Tuesday
22 November
A
very foggy morning but not too cold as we pack up and set off towards
Brighton, about 3 hours away, stopping at Stonehenge along the way.
Our
GPS initially takes us along the back roads which is great for saving
time but usually means narrow roads with hedges on either side which
make it difficult to see what's coming around the corner.
The
fog stays with us but seems to lift as we arrive at Stonehenge and
there is even a bit of sunshine breaking through. Even though this
is the low season, the car park is pretty full and there are several
tour and school buses.
We
gain free admittance being National Trust members and everyone gets
free audio guides.
The
stones are set in a large field now enclosed with a high fence,
however, those not wishing to pay the entry fee simply stand outside
this fence and try to take photos over it. There are plans to change
the entry point and close the road which passes right in front to
prevent this and also preserve the area further.
You
cannot get too close to the stones as they are behind a roped area,
but hundreds of years ago souvenir hunters would chip away pieces of
the stones. Even more of a shame is that some of the stones were
carted away and used in construction.
It
is a very impressive sight anyway and the audio guide explains how
some of the stones came from Wales which would have meant a sea
journey as well as carting them across vast expanse of land. The
shear size of them – the largest weighs 42 tonnes – makes the
thought of this inconceivable.
The
construction which is here is apparently the third which occurred on
this site. The first consisted of wooden poles, the second were
stones and the third involved moving and adding to those stones.
No-one
really knows why they were placed here between 3000 and 2000BC but
the best guess is for religious and burial purposes. There is a very
large burial mound located not far and more of them scattered in
nearby fields.
This
was a great visit which we thoroughly recommend. The rest of our photos of Stonehenge are here.
Taking
the M4 we find ourselves heading for Gatwick and London but we've not
got a rendezvous there just yet so deviate and head for Brighton and Hove, coastal towns to the south.
The
fog and grey skies have stayed with us most of the day and some rain
starts as we pull into our camp site, Sheepcote Valley Caravan Club Site, but there should be brighter weather tomorrow for us to
explore.
Wednesday
23 November
Happy
birthday to our girlfriend Delly. It's a beautiful, clear morning
and a chilly 5 degrees to begin. Top temp should reach around 10
degrees. What happened to warmer weather down south?!
The
town is around a 45 minute walk away so we head off and get to the
seaside within 10 minutes. The Marina is to our left but we head
towards town on the right.
This
time there is no sand at the beach, it's all quite large pebbles.
Lovely to look at but walking and lying on them must be quite
uncomfortable. Probably in summer you can hire deck chairs or you
would bring a rubber mat to lie on.
Much
to our amusement, they have built up one section of pebbles into a
privacy screen for the naturalists. Who would have thought the
British would want to get all their kit off in public! Today though
we see some very keen people (must be locals or from Norway) going
for a swim with bikinis and budgie smugglers on. Brrrr. We're
wearing thermals :)
As
we get closer to the Brighton Pier with all the amusement rides,
reminding us of Blackpool, we see a huge fog bank moving towards it
and across the ocean.
The
Brighton Eye is probably the size of the Wheel of Brisbane at
Southbank and has a few takers enjoying the lovely day. Normally
it's 8 pounds for a ride but you can get the VIP pod which fits 4
people for 55 pounds or 75 pounds with ½ a bottle of champers.
We
head into the city for a coffee and come upon St Paul's church which
looks like it's made of the same pebbles as on the beach. It is
under repair at the moment and we can only have a look at the inside
from a distance. Apparently repairs would have been finished last
Christmas but some oily rags left behind by workers caught fire so
the work is ongoing. What we saw was very beautiful anyway.
Tomorrow's
weather should be a little less sunny so we'll leave our visit to the
Royal Pavilion and Museum for then. We go and have a look anyway to
take photos while the weather is good.
The
Pavilion is a totally crazy looking place and would have looked even
more so when it was commissioned by the Prince of Wales in 1787 as
his place to meet up with his mistress on week-ends. It's a
combination of Oriental palace and Indian Taj Mahal and is really
very striking in an over the top way. The columns with large water
lily features at the base are stunning. We can't wait to have a look
inside tomorrow.
We head back down towards the pier to enjoy a fish and chip lunch by the seaside and are watched eagerly by
a very large seagull.
There
is another pier, the West Pier but it was basically destroyed in 1974
by a fire or two. Unfortunately they've left the wrecked skeleton of
the pier standing there which looks rather sad. There are apparently
plans to rebuild, but that seems highly unlikely.
On
the Brighton Pier however, all the rides and amusement arcades are
open but due to it being the low season, it's not really bustling.
It's great anyway.
We
walk back to have a look at the Marina which doesn't look much as you
approach with buildings and the overpass covered in graffiti.
But
once we arrive at the shops, restaurants and apartments, you can see
the investment made here. Everything is here for the residents –
supermarket, cinemas, gymnasium, restaurants and the marina filled
with beautiful yachts and fishing vessels.
It's
been a big walking day even though all on the flat, but we'll do it
all again tomorrow.
Thursday
24 November
A
little overcast this morning so only 11 degrees. We walk back into
town to check out the Royal Pavilion which we find out later Queen
Victoria sold to the Brighton & Hove council in 1850 for 53 000
pounds.
George,
the Prince of Wales was the original owner and he loved coming to
Brighton for it's “medicinal waters” and to entertain. His love
continued when he became Prince Regent (1788) when his father went
mad and then King (1820) when his father died.
We
thought the outside of the Pavilion was loud and showy, but the
inside is 100 times more so with it's continued Chinese theme. The
entrance is unassuming but then the drama begins in the Long Gallery
filled with Chinese artwork and faux bamboo carved from wood. Unfortunately they do not allow you to take any photos, so the following are sourced from the web. The photos just don't do it justice - you will have to see it for yourself one day.
A
trip upstairs sees us in the Banqueting Hall which is so incredible
that we literally stood there with our mouths agape trying to take
everything in. Absolutely nothing we've seen in any other Castle,
Palace or Residence comes close to this splendour.
The
central chandelier weighing a tonne is clutched by an enormous bronze
dragon and four phoenix hold the corner chandeliers. Lotus flowers
are a predominant feature. It's almost like walking into a Chinese
theatre. The dining table can seat 30 (George liked to sit in the
middle rather then at the head) and the other decorative features of
vases, golden platters, crystal glasses and large buffets with lion
feet bases are magnificent.
There
is a large, very modern (for the time) kitchen in the next room
complete with four palm tree columns holding up the ceiling and five
automated rotisseries in the oven. Ventilation windows were added
later in the ceiling to prevent cooking fumes reaching the guests.
The
drawing room, where guests would have come after dinner is more
subtle but still very elegant, but the music room is once again
magnificently loud.
Again
here there are dragons and snakes holding lights, curtains, columns
and the ceiling is covered with hundreds of golden scallops.
Resplendid as it is today, sadly this room suffered major damage in
1975 when an arsonist set fire to it. And just as the restoration
work was being concluded 11 years later, a hurricane caused an
exterior minaret to crash down into the room thus obliterating all
the hard work. Some said the combination of dragons and snakes
(unlucky according to the Chinese) was the reason for the bad luck.
Normally
this is where a castle tour would end but we were able to continue to
see some of the guest bedrooms – that of the King's two brothers –
Queen Victoria's bedroom once she reigned and the ground floor
bedroom King George used in his later years when he was infirmed. A
room not open for viewing was his bathroom which sounded as large as
a public swimming bath with several bath tubs to accommodate fresh or
sea water.
During
Word War I the Pavilion was used as a hospital for injured Indian soldiers with the Banqueting and Music Rooms turned into hospital
wards.
Queen
Victoria with her large family of 9 children didn't like the Pavilion
so basically took out all the furnishings and closed it up. It was
Queen Mary (wife of George V) who returned many of them.
One
amazing piece of artwork was a bust portrait of King George IV done
entirely in minuscule mosaic tiles as a gift from the Pope of the
day. From a distance it just looks like a painting.
We
just didn't want to leave the place, it was so amazingly beautiful
and because it's the low season, we didn't feel rushed. Totally
loved it and highly recommend as a must see.
After
lunch we attempted the Museum but couldn't get into it after being
blown away by the Pavilion so decided to head home via the back
streets to see what was happening locally.
And
there certainly was a lot happening with many small shops, boutiques,
antique dealers and cafes bustling with local trade and plenty of
apartment buildings, all just a couple of streets from the beach.
Tonight
we walked back to the Marina for dinner which was fabulous but it was
too cold to walk home so we caught a taxi.
This
is our last adventure on the coast as tomorrow we head towards
London. Apart from the wind in certain places, the weather has been
kind to us and we've thoroughly enjoyed the southern coast and would
certainly return.
The rest of our photos of Brighton are here.
Friday
25 November
A
few early morning showers cleared to a beautiful day, perfect for our
travels towards London. But first we head along the coast to take in the White Cliffs of ... Brighton!
Along
the way we stopped to visit National Trust administered Bodiam Castle, 9 miles north of Hastings. The Parliamentarians destroyed
its enterior but the outside is pristine and looks like what a
medieval castle should look like, complete with moat.
It
was built in 1385 by Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward
III, but was obviously very modern for its day as each bedroom had
it's own toilet.
Very
steep spiral staircases take us to these bedrooms and to the upper
battlements for a great 360 degree view of the surrounding valley.
John
Fuller bought the ruined castle in 1829 and partially restored it as
did the final owner, Lord Curzon before he bequeathed it to the
National Trust upon his death in 1925.
During
World War II a bunker was built on the grounds in front of the castle
to protect it from an enemy invasion but luckily none eventuated.
It
was an absolute pleasure to visit this building and though a lot of
it is destroyed, you still get the feel for how grand it would have
once been.
Back
on the road towards London, we encounter some heavy after work
traffic and finally arrive at our camp site, Crystal Palace Caravan Club Site after nightfall (4:45pm).
There are more photos of Bodiam Castle here.
And so our return to London completes our travels around the UK. We are going to take it easy for the next few days, visit some family and friends, ahead of our flight home, which departs Heathrow on Wednesday night. We should be back in OZ early Friday morning. Although there is a strike by public servants across the UK on Wednesday, including Border Control staff, that may well disrupt us, although the impact is supposed to be on arriving passengers - not departing passengers - we will see!
We have had such an amazing time during our 6 month adventure and feel so blessed to have been able to do it at this time in our life. The history lesson we've had and the beautiful things we've seen has opened our eyes. But we're still glad to call Brisbane, Australia home and very much looking forward to our return. Thanks to everyone who followed our adventure and for your words of encouragement and appreciation along the way.
Bill and Sylvi xo
(no longer Motorhome Virgins)
We have had such an amazing time during our 6 month adventure and feel so blessed to have been able to do it at this time in our life. The history lesson we've had and the beautiful things we've seen has opened our eyes. But we're still glad to call Brisbane, Australia home and very much looking forward to our return. Thanks to everyone who followed our adventure and for your words of encouragement and appreciation along the way.
Bill and Sylvi xo
(no longer Motorhome Virgins)