Miles :142
Start: Gravesend
End: Brighton
We got up with Jane and Wez and wished them well on their way to work. Its to their credit that they didn't shout obscenities at us as they headed out to their jobs.
Then after a round of showers and toast we headed out into the bright blue dawn of the A2. Driving through the Kent countryside I can't help but be amazed at how lush and verdant it is. We passed acre after acre of beautiful green fields which were highlighted by the occasional yellow of a rape seed field.
We arrived at Canterbury in the glorious sunshine and left in the pouring rain. I can't think of anything we did to make the weather angry but it rained nonetheless. In between we had seen the glorious cathedral, at which even an avowed Agnostic such as myself can't help but be impressed. Em and I had an argument/discussion about whether a painting was of Charles the First or Charles the Second. Em won out, of course, but was good enough to point out it was commissioned by Charles the second so we were both right (No we weren't really)
We stopped off to have some lunch in a cafe on a side street and then through the pedestrianised streets we were watching fudge being made in a shop window and were invited in. It seemed like the lad doing it was having tremendous fun and really enjoyed the process. It wasn't cheap but it was the best fudge I've had for a long time.
We left Canterbury on the B2068 which you can't help but notice is quite a bit Roman, in that its straight as a die in some sections with the occasional sweeping bend. Em joked that it was every Friday the Roman road builders would get smashed at lunchtime and go off tangent a bit hence the term' gone on a bender'. Not sure about that one myself....
You can help but be reminded of history around here, passing through 'Norman Bay', 'Hastings' and of course my personal favourite 'Battle'. Its as if the towns themselves are trying to tell you of the men who fought and died there in wars long passed into the history books.
As we hit the South coast proper the satellite navigation had a bit of a tizzy and ended up sending us down narrower and narrower roads until I was afraid La Todo Poderosa wasn't going to fit! It didn't seem to bother the locals who came barrelling through the gaps threading the eye of the needle with their vans. Although without that route adjustment we wouldn't have seen a Street called 'Denbigh road' deep in the East Sussex Countryside.
Windmills of both descriptions are everywhere in that area. The old beautiful and useless, and the new very useful and the allegedly ugly new ones. Personally I like them, I think in a hundred years they're be an iconic reminder of our species becoming more environmentally aware. But then again I don't have one ruining my once pristine view.
Driving through this very flat land Rye is on a hill in the middle of the marshland, It towers out of the landscape like some fantasy castle with serfs huts surrounding it. Its an absolutely beautiful spot that I hope to go back to one day.
Hop houses are also everywhere around here as most of the hops used in the UK is grown in this area. There are tales of the soporific nature of the hops making people walking among them just nod of as they stroll around. I'd love to give that a go!
We drove into Brighton past a lorry that had gone on its side. Em and I decided that the driver had been so stunned at the incredible view that he simply turned too fast and toppled over! The South downs are simply gorgeous. They don't have the rugged beauty of the Snowdonian peaks but seem almost to have been manicured over the years to create an incredible series of slopes and ranges into the sea. Almost like a giant Bonsai sculpture. I don't know what they do with the ugly hills down here. Possibly just flatten them out and use the rubble to improve the gradient on some other not quite up to par peaks.
We checked into our BnB which was a real throw back to the seventies. The last time I saw half this furniture was in an episode of Rising Damp. I have to say it was clean and it was very cheap which are two of my favourite things in a hotel room.
We picked up Craig from his place in Newhaven, about ten miles down the coast and went out for an All-You-Can-Eat Thai/Chinese/Vietnamese meal. It was more like a More-Than-You-Should-Eat Thai/Chinese/Vietnamese meal but was bloody lovely all the same.
It was good to catch up with Craig who moved down here nearly Ten years ago now, and its great to see how settled he seems to be.
We headed back to the BnB and took a walk down to and along Brighton's East Pier which was nice but a bit like an upmarket Llandudno pier!
Then back to the hotel and some much needed rest.
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