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This Has to Stop.
  • Mark Britt
  • Mark Britt

This Has to Stop.

The is absolutely, positively, most likely the last time we do this. Leggi altro
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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore

    Lamb House

    20 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Rye is an very old, very interesting place on the Sussex coast.
    We washed up here because we liked the hotel. George the First washed up here in 1727 on his way back from Germany.

    The new town is as you’d expect, post industrial and residential and a holiday park you can see from space. Have no idea what people do there.

    The old town dates from the 12th century and was burnt down on a cross channel weekend visit by the French.
    Twisty, cobbled streets, old warehouses from before the river silted up.

    Lamb House was the biggest house in Rye with the biggest garden, almost an acre.

    Henry James, the author, once owned it and wrote here. He installed a telephone room in the house, as you do, the first telephone in a residential building.

    We know this because each of the room descriptions in the house have been corrected with an elegant cursive script.
    There’s one in every crowd.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore

    More Reflections from Bern

    20 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    As a further comment on men’s fashions, it is true to say that cargo pants are big

    The English are generally exceedingly polite so it is important to call a toilet the cloak room or the facilities.

    It is the first time I have seen the word rill used in everyday speech. “ be careful near the roll” ….. small flow of water

    Recycling is only on the edge of consciousness

    Wasps are taking over the country eating all the jam from cream teas (scones and jam and cream) and from any open juices, thus forcing the eating public inside. Even there you are not safe; one cafe with a wasp’s nest under the table. ( you may remember but it was in the same cafe with the surly cashiers and they couldn’t care less)

    Pubs are not allowed to operate unless they offer a Sunday roast and sell hummus ( a different variety than we know)

    The Motorways ( the dreaded Ms) don’t have slow lanes, they have crawler lanes.

    However you think a name is pronounced….you are wrong
    eg the town of Wrotham becomes Root em which is not nice in polite company.

    For anyone who watches English murder mysteries, Lewis England is much prettier than Frost England.

    Some wonderful towns and hamlets have given us great laughs
    Watch out for Pluck’s gutter
    Newbiggin by the sea
    Wells next the sea
    Eye
    Bad Munsterfield Road
    Thanington Without    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore

    High St Observations

    20 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Greatest need in UK retail is for mirrors that show people what they actually look like. (Probably not a retailing success.)

    All teenagers are the same.

    There will eventually be a “National Day of Tattoo Regret.”

    August must be National Bosom Month.

    Older men still have those pink pants and rose coloured shirts in their wardrobes and even worse are wearing them against their families advice.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore
    1
    Not used very much now days.1

    Canterbury River tour

    21 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Well it isn’t Bruges but Canterbury does have a River and it does have a river tour.

    A very pleasant fellow called Pete rowed us up and down the Stour River.

    It’s about as deep as a decent bath but is amazingly clear as it drains through chalk. (Think White Cliffs of Dover).

    Pleasant sit for 45 minutes, past (under) oldest road bridge in England. Originally buit by Saxons and widened in 1770’s.

    Very interesting way to see the city, the flind used in the walls cuts the noise amazingly, also kills any phone reception.

    Past ancient buildings including Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr Hospital where pilgrims got one night free and one drink.

    Not a hospital Hospital but a plave of hospitality.

    Past part of King’s School that’s ben operating since 6th Centuru. Not known if the curriculum has been updted, we can only assume.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore

    Canterbury Town

    22 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Really enjoyed the place. The hotel we stayed in was built in the old city walls and directly opposite the old castle (old keep really, now fast falling down).
    The touristy bits are all within the old city walls and is full of black and white 590year old buildings. Everything is low rise as nothing can be higher than the cathedral, it would be a skyscraper if it was.
    If it was Sydney it would have all been swept away and replaced with sometime forgettable.

    Alas......

    Anyway    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore
    Bateman
    BatemanArifston

    South from Canterbury to Pevensy

    22 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Rudyard Kipling’s house (Bateman House) was a find. Mrs Kipling bequeathed the estate in its entirety to the National Trust. Why? She had had three children, one daughter died in infancy, the son was killed in WW1 and the other daughter had no children.
    The place had the original furnishings, including, sketches of the children when they were young, Kipling’s writing desk in situ, his Nobel Prize certificate and medal, and his Rolls Royce Phantom 1. Mrs Kipling did not like modernisation so did not install a more modern bathroom, preferring to have the help carry water.

    By chance we stopped at a picturesque town called Alfriston, near the South Downs and one of the 26 most beautiful villages in England. Fabulous film location. The highlight was the Clergy House which was built in the 14th century and was the first acquisition of the national Trust in 1896. Fabulous.
    The old lady who lived in the house before 1896 was described as.....i will paraphrase......"having a resting bitch face but was found to be pleasant. She rang the bells in the next door church, would pull on the bell ropes and then be taken up from the floor where you could see here white stockings and hobnail boots. The village character. "

    Finished the day with a castle.

    A good day, great cool weather. As one English gentleman put it...We don’t like the heat.. We like it like this, cool, cloudy and hopefully a touch of rain later in the evening. Couldn’t have said it better myself.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore

    Historic Dockyard Portsmouth

    23 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Mark has finished the day in exhausted joy.

    Left Pevensey for an hour and twenty minute drive to Portsmouth.

    Only day breakfast was slow and got away later than planned.

    Two and a half hours of roadwork, rain, slow roundabouts and we were there.
    The Portsmouth Docks are enormous, used to be over 230 acres and had 25,000 people working th we really at the end for the war. British navy is now somewhat smaller and so are the Docks.

    Fortunately the tourists have taken up the slack.

    Much walking, climbing down stairs, climbing up stairs, more walking.
    Good time had by all (at least by Mark and Bernad was saintly patient.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore
    1

    HMS Warrior

    23 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Warrior was the first really successful iron hulled, steam powered armoured frigate built in 1859–61.

    With 40 guns, over 9,000 tons and almost 130 metres long she was first of her class, the dreadnought of her day.

    A great ship remarkably restored.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore

    HMS Victory

    23 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    In amazing condition after 150 years.

    Although after 26 million pound they will have replaced rather large parts of it.

    Orlopp deck a little under 4 1/2 feet in height (we are in the UK). The carpenter who worked here was 6 foot 7 inches. We think he worked sitting down alot.
    Terrific piece of history very well presented.

    Hugh number of kids with grandparents, one lady kept saying, "It will be over soon" as she clambered down another narrow, steep ladder.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore
    Have to admit we dont have a drone.

    Portchester Castle

    24 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Trifecta of a place just ouside of Portsmouth.

    1 ) Roman fort, best preserved in northern Europe built in about 260 AD to defend against Saxon Pirates.

    After the Romans left the locals moved and if you have an enormous walled area you stick in an Abbey and;

    2) Best and one of the tallest Norman Keeps in UK.
    Was royal palace of Richard II who liked to see stop off on way to France for the weekend and a;

    3) Church and graveyard in one corner which also runs cafe at the back as a little earner.

    "What have the Romans ever done for us?"

    And free parking.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore
    Also has more CCTV than anywhere except China.

    Winchester Town

    24 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Decided to continue the “Very Big Churches Tour of England” so headed to Winchester.

    Decided to use their Park and Ride as we’d had a look at some of their streets.

    Terrific scheme, carparks on periphery, bus to middle of town every 7 minutes and all for £3 for 6 people.

    This assumes that you have a local debit card or coins that you have not given away to the barmaif the evening before.

    Ah, the Interweb. Eventually it was all doen online and the next time we go it wont take longer than the bus ride.

    Winchester is one of the nicest towns we’ve seen. Great Hight Street with fantastic array of old and ancient buildings, buskers, market going on.

    Where the Thai ladies cooking the street food came from will ever remain a mystery.

    Enormous Guild Hall, couple of Alms Houses, an old type Hospital that still gives out traveller benefits, a working watermill at the bottom end of town and the Cathedral in the back. Nothing not to like.

    Bern has voted it “BEST TOWN YET” in capitals.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore
    1

    Winchester cathedral

    24 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Very interesting church, no big towers or spires but does have bells, dont know where.

    In the middle of a £22milion restoration. 11 of that is from their National Lottery, what could we have done if we hadn’t sold ours off.

    The present church was started bt the Normans but there was one on the site since the seventh century. Been changed and restored many times over the years. One of the best stories I’ve stolen from Wikipedia. Memorial to Walker is in the cathedral.

    “Restoration work was carried out by T. G. Jackson in 1905–12. Waterlogged foundations on the south and east walls were reinforced by diver William Walker, packing the foundations with more than 25,000 bags of concrete, 115,000 concrete blocks, and 900,000 bricks. Walker worked six hours a day from 1906 to 1912 in total darkness at depths up to 20 feet (6 m), and is credited with saving the cathedral from total collapse.[24] For this he was awarded the MVO.[25]”

    He definitely deserved it.

    To make the day Bern stumbled on Jane Austen’s grave as she died in Winchester. It’s also got KIng Cnut and Edgbert of Wessex along with a host of not very famous kings. They aren’t pulling in the £8 a time though.

    Excellent place. Then onwards for some more driveing in the rain and some side trips through supermarket carparks (thanks Karen) to a small market town called Alton.

    Tomorrow Jane Austen day.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore

    Bern's Big Day Out

    25 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Today is “we will go wherever you want Bern day.”

    So a difficult 6 minute drive to Chawton where Jane Austin lived with her mother and sister for much of her writing life. Lovely little village, lots of thatch and moss roofs.

    We were early so sat in the park in the sun so we had a good run at the ticket office.

    Not sure what the locals make if all this. Although I’m sure some of them don’t mind as the only cafe in the place wouldn’t be here without the museum.

    Question, why is the cafe called Cassandra’s Cup?
    Bonus points for correct answers.

    Was a toss up who opened first the cafe or the museum. Cafe won by 39 secs and it was scones and cream. If only the coffee worked...Alas.

    Great little museum.

    Walk up a pleasant road to Chawton House where Janes’s brother lived. Church on the estate of course .

    All very civilised and when you are that early there are no crowds, just keen groupies.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore

    Mottisfort

    25 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Second stop of the day.
    How do you top Jane Austin?

    Well Mottisfort Abbey was pretty close.

    We found out what Saturday on a Bank Holiday is like. The carpark was a feral jungle and we only got in because Bernadette jumped out of the car and told a woman that was our spot. Check d afterwards and al the tyres and paint work was OK. Go Bern.

    House is built on an old abbey and was left in good nick to the National Trust in the 50s.

    Great gardens and river runs through the grounds. Usual crowds of kids rolling down grass and lots of small boys picking up stones.

    Had a lovely time.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore
    Turn where?

    White Hart Hotel

    25 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Did we say it was Bank Holiday weekend?
    Accommodation was a bit tight so Bern lashed out on a more upmarket hotel in a place called Stockbridge.
    Great hotel, very nicely put together. Building on the site since 12th century. The pub has been updated a littel
    Parts were originally the Brewhouse for the church next door. Our room overlooks the old cemetery, very atmospheric.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore

    Salisbury

    26 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Wet weather day.
    Plan was to go to Salisbury, see the Cathedral and a few other bits and ancient pieces then head a little south for either another “Big House” or an early afternoon. See any pattern emerging here.
    Wet and colder today at top of 18.
    So what’s the plan?
    Go to Salisbury, see the Cathedral and a few other bits and ancient pieces then head a little south for either another “Big House” or an early afternoon.

    We found out that the Great Dorset Steam Festival is on south of Salisbury.
    This is enormous with over 200,000 steam tragics camping, oh ING and ahing over the Bank Holiday weekend.
    We were warned of horrendous traffic, general mayhem and gridlock. Got to Salisbury in good order and time, all the traffic must be bogged down in the fields .

    We stumbled on a National Trust property we hadnt realised was in Salisbury, Mompesson House. Its close by the Cathedral, in the Cathedral Close in fact and is a very livable Queen Anne era Townhouse. Are we getting value from the National Trust membership or not?

    Was owned by a London architect who used it as a weekender before he left it to the Trust.
    A weekender!    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore

    Salisbury Cathedral

    26 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Biggest cloister east, west or anywhere else near the Pennines. Huge,the largest in England and in excellent nick.
    Raining and raining so we just had to go into the Cathedral. Quite different from a lot of others as it was built in only 38years so has a consistent style. High gothic.
    Has the oldest mechanic clock in the world built in 1338 and still running. No face, just clanged the hours. Has been moved severally times and ended in the Cathedral. Amazing.

    Cathedral also has one of only four existing copies of the original 40 copies of the Magna Carter.

    It’s shown in the Cathedral Chapter House which is very cool with Bible stories carved around the wall.

    Great way to get out of the rain........    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore

    Horton Inn or a refuge from drawning

    26 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Terrible drive in rain to the very dry Horton Inn.

    The Horton is in the middle of nowwhere but is a great palce at a reasonable price.

    Originally they only had a twin but the nice people have found us a double with a bathroom the size of the Granny Flat.

    We wouldn’t have cared if we slept in the carpark.

    The drive from Salisbury was pretty horrendous with a lot of water on the roads and a few fords.

    Warm and dry and Mark had a drink straight away.

    Bernadette was very brave through the entire experience calling out local flooding and approaching tidalwaves.

    Tomorrow WILL BE DRY.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore

    Knowlton church

    27 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Take a 2,500 Neolithic henge ( consisting of a roughly circular or oval-shaped bank with an internal ditch surrounding a central flat area of more than 20 m (66 ft) in diameter. There is typically little if any evidence of occupation in a henge, although they may contain ritual structures such as stone circles, timber circles and coves. Wikipedia).
    Add a 12th century church extended up to the 18th century when the roof fell in and it’s not a bad start to the day.    Leggi altro

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  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Viaggiatore
    Bought from HarrodsKids room in the attic.

    Kingston Lacy House

    27 agosto 2018, Inghilterra ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Excessive drive of 5 miles and we reached a National Trust property called Kingston Lacey.
    Built in the Palladian Style think big, straight and very impressive.
    Everyone is out and about after yesterday’s rain. Last day of long weekend and lots of caravans going home early to dry off.

    Another terrific house, million pounds art collection and 16,000 acres of land. This helps make a National Trust one of UK largest private landowners.

    Estate has garden the size of a postcode and extends down to coast including Corfe Castle. (Will see that tomorrow).    Leggi altro

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