These are short travelogues about places visited over a long weekend, usually city breaks or country breaks in the UK.
Another thing we weren’t short of. Boats. Watching the tide ebb and flow, the wind whipping up waves, the ferryman with his foot passengers, row boats, motor yachts, windsurfers and sailing dinghies was fun.
Perhaps not so much fun for this person who fell foul on a sandbank. We got quite a shock this morning and not just from the look of that sky.
We thoroughly enjoyed our week by the water. So much to look at we were never bored.
One thing we weren’t short of was a dramatic sky.
I did a lot of popping in and out of the terrace doors in the evening to capture the sun setting or the rain clouds. We get some stunning sunsets here in west Cornwall, but I have to get in the car to capture one over water.
Brightlingsea has a sandy beach called Brightlingsea Beach, which features colourful beach huts and runs along the Western Promenade next to Bateman’s Tower.
I am particularly fond of photographing beach huts and had a walk along the promenade on a very sunny though extremely windy day. The clouds were almost more appealing than the huts.
Behind the row of beach huts is a boating lake which looked a lot more attractive than on our previous visit back in 2016.
The huts along with Bateman’s Tower make a rather nice backdrop when the sun sets behind them.
One thing we weren’t short of was a dramatic sky.
It was supposed to be a 2 week break covering Essex (to see our latest grandchild) then onto Suffolk and finally across country to our old abode in Ludlow. But things didn’t quite work out as planned. Such is life.
We spent most of the week in Brightlingsea itself other than a couple of trips into Colchester which has the most horrendous traffic (and roundabouts). Our apartment however was magnificent and I would move there in a heartbeat if I didn’t have to go anywhere near London or Colchester. The views across the water, the sunsets, even a couple of sunrises, endless fun watching the goings on including people crabbing from the heritage jetty (feature image), the ferryman taking foot passengers back and forth to Point Clear, river policemen stopping for their lunch break, posh yachts coming and going, rowing clubs out on the water and more.
Brightlingsea is a coastal town and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex, England. It is situated between Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea, at the mouth of the River Colne, on Brightlingsea Creek.
I have split the photos up into several posts (there are a lot of photos) so let’s first go for a walk around the Waterside Marina area in which we stayed.
The weather was unpredictable with sunshine, some heavy rain and almost always windy, with the terrace doors open we were serenaded by the ‘whap, whap, whapping’ sound of the closest yacht’s rigging slapping against the mast and on the windiest days a shrill whistling or howling sound. I have to say that I actually liked it. Made a change from the usual cattle sounds.
During another brief stay with my daughter in Surrey over the early spring bank holiday I took the opportunity to visit some different places in the region. First of all we decided to break up the journey by overnight stops each way. Although it can take as little as 5 hours, with unexpected traffic delays it can be much longer and by breaking up the journey we only had fairly short drives.
First stop was at The Lamb in Hindon, Wiltshire. Just over 3 hours away. We went for a meal there last year during our Wiltshire holiday and liked it. The village is very pretty and close to the A303 so not far off route. The first thing we did after checking in was to get a couple of (very expensive) G&Ts and sit outside on a very warm day! Luckily we found some shade. Then before dinner we had a stroll up past the church. The room itself was one of those with wonky floors so you always feel as though you are on a boat. The stairs leading up were steep and narrow, not the best for elderly folk carrying a suitcase. I was surprised that the (young) chap taking us up didn’t offer to carry one! Dinner was okay, again expensive, but this area does seem to cater for weekenders from London (only 1½ hours away).
As my daughter works on a Thursday I took myself to the arboretum in Surrey, not far from Guildford though my Google map seemed to take me the most long-winded route through narrow lanes and little villages I have never heard of despite living in the area for 7 years. The bluebells were looking good and probably what attracts people to this place at this time of year. I had forgotten how steep the land is and fell foul of an ongoing issue with my right knee which has started to lock when going downhill which is very painful and makes it difficult to continue walking. On a very hot afternoon I was most grateful for the shade of the trees.
Childhood home to Anne Boleyn this place in Kent was added to and changed over the centuries. In 1903 it was bought by William Waldorf Astor and the castle was restored and the pleasure grounds created. My daughter and I had a lovely afternoon exploring the gardens and the castle. More about this place soon.
Spring is the time to visit this place. It is a riot of colour with banks of azaleas and rhododendrons. No wonder then it was full of visitors. Here’s a few of the amazing blooms, but I will do another post with more photos.
Of course time was spent with the family, visiting a garden centre and choosing plants for my daughter’s front garden, helping in the garden, sharing meals and best of all talking. I even saw something of the grandchildren this time!
Returning home our overnight stop was in Ilminster which is practically half way. We didn’t arrive until evening and ate at a local brewery chain so we didn’t explore the town and no photos were taken even though the hotel was pretty enough and our room had lovely views over the surrounding countryside. After breakfast we decided to head straight home.
All in all a good trip with pleasant driving conditions and mostly decent weather.
TRAVEL WORDS 