notes from the fallen: A South Coast Miscellany

Locations discussed below

I've been to the south coast region in England only twice- summer 2011, where I saw Dover and Canterbury, and this past weekend, where I tried to see as much as possible west of there. This post covers both trips, with a heavy emphasis on the latter.

2011 Trip

Driving up from the continent, we took the car ferry from Dunkerque to Dover, then saw Dover Castle and Canterbury on our way up north.

Dover Castle
With a Roman lighthouse, Saxon Church, Norman Castle, and WWII bunkers (not to mention the White Cliffs), Dover Castle will occupy hours- a half-day at minimum.

Canterbury Cathedral
Perhaps best known for being the place where Thomas Becket was murdered, Canterbury Cathedral also features the tomb of the Black Prince, and probably lots of other interesting and famous people.

2014 Trip

Fast forward three years. My time is winding down in Europe, and I want to take one final "guys trip." I choose the south coast. We spend three days exploring the sites; below is a recap.

Day 1

I had planned to do 2-3 things on the first day, as we'd have to drive over 250 miles just to get down south of London. What I failed to recall: traveling without children granted us a degree of efficiency not recently experienced. We ended up doing 6 things after the 250 mile drive on that first day. They were, in order of viewing:

Scotney Castle
A nice National Trust property, with both a "new" house (from the 1800s) and an old Medieval fortified manor home.

Bodiam Castle
I've been to many castles in England (over 50), but Bodiam is the one that takes the prize for looking most like what I pictured a castle to be in a fairy tale. Fully moated, and another National Trust site, this is well worth a visit.

The sign was a huge help

Battle Abbey
In 1066, William the Conqueror crossed over from Normandy and defeated King Harold of Anglo-Saxon England at the Battle of Hastings. To commemorate his victory, William built Battle Abbey on the site of the conflict. Like many of its kind, not much remains, but I enjoyed the undercroft.

Herstmonceux Castle
Now belonging to a University from Canada, Herstmonceux Castle is gorgeous, but not always open for touring (as we were to discover). The grounds were nice, though, and we happened to hit bluebell season.

Pevensey Castle
Old, ruined, an English Heritage site. It's okay if you get in for free.

Seven Sisters Country Park
The famous white cliffs of south England can be found several places, but few more stunning than at the Seven Sisters Country Park. It's worth the one mile hike to the coast.

got wind?

Thus concluded day 1- a lot of touring. We retired after an average meal and ice cream bars at about 9:30pm. As most of us have children, this was an extremely big deal- we got over 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Some called it the highlight of the tour. Welcome to the mid-30s.

Day 2

After a night of gloriously uninterrupted sleep, we headed to Portsmouth. It reminded me a bit of Annapolis, and not at all of a typical English town. The main attraction was the Portsmouth Historical Dockyard, which featured a full day's worth of activity. In fact, I'll break out the main attractions within the site individually below:

Mary Rose Museum
Shows the remaining hull and 19,000 artifacts recovered from a sunken Tudor-era warship. Fantastic museum; one of the best I've seen.

HMS Victory
Where Lord Nelson beat Napoleon (at the Battle of Trafalgar) and died, the HMS Victory was restored to its Napoleonic-era splendor, and it is top-notch.

HMS Warrior
Built in 1860, this iron-clad never saw action. Inside seemed spacious and luxurious, as far as warships go. Not all the guns appeared to be wisely aimed (fourth picture below).

Explosion Museum
Okay, but not as good as the prior three sights. The day we were there, a bridal show was held in the main hall. Yes, a bridal show. In the explosion museum. We didn't ask.

Portsmouth Harbor
A beautiful harbor, in which you can see myriad craft, from Britain's lone remaining active aircraft carrier to sailboats of all sorts.

HMS Alliance
Submarines are cramped- I have a new-found respect for those who serve in them.

After this action-packed day, we watched the confusing and forgettable Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels movie. We were in bed by about 10pm. The party never stopped!

Day 3

A short drive north of Portsmouth, our lone visit of the day before heading home was to Winchester.

Winchester
A small (44,000) city with an awful lot of history, Winchester was the Saxon capital of England- the London of the ancient world. The focal point is the cathedral, but the statue of Alfred the Great, Winchester Great Hall, and an amusing barber shop sign also are of interest.

I played through several scenarios in my mind on how this might have unintentionally occurred . . .

Winchester Cathedral
Norman & Plantagenet architecture, a 12th-century fresco, some of the oldest surviving Medieval tiles, an interesting scuba diver story; There's lots to see in the impressive Winchester Cathedral. We took a guided tour (who stopped talking due to our time constraints after 1.25 hours); highly recommended.