This is getting to be a habit – an ‘adventure’ that to the outside world looks like nothing of the sort. But maybe that’s just the point – to do things that are meaningful and different for us, regardless of what anyone else thinks of it.
In March we went to Rye, on the Sussex coast. We had planned a longer expedition in the autumn, but postponed because other things came up. We planned our March trip to be longer than it ended up being, but cut it down because other things intervened (not least of all my wish not to be away from home for too long, to reduce the impact on the already dire sleep problem).
We wanted to visit a friend in Hastings, we also wanted to visit Dungeness, Rye, and possibly other bits of the coast. Rye seemed like the perfect place to stay, and indeed it was. All the more so because we found a delightful B and B run by a lovely couple who were a fount of local knowledge and information, and were warm and welcoming without overwhelming us (and the breakfasts were both delicious and very beautiful).
Window in Appledore church showing Fairfield Church, the next place we visited
An afternoon exploring Rye; a day visiting Dungeness, Appledore and an extraordinary church in a field (appropriately called Fairfield Church); a day visiting our friend in Hastings; a stop to explore Winchelsea, and its church with some very striking stained glass windows (early C20, by Douglas Strachan); another morning exploring Rye.
Hardly any time at all, and yet by the time we got back home we felt as though we’d had a long holiday.
Definitely somewhere to revisit, and we hope to do so this autumn. Preferably before the garden at nearby Great Dixter closes for the season (we dropped by on the way home, but it wasn’t yet open for this year).
We’re almost at the end of this Gap Year experiment. We’ve already learned a lot about what works for us, both together and separately. We will certainly be carrying that learning forward once we get to the end.
At Dungeness we watched (and spoke with) two groups (teams) of men from Dagenham, all of Pakistani origin. They had come there for the day to ‘kite fight’. Beautiful. I never knew that was a thing.
No more words, the images speak for themselves.
the magic jug 
Lovely, Deborah!
The stained glass is beautiful, and oh my, to be able to stroll down that street … !
Is the concrete structure a bunker left over from WWII?
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You’re right, it is a concrete gun emplacement from WW2, right on the beach at Rye Harbour. You see them all along the south coast, and also of course on the north coast of France – especially Normandy. This one was an unusually robust and heavy-duty structure, we figured they must have designed it for larger guns than most.
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Beautiful photos, as always. When are you/Malcolm getting on Instagram? Your posts would be very addictive as you just take the most wonderful pics! Dungeness is such a world away, isn’t it? We’ve explored different parts of Kent over the past few years (Whitstable is really worth a visit and Margate is interesting). I find the flat scenery and coastline so different to the rolling hills of Wiltshire…
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I joined Instagram a couple of weeks ago, now I just need to figure out how to use it…. Thanks for the compliment – esp Malcolm, he was pleased to hear that people enjoy his photos.
Our original plan was to go to Whitstable and Margate and places in between before going on to Rye – we both had family holidays in those parts back in the 50s/early 60s, and want to revisit. It will definitely happen.
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