We knew the weather couldn’t be perfect for the whole week and today the clouds rolled in. The original plan was to stay locally: do some walking around the area, check out the neighboring villages, and just see how the day went. And the day went wet.
We were prepared: hiking boots, rain jackets, fully charged phones with questionable quality footpath maps. And off we went. About 20 minutes into the walk, the rain really started to come down. No problem – we’ll stop in a cafe in the village and grab a coffee and see what to do next. Except there is no cafe in Egerton. Nothing. Nada. So we decided to cut our losses and head back to the cottage to dry off.
Following the not-always-clear footpath maps and signs, we wandered through waterlogged fields full of cowpats and other muck. Lots of doubling back and searching for footpath markers but eventually we made it home, wetter and wiser. A good towelling off for Casey and a change of clothes for us (with the obligatory cup of tea to keep the chill off) and then it was time to head out again.
This time we went south to Biddenden where there is a cafe and a lovely country pub – the Three Chimneys. We had the most amazing lunch in the bar area of the 15th century pub (built in 1420!) and enjoyed the food, drink, and atmosphere. And we were able to make some plans for the rest of the day. The general plan was to head south where two different weather apps said the rain was less likely to be an issue. Maps out we chose to head to Hastings on the South coast in Sussex. So 1066 and all that – here we come.
So here is the funny thing about the Battle of Hastings: it wasn’t actually fought in Hastings. It was fought about 8 miles north in Battle (someone needs to work on the branding for this place!). Hastings does have the (ruins of the) first castle that William the Conqueror built upon landing in the 11th century. But that seems to be it for the history part. The rest of the place is a typical yet sad English seaside town: obligatory mini golf, plethora of ice cream/gelato shops, fish and chips sold from every open cafe. There seemed to be a multitude of French school children wandering the old town with their portions of chips. Could this be a day trip for French students? How odd!
The rain was indeed holding off so we got our steps in exploring the old town and the beach front. We explored the dog-friendly shipwreck museum which was really pretty interesting for a small, free exhibit at the end of the amusements. But we needed to get our history on so it was back to the car and off to Battle to see the sight of the battle.
It’s a National Trust property so I shouldn’t be surprised at how well done it is but the Abbey and battle grounds are incredibly well kept and the self guided tour is informative without being overly wordy (and boring). It is another dog-friendly place so Casey got to sniff her way through the 13th century cloister and other parts of the Abbey. We saw the stone marking where the original altar in the church was on the spot where King Harold was felled. And even the 10 minute movie in the exhibit area was very well done – with animated bits of the Bayeux Tapestry outlining the story.
And now it was closing time so back north we went. After our amazing lunch, we decided to try more “Kent country pubs” for out meals. So we stopped in The Woolpack in Tenterden. While dog friendly, it was the least welcoming place we had been yet. Nothing concrete I could put my finger on but definitely not the welcomey vibes we’ve had elsewhere. Unfortunately, the food couldn’t touch our lunch experience either. Frank had almost the exact same dish (local sausages, mash, and a red wine and onion gravy) and declared lunch to be superior. My chicken supreme was definitely gluten free because there was nothing supreme about it: plan grilled chicken, potatoes, and peas. Compared to my lunch of pork loin grilled with emmanthaler and pancetta with a tomato ragout, this was just meh.
Lesson learned, we headed for the cottage where we settled in for a quiet evening catching up with Welcome to Wrexham. Wednesday is likely to be equally wet so more planning is necessary!
Data for today:
- Villages/towns visited: Five
- Steps taken: 19,051 (of which 12K or so were in the pouring rain!)
- Amount of time the combo washer/dryer here needs to wash and dry a 5kg load: 5 hours, 19 minutes
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