Wanderings » East Sussex http://rebrennan.com/wanderings views along the way Thu, 05 Feb 2015 17:41:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.38 Bodiam Castle, East Sussex http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/bodiam-castle-east-sussex/ http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/bodiam-castle-east-sussex/#comments Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:38:36 +0000 http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/?p=246 A mini-me castle, Bodiam was built by Sir Edward Dallingbridge in 1385 when he was granted a ‘Licence to Crenellate’. Not strategically placed, nor large enough for meaningful defence, the castle exhibited its owner’s wealth and prestige, and was the centre of a thriving working estate.

Bodiam Caste exterior

Bodiam’s outer walls are intact, surrounded by a picture-book moat but it was disappointing to find nothing inside: its living quarters largely destroyed during the English Civil War, leaving only the tower rooms to explore – via very tight spiral staircases.

Bodiam castle interior from the wall

Climbed to the top of the Postern tower for the best views of surrounding countryside.

View of countryside from Bodiam Castle Postern tower

 

 

]]> http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/bodiam-castle-east-sussex/feed/ 0 Camber Sands and Dungeness http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/camber-sands-and-dungeness/ http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/camber-sands-and-dungeness/#comments Sat, 09 Feb 2013 18:27:02 +0000 http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/?p=265 Camber Sands was a weird, disconnected place; more so than other out of season holiday resorts I’ve visited. The beach was immense, with distant kite surfers and the merest shadow of Dungeness nuclear power station on the horizon.
view of Camber Sands beach with kite surfers
Everyone expects Dungeness to be strange, and it is. Clap board homes strung out along a road and railway line across a flat shingle landscape. Odd relics of former industry dotted about the flatness. Signs prohibiting access to the distant shore and intriguing artefacts.

house and railway line, Dungeness

Dungeness landscape

Derek Jarman’s house, Prospect Cottage, looks just as he left it in 1994 with a boat in the garden and the power station visible in the background.

Prospect Cottage, Dungeness

I did find Dungeness odd, but also strangely reminiscent of Chile.

]]> http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/camber-sands-and-dungeness/feed/ 0 Scallop and chips http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/scallop-and-chips/ http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/scallop-and-chips/#comments Sat, 09 Feb 2013 08:03:41 +0000 http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/?p=396 Scallop and chips, Rye

My arrival in Rye coincided with the annual week-long scallop festival. I love scallops.

Of the many special scallop dishes on offer, I chose scallop and chips at the local chippie. Hadn’t tried deep-fried scallops before. Large, fresh, sealed in crispy batter, cooked briefly – perfect.

 

]]> http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/scallop-and-chips/feed/ 0 Beachy Head http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/beachy-head/ http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/beachy-head/#comments Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:34:37 +0000 http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/?p=450 The path to Beachy Head

The path to Beachy Head gave me slight vertigo as people appeared to walk right off the edge of the cliff.

Taking no chances, this is as close as I went – it was extremely windy!
Beachy Head

 

]]> http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/beachy-head/feed/ 0 Seahorse, Brighton http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/seahorse-brighton/ http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/seahorse-brighton/#comments Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:19:35 +0000 http://rebrennan.com/wanderings/?p=445 Seahorse in Sealife Centre, Brighton

The highlight of a cold and snowy stay in Brighton was an hour in the Sealife Centre on the sea front.

I love to see seahorses and was surprised at how well this iPhone photo turned out.

 

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