As usual for not loosing a single day on vacation we departed just after Romy finished working on Friday 4th. of September. It rained all day long with sometimes really heavy showers coming down which meant leaving at rush hour was actually not a good idea having traffic jams in mind. For heading out to the highway which normally takes under 10 minutes took us already half an hour! It was bad but in the end it did not really matter…We were heading for Dunkerque France to catch the ferry to Dover tomorrow morning at 8am. So arriving tonight at 10pm or 11pm was not really important.
At Hazeldonk bordercrossing between the Netherlands and Belgium we took our dinner at the golden M restaurant and 2 hours later somewhere around 11pm we arrived at the camperstand Carrefour parkinglot just before Dunkerque. It should have had a toilet which we could not find…a pee in the woods is always good fun to finish the day.
The alarmclock went off much too early at 6:15 and without breakfast or a proper coffee we left the parkinglot driving to the ferry. Just about every vehicle was thorougly searched because of the refugees problem at nearby Calais. At 8am sharp we left the harbour and within 2 hours we called in at Dover harbour at the other side of the Channel. Arriving at Dover by ferry is quite nice because from the water you’ve got the best view of the ‘white cliffs of Dover’…Left driving was from now on requested.
We went for the little town of Sandwich which was just half an hour drive…we asked ourselves if the speed roadsigns were meant to be kilometers of miles…?? With driving 50 km an hour a looong line of cars was building behind us…50 miles an hour (around 80 km) made more sense…
Sandwich was a quiet little place to start off this trip on the island. Small typical British streets and cute little churches with a pub on every corner. Yes…the name Sandwich (piece of meat between 2 slices of bread) has been founded at this actual place…
From Sandwich we continued to Canterbury which is holding the most important religion site on British soil. It is southeast England’s top tourist attraction, but a staggering entrance fee kept holding us off from getting inside. From our point of view we have seen enough churches and this one would not make a huge difference. We had lunch at one of the many nice eateries on Sun Street and continued our way to Rey.
Rey is mentioned as one of Britains most prettiest towns so not to be missed. It was quiet difficult to find a parkinglot which suited our car as all the parkings had a 2 meter high barrier to avoid big cars staying. Its cobbled streets are a joy to walk through with St. Mary the Virgin church and Mermaid Street as main highlights.
The day ended at camping Cobbs Hill near Bexhill where we made a classic mistake. British caravans and campers have doors at the left hand side which means we need to park the car the other way around to ‘avoid direct eye contact’. Oour neighbours had 4 children…thank you very much…
Waking up without setting an alarm clock with the sun coming out means a nice breakfast outside on the grass. We put out our new pent for the first time, but we preferred to sit in the sun. It could be the last time this year…
Our first goal today was Beachy Head. The white chalk is rising out of The Channel like the white cliffs of Dover. A lighthouse down by the water is finishing the big picture. We hiked along the stunning coastal path with prima vistas of the Channel towards France. Many others thought the same as it was the last day of holiday in England and so everybody was coming out to enjoy probably this last sunny and warm day of the year. On the way to the New Forest national park near Southampton we passed the hippy town of Brighton with its famous Brighton Pier. Some traffic jams near Portsmouth meant we arrived a bit later at the national park where donkeys, cows and horses are walking around wildly. We found a nice spot at Hollands Wood camping and after dinner we walked to Brockenhurst for having a well deserved pint Stella before going to fall asleep in the middle of nature.
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