vita Sackville-West gardens at Sissinghurst Castle today instead of tomorrow. I loved it but Andrew was not so impressed…here are some photos of the tower and gardens…

The tower was built in the 1560’s…we climbed the 78 steps to the top and on the way up we looked into Vita Sackville-West’s personal study where she did most of her writing.

Just a small section of the view from the top of the tower out over the estate.

The gardens are set out in ‘rooms’ each very different in their planting scheme, colours and scent…here’s a sample…

Next stop Dover, where we spent the afternoon at Dover Castle…we headed straight for the Secret Wartime Tunnels which were carved into the white cliffs under the Castle: first we joined a 20 minute tour of The Underground Hospital and then the deeper tunnels for the one hour Operation Dynamo...Rescue from Dunkirk tour.

Both tours were AMAZING…the tours are immersive with special smell, light and sound effects that are designed to help you understand the dramatic rescue of the BEF from Dunkirk.

It was almost closing time so we then visited the Great Tower of Dover Castle…

The throne room

Henry the 2^nd’s bedroom

The kitchens

Again we were one of the last to leave…we decided to visit the town centre and find somewhere to have dinner…we drove around in circles for quite some time and gave up! We drove to our hotel and decided to eat in the restaurant here…we were very pleasantly surprised and think we’ll have breakfast here in the morning too.

Our room is very spacious with a King sized bed & a great view of Dover Harbour, which is very busy with ferries continuously arriving from and leaving for Calais, France…it’s only 18 miles away!

On our drive today we listened to Graham Norton…he has a regular Saturday 3 hour time slot on BBC Radio 2…he was hilarious…we love his TV show that airs on Sunday nights where he interviews amazing people and finishes off with his ‘stories from the red chair segment’. Today on his radio program he interviewed someone who is appearing on the English version of ‘Dancing With The Stars’…the 2013 season debuted tonight and we watched the first part of it…Bruce Forsyth is the host and the staging, judging panel and EVERYTHING is done the same way…it must be a franchise.

Tonight we're sending a special message to Aunty Von...she's a big fan of our blog and is in hospital at the moment...luckily she has her ipad with her and is able to access the blog. We're thinking of you Aunty Von and hope that you're feeling much better very soon xxx

Bonkers

Friday 27^th September

We said farewell to our host Jaqui and left Lyme Regis after breakfast setting Howard, our GPS to take us to The World Heritage Site of Stonehenge, located near Salisbury in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside.

The mounds on the top of the hill are burial mounds…

you can see many of these dotted around the nearby countryside.

It's an awe-inspiring site and during the tour we heard a number of theories put forward about Stonehenge. Perhaps it was a temple for sun worship, a healing centre, a burial site or perhaps a huge calendar? How did our ancestors manage to carry the mighty stones from so far away and then, using only the most primitive of tools, build this amazing structure? Surrounded by mystery, Stonehenge certainly didn’t fail to impress…another satisfying National Trust visit and we still have 2 more to go!

We set off for Brighton and stopped along the way for lunch…we continue to be charmed by the beautiful little villages we come across…today we stopped in Arundel…it’s High Street is lined with interesting shops & cafes and just around the corner a VERY impressive castle!

We arrived in Brighton and checked into our B&B…we have a small but gorgeous room and are within easy walking distance of all the action.

 Our hosts Matt & Andy provided us with a map and assured us we’d have time to visit the Brighton Pavilion this afternoon which was number one on our must do list…

The Brighton Pavilion is an extraordinary and extravagant pleasure palace. Built for the Prince Regent, later King George IV, in stages between 1787 and 1823, it is home to some of the finest collections and examples of the chinoiserie style in Britain.

These photos don’t do it justice…we heard someone describe it as ‘bonkers’ and that is just what it is…we’ve never seen anything quite like it…

This is the roof of the banquet room and 

a huge chandelier hangs beneath this dragon…

Here’s the chandelier & the banquet table,

its impossible to get the whole room in,

it’s entirely ‘over the top’.

This is just a small potion of the kitchen! 

It is lined with a wonderful array of copper pots.

We were among the last to leave and decided to wander through ‘The Lanes’ and look for a light bite to eat…we decided on ‘The Mesmerist’ and enjoyed the food and the atmosphere however we think we were the oldest people in the place...the music got louder and louder and we decided it was time to head for ‘home’. We’re very impressed with Brighton and plan to have more of a look around tomorrow morning before heading for Dover.

It’s hard to believe it’s only 3 more sleeps before we leave to come home…it will be great to see our family and friends but we’re not looking forward to the long haul flight home.

& there’s more…a change of luck!

Thursday 26^th September

Each day we seem to spend at least £8 (about $A14) on Pay & Display car parking …  Andrew believes he now owns a share in a car park somewhere in the UK!

Tonight at about 6:30pm the skies cleared and we decided to drive down to the Cobb and guess who was delighted to find that the car parking is free after 6pm?

We walked out on the Cobb…

I got my wish…no it’s not Meryl Streep…it’s me!

We noticed quite a few people happily eating fish and chips, the view overlooking the harbour as the sun was setting was pretty as a picture so we decided to join them…we were the lucky last ones to be served fish & chips…they wouldn’t take any more orders after ours!

So our day ended on a much luckier note than it started…this last photo shows how the fossil theme is carried through the Jurassic coast…with the ammonite shaped lamp posts all along the harbour promenade.

A rainy day

Thursday 26^th September

Last night our host Jacqui asked us to make selections from a breakfast menu and nominate a time we’d like it served. This morning she knocked on our door and delivered a sumptuous feast on a trolley…it was fabulous.

Alas the weather was not at all fabulous…quite gloomy, overcast and the constant drizzle foiled our planned quiet day wandering around town. We decided to drive 20 k’s to West Bay where Broadchurch is filmed. This is another program we’ve recently watched on the ABC; it stars David Tennant, the Dr Who before last!

The weather was a little better, but still threatening to rain so we took an umbrella just in case.

The red cliffs of West Bay provide a very 

dramatic backdrop for the program.

West Bay is along the same stretch of the Jurassic Coast as Lyme Regis and in this photo you can see the layers of rock in the cliff. After storms, fossil hunters come along and search for new treasures that may have been uncovered in the resulting erosion of the cliff face.

I couldn’t resist taking this photo of the photographer…I love the way he wears his tweed hat to the side so that it doesn’t get in the way of the camera!

Not long after this it started POURING and even though we had our umbrella and coats, by the time we got back to the car our legs were wet and felt very damp and bedraggled! We drove directly back to Lyme Regis, dried off and waited out the rain…it was actually quite nice to have a some quiet time for an hour or two.

We then decided to wander into town for lunch and browse around the galleries and shops.

Lyme Regis is on the Dorset-Devon border. For centuries it was a fishing village and port. Since the late 18th century it has attracted tourists, the most famous being Jane Austen, who visited with her family in 1804 and set part of her novel Persuasion there. More recently it provided the setting for The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles.

I was keen to emulate Meryl Streep on the Cobb (breakwater) 

but was foiled by the weather again.

The cliffs by Lyme Regis expose a layer of Jurassic limestone rich with fossils, which has attracted fossil enthusiasts for over 200 years. One of the reasons I was keen to come to Lyme Regis was having read a novel by Tracy Chevalier... Remarkable Creatures about Lyme Regis's famous fossil-hunter Mary Anning and her friendship with Elizabeth Philpot. If you haven’t read it I would strongly recommend giving it a go…a fascinating story that brings real events and people to life…apparently a movie based on the novel is in production.

Believe it or not there is also a Beatrix Potter connection…she came to Lyme Regis on holiday in 1904. While staying here she wrote The Tale of Little Pig Robinson, set in the fictional town of ‘Stymouth’, which she based in part on Lyme Regis, as well as on the nearby towns of Sidmouth and Teignmouth in Devon. Views of all three towns are used as backgrounds in the book.

We had lunch in a little café in the main street and then went for our stroll around town. We were impressed with the creative work of the local artists on display in the galleries…beautiful paintings, ceramics, glass, jewellery and some very tempting sculptures. There are lots of fossil shops too and I just had to buy a small Ammonite. Alas…it started raining again and we retreated back ‘home’ and will venture out again later if and when we feel hungry!

Rick Stein, Doc Martin & River Cottage...all in one day!

Wednesday 25^th September

We said farewell to Clive and David this morning. We told them we'd highly recommend their B&B to all of our friends and relatives. Please be in touch if you’re ever travelling to Cornwall and we’ll give you the contact details…it is the PERFECT place to stay.

First stop today was Padstow, a charming working fishing port surrounded by sandy beaches. The town's gorgeous setting at the head of the Camel River Estuary and the natural beauty of the surrounding area – its rugged coastline, quiet coves and walking paths make it a great place to spend some time. We walked to the nearest headland and the view was breathtaking…here’s a small portion of it…

This photo of the village was taken from the same walking path…

I have to admit that the main reason I wanted to visit Padstow was the Rick Stein factor. His business now operates four restaurants, a bistro, a café, a seafood delicatessen, patisserie shop, a gift shop and a cookery school. His impact on the local economy of Padstow is such that it has been nicknamed “Padstein”.

Next stop was Port Isaac, a traditional fishing village in North Cornwall and home to the TV series Doc Martin played by Martin Clunes. We’ve recently discovered and started watching this wonderful program and look forward to watching it when we get home and being able to relate to the setting.

Doc Martins house

This hotel is used as the village school. The entire cast move into the village in March each year and stay until June…they work around the locals and it seems to work well for both parties.

It's a truly picturesque village with narrow winding streets lined with whitewashed cottages that head down to the harbour where we watched local fishermen landing their daily catch.

Here’s one of Andrew’s artistic shots of some lobster pots.

We browsed through some of the local galleries and arts and craft shops before having our last Cornish pasty in Cornwall. 

We both agreed that they were the best yet.

On the pathway along the cliffs to the carpark 

Andrew spotted this seagull.

We then left Cornwall and travelled through Devon toward Lyme-Regis where we spend the next two nights. We wanted to stop along the way through Devon for a REAL Devonshire Tea…when we passed a sign that pointed to Axminster only 1 mile down a side road we decided to visit the ‘River Cottage’ Canteen. We had our ‘Cream Tea’ there which is what the locals call a Devonshire Tea & were very happy with it. It’s been quite a TV day for us. River Cottage is another of our favourite TV cooking shows.

We arrived in Lyme-Regis at about 4.30pm and met our host Jacqui, she gave us a map of the town highlighted with points of interest and places to eat. She explained the features of the rooms…once again we’re very happy with our accommodation, it lives up to the photos on the website…

After settling in we walked into town and had dinner in a Thai restaurant, we had a great view of the harbour. We haven’t had Thai food since we left home and we contemplated the fact that this time next week we will be home.