Sussex

A Few Days Away in the Motorhome

After a rapid turnaround from landing back in the UK from Vienna we had to get the motorhome in for a rear stop lamp replacement so it could pass it’s MOT. Then we headed off to Littlehampton arriving at approximately 13:30. After setting up, we were too tired to go anywhere.

The next morning we were away by 07:30 and headed off to Newhaven to look at the lighthouse. The journey was reported by Google last night to take 48 minutes. Well it took over 90 minutes to get to the lighthouse – so we must avoid the A27 in the future during the commute times.

We were curious about the lighthouse location, after seeing several images of this structure during severe weather storms where the waves crash over the top (click here to see one of those photos). No expectations for the same today, although there was a stiff breeze.

Location understood, so we headed off to breakfast at the Fort Road Café nearby. We had one of the best breakfast rolls with quality ingredients and will definitely return here again.

Where to next? We are National Trust members, so headed off to Bodiam Castle which we last visited about 25 years ago. It hadn’t changed but I discovered the grounds are accessible outside the Nation Trust hours, so handy in future for sunrise or sunset.

From here we travelled another 25 minutes to Scotney Castle which would be more spectacular later in the spring when the gardens start to bloom. But we enjoyed what we saw today…

We really enjoyed this location and will revisit again in the future.

Finally, we headed off to the Seven Sisters which is a location I’ve wanted to get to for many years. It should be visited at sunset to get the best light, but the light was already disappearing from the coastguard cottages as we arrived, so in future we have to be on location at least 75 minutes before sunset. But I was still pleased with these images.

I was lucky to capture this last image at all. I realised too late that the best location for the photograph would be back up the track on the higher ground. So I picked up my tripod with camera attached and turned only to fall over the dog who was immediately behind me. At all cost, I had to protect the camera as we are trading in all our Canon kit for new OM-System kit at the end of the week. I landed heavily on my palm and knee ruining a pair of trousers and taking the skin off my palm and below the knee. If Vanessa had seen this, she would have wet herself laughing, but at least I was spared that embarrassment.

Wednesday 19th March

We decided on capturing some wildlife images today, but the WWT at Arundel didn’t allow dogs, so we headed down to RSPB Pagham for a pleasant walk in the sunshine. This was probably to last outing for our current long lenses as they would be traded in for the OM-System which will be much lighter. Here’s a range of photos we took.

The only other location we visited was the Worthing Pier.

We were hoping the clouds would light up red as the sun sets to the right of this image. So we also swapped to the other side of the pier to be ready for it.

The sky showed a some promise of colouring up red, but our luck ran out. The image below was the last before we packed up to head back for tea.

An Excursion into Kent – 20th March

Decision today was to head off to Chartwell House which was about 90 minutes away. Chartwell was Winston Churchill’s home and another National Trust property. It was 17C when we arrived so no need for a coat. We had to visit the house in turns as the dog wasn’t allowed in. The items on display were interesting but needed more time to take in all the information, so we will be returning again in the future.

House view from the gardens

A peak into his studio shows many of Churchill’s paintings…

The staff on site were very helpful and informative and the next time we visit we will definitely partake in all the discussion sessions. They also have a 1 hour tour around the house from 1600 to discuss a number of topics – it is recommended to book these, so check on line to book.

From here we headed back into Sussex to see Battle Abbey, but only had 1 hour before closing. To be honest this was just enough time for what we wanted to see…

Of course, this was the location of the battle of Hastings where King Harold met with an untimely death.

As they closed at 4pm, we had time for a pint over the road before heading off to Beachy Head for the last stop before returning to the Motorhome.

Tomorrow the weather is due to change, so we’ll wait and see.

Last Day in Sussex

We decided on a relaxing day today, but it turned out to be more religious than expected. We decided to visit Arundel for a few hours which started with a short walk along the river Arun to give the dog some exercise.

The plan was to have lunch in one of the many cafés in the town. We tried the Moathouse Bakeaway & Coffee Co. a couple of days ago and had to return, so can definitely recommend this one.

Afterwards we wandered up the High Street, but this time I avoided the cheese shop as it cost me dearly last visit. We went to the Arundel Cathedral of Our Lady & St Philip Howard and I sat outside with the dog whilst Vanessa went inside. Then one of the staff told me I could take the dog inside – that’s a first! The inside was Ok, with the usual architecture…

Nearby was the St Nicholas’ Church which caught our eye because of the large number of primrose in the graveyard.

Headed back to the car and diverted into a sweet shop to some liquorice and other treats. This was the end of our short adventure around Sussex which we thoroughly enjoyed. We’ll be back another day in the late autumn perhaps.