pinkbirdflies

Drove through the Sussex South Downs countryside and many lovely lanes to Seaford where the spectacular chalk cliffs meet the English Channel. Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters is a National Trust site. Continued along the coast to Beachy Head and its lovely red and white striped lighthouse. Amazing scenery, including the Long man and horse chalk carvings in the hillside.

Jenny and James arrived to spend a few days in Rye with me and we had a big night out on Friday with dinner at The Landgate Bistro which was excellent…they source their food from within a 5 mile radius of Rye. Sissinghurst Castle gardens were just beautiful and heavy with the scent of roses in bloom. We carried on to wine tasting at Chapel Down vineyard and was impressed with their Blanc de Blanc. The Swan restaurant turned out to be in the Michelin guide and we now realise why..it was beautiful food.

Lovely time spent at Lamb House the Georgian home of writer E.F.Benson who depicted the property and town of Rye in his Mapp and Lucia series. Watched it on the ABC and loved it…such a picturesque setting that turns out to be Rye in the TV series version.

Nuclear power station, old lighthouse, new lighthouse and shingle beaches with interesting vegetation growing in the pebbly shingle….a native kale amonst other things!

The first bit of sunshine and the Brits head to the beach with their spades, buckets, nets, and floats to get sunburned and yell loudly when they feel the water…Camber sands was a stretch of relatively nice sand and an large dune system unique in England.

Climed the tower of St. mary’s Church for spectacular views of the town and countryside.

Left my pet sit at Coxheath and drove through the Kent countryside and small villages to Cranbrook, a pretty village with a sweet cafe where all the local ladies seem to gather after the school drop off at the prestigious Cranbrook Private school. Mingled with the yummy mummies and the owner was lovely! Explored Bodiam Castle which looks staight out of a movie..pub lunch of delicious pie and drove to the character filled village of Rye on the river Rother. Rye is pretty, ancient and cobblestoned and my accommodation for the weeek in Ockman Cottage is just lovely.

A lovely town with a working harbour. The mainstay is the oyster industry…Whitstable native oysters dredged from the bottom of the bays (no oyster leases but I think some are grown on racks). People come to the beach here and for the seafood…cockles, whelks and sad looking tiny, pale things they call prawns. Had a paddle and was surprised that the water was not freezing! Nice lunch at Pearson’s Arms pub where I experienced marsh grown Samphire which was lightly steamed to be a crispy, salty deliciousness with the fillet of fish.

Old Churches,  graveyards, strawberry cream teas and the Milkman still delivers!

The sun came out today….nice day to visit a castle! Very pretty with beautiful gardens full of blooms and the scent of summer roses.