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marie -> RE: Rye and surrounding area - my version (20 Apr. 2008 21:46:10 )
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Day 4, April 11, Friday. After saying goodbye to Barry & Amanda I headed out to do a 5 mile loop down to Winchelsea and back. The walk should have gone along the same path we had taken to Camber Castle the day before, but typical for me, I missed the turn to the footpath. I walked along the main road to the town. A little scary as the sidewalk is rather narrow. Rain came just as I was heading up the hill to the gate of the town; by the time I got the rain coat out of my backpack and on me the rain stopped. The original Winchelsea was destroyed by a storm in the late 1200s and rebuilt on a hill. It was laid on a grid pattern, so no little alleys or winding roads – easy to find your way around. It is mostly residential, I only saw two inn and no stores. There is a wonderful church – Church of St Thomas in the center of town. Only half of the original church exists today. There are 3 old effigies that are believed to be from the Old Winchelsea church in the submerged port. They are set in beautifully carved niches. There are ruins of a monastery at the north end of town, but I could not figure out how to see it. It is set behind a private, large estate; I got up to a high brick wall and could just see bits and pieces of it. Once I covered all the streets, I headed back to Rye. Again, I could not find the trail my map suggested so I just headed in the right direction across a field. At that point I was following the 1066 walk, but I lost that. Thank goodness Rye is set up on a hill. I just kept that in sight and finally made it back to town.
I treated myself to fish & chips (first I have ever had in England despite all the times I have been), I sat by the river in Rye and ate it with my fingers and a tiny wooden thing they gave me. I am now cured of that longing – good by a bit greasy. The rest of the day I spent wondering around town, poking in the shops. I debated about going on another hike, but finally talked myself out it. I did check out the Rye Museum, simple but interesting.
Day 5, April 12, Saturday. I caught an early bus to Hastings, sitting up on top level soaking it the countryside. I got off the bus in the old town and headed down to the shore. The information center didn’t open for an other hour and a half, so I headed out mapless. I started out at The Stade (meaning landing place). Hastings has the largest beach-launched fleet in Britain. It is strange to see these fishing boats way up on the pebbled beach. They are pushed out by tractor and pulled in by winches. There are these tall square buildings close by that are for storing nets and tackle. I had never seen anything like it.
I walked back up the hill and, from Barry’s description, cover the same area as he did. Delightful little passage ways tucked along side these great old building. The church I headed to was closed so I walked back down the hill via a different street. I then headed off to the castle. Set high on a hill, I took the lift up (just trying to save my poor arthritic knee and maybe just plain lazy!) The view from the top was spectacular; from there you can see both the old and new sections of Hastings. The castle was built soon after the Norman Conquest; all that stands now are parts of the chapel and a few boundary walls. For some reason there were tee pees in the middle of the grounds – not good for picture taking. How dare they!
I headed back down to the shore and started walking toward the pier. I got side tracked when I saw a sign for a second information center. That was in the middle of the shopping district. I guess because it was Saturday, it was crowded. I just added to the crowd and poke around in some of the stores. Then back to the boardwalk to check out the pier. There was not much going on there so I turned around and went back to where the boats were. There is an amusement area on the shore with all the kiddy rides, miniature golf, junk food and souvenir shops. Earlier I had seen a small fish place – half a boat standing on end – that sold fish sandwiches for £2. Fresh fish cooked on a grill and then placed in a bun. That with chips from a different shop made a lovely lunch. Along this area they were small fish markets with a good variety of seafood for sale. After walking about on the beach for a while, it is difficult walking on the pebbles; I went to find a bus stop and headed back to Rye.
Day 6, April 12, Sunday. As this was my final day in the country, I headed out to Dover. On Sundays the bus only runs every two hours, so I caught an early bus. The ride to Dover was very pretty going through New Romney, Hythe and Folkestone (big city with great buildings along the shore line). We passed by several war time pill boxes, I really got a sense on how close France was and the potential for invasion during the war. At Dover I changed buses and went up the hill to the castle. It is huge and completely intact. I signed up for a tour of the Secret Wartime Tunnels so had to head there first. The tour was very interesting, we got to see various tunnels including the hospital, barracks and communication center. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to live and work there during the war. 12 hour shifts with no windows, it must have been cold and damp. We were told that some of the tunnels that had been open to the public had to be closed as the wood was infected with woodworm and there was mold all over. If any of you ever go to that area, it really is worthwhile doing this tour (it is included in the price of admission).
Back out into sun light, I went to see the church (Anglo-Saxon- built around 1000) and a Roman lighthouse that stands right behind it. The church was restored in the late 1800 and is simple but quite nice. The castle it self is in great condition. You can go into most of it; some rooms are decorated in the style of Henry VIII. The grounds are a mixture of old and new, the gates and outer walls were the most interesting to me. I had picked up a Cornish pastie before I left Rye and had a picnic on the grounds. By 3 I had to head out to catch the bus back, so I walked down the hill to the bus stop. Sunday is just not the day to try traveling by bus, as again it would be 2 hours before the next one and it was a 2 hour trip.
This is the censored version: I went and sat on the top level of the bus, in front for a pleasant ride back. A gentleman (or so I thought) came and sat on the other aisle. We chatted, he was Hungarian and interesting, lived in Folkestone. At some point he said he would love to have a cup of coffee with me. I said sure, we should do that sometime. After we passed through Folkestone and I realized it, I suggested that he missed his stop. No, he was coming to have coffee with me. *#&^*. So he did, only I had no coffee, just tea, but no milk or sugar. He got a little friendlier than I wanted. I had to keep reminding him that there was only one bus left for the day and eventually shuffled him off to the bus. Really stupid situation that I got myself into, fortunately I got myself out of it, but not for lack of trying on his part. YUCK YUCK.
By the time he left, I was mentally and physically exhausted so I treated myself to a wonderful Indian diner, had the restaurant to myself! I got back to the cottage in time to see the new Foyle’s War. At least the evening ended on a happy note. I had every thing pretty much packed up to leave the next morning for London.
Sorry, this is getting to be longer than I thought, hope you aren't too bored.
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