Bluebells and Battles

1st May - Wednesday

 Every village must have a war memorial

 Well, he must have done, because the sign says so

 Don't talk to strangers, children

 South Downs

 Braving the elements

 Nearly as good as the caravan, especially the hotties!

 I just read the sign that said there are grass snakes and adders here!

 Anemones and some bluebells

 Bluebell walk pond

 Battle village

 Surveying the scene

 The battlefield

Enjoying the sun

 

 The latrine pit

Abbey grounds

The spot where King Harold met his demise

We finally managed to get away from the lovely B & B in Brighton (it looked and smelt just like a gift shop full of flowery knick knacks) shortly after 9.00 am, and headed along the coast towards Eastbourne. It was a beautiful morning, with clear skies and lots and lots of traffic. The pilot coped much better today with the three pedals and stick thing which requires frequent movement – 6 gears has proved a little challenging at time, as has the third pedal!


We decided to take a loop around Beachy Head and shortly after the turn-off came across a “Market Today” sign and the car just turned itself into the free car park. (We have learnt never to pass by a free car park!) What a delight this little stop turned out to be. We were in the tiny village of East Dean, which seemed to be more a large farm converted into a village, with many little cottages and barn conversions. A sign even showed which building Sherlock Holmes retired to. While inspecting the plucked chooks, and listening to Mr Rimmer tell us about his family tree, I spotted a brochure for a bluebell walk, so Doris was quickly reprogrammed and we headed for Arlington, travelling along the chalk cliffs of the South Downs before heading inland.

The bluebell walk was on a working sheep farm and only operates for six weeks a year. Unfortunately, because of the exceptionally long winter, the bluebells were only just starting to appear. However, the woods were covered in wood anemones and this nearly as good. The tracks were well signposted with information and there was even a teahouse and gift shop staffed and run by different local charities and organisations. Les and Cat even found a lovely tent and did consider staying the night, given hot water bottles were supplied, but were convinced by the lady of the house that an ensuite was required! On the walk back to the teahouse, someone discovered that stinging nettles really do sting.

We continued to Battle, scene of the 1066 battle between King Harold and William the Conqueror. The Battle Abbey and battlefield grounds are right in the middle of this very old village and the abbey is now a private school. Again, the site was well set out with signs and audio guides and we even enjoyed some time on the south facing terrace minus our coats.

We are staying in Hastings tonight at a B & B on the outskirts – it has a beautiful garden and the sun is shining straight into our ground floor room. We discovered today that next Monday is a Bank Holiday and that accommodation in the Cambridge district would be at a premium – all the parents like to visit their children at university and there is also going to be racing at Newmarket, which is nearby. We only had to make a couple of phone calls before we were able to get a reservation at a town called Ely, which is a few miles north of Cambridge – whew!

Tomorrow: Canterbury.