Summer in England 2015 – part 8: Aylesford Priory

Sadly, time always passes by so quickly and our time together was almost done.  We had a few hours to spare on the last day, so I thought we could have a quick trip just down the road to Aylesford. I used to play in a band when I was about 17 and 18 and we used to practice in one of the band members…

Summer in England 2015 – part 7: Fossil hunting at Folkestone

Fossil hunting! This is one of the things that I enjoy most.  It’s pretty much how I got to be where I am today, career wise. Yes, I know I work in IT (and the business end of IT at that) but its because I was taken to a quarry on a primary school field trip and found a fossil that I took the…

Summer in England 2015 – part 6: Camber Sands

Sometimes the summer in England really delivers. The forecast was looking really good, so my sister and made a plan to go to the beach early and make the most of it.  After all, in England, you never know how long the sunshine will actually last for. Once again – off we went complete with a packed lunch, to the old favourite, Camber Sands.

Summer in England 2015 – part 5: A walk around Plaxtol and Fairlawne

Kent is amazingly beautiful and I always considered myself very privileged to grow up there.  I used to cycle and walk all over the place as soon as I was old enough (which in those days was from about twelve – times change!) and I built up an intimate knowledge of every lane and footpath I could get to under my own steam.  So whenever I return,…

Summer in England 2015 – part 4: Wellington Rocks at Tunbridge Wells

After a few hours scrambling over the rocks, it was time for food. The kids decided that they didn’t want to eat in the High Rocks pub (fussy buggers, the food choices looked awesome) so we drove off in search of a cafe or something similar. We wandered into Rusthall High St and settled on a little cafe called ‘The Daily Bread‘ – which…

Summer in England 2015 – part 3: High Rocks at Tunbridge Wells

At least forty years ago, my Grandparents took me and I think my middle sister to play on some rocks in Tunbridge Wells. I remember my Grandads white Daimler with red leather interior and that distinctive Daimler/Jaguar leathery walnut smell and I remember looking out over the rocks from Mount Ephraim. Near there, there’s a place called High Rocks which was supposed to be pretty…

Summer in England 2015 – part 2: rowing on the river at Tonbridge

The next day was overcast and had rain forecast, but we’re made of tough water resistant English stock – no hiding inside for us! We had wanted to hire a boat and cruise down the river at Tonbridge, but the exchange rate was terrible and my $AU are now worth about 30% less in £GBP than last year, so we had to downscale our…

Summer in England 2015 – Part 1: Arrival.

It’s that time of year again when I go back to spend some quality time with the kids in England. English summer is a magical time and really shows off the country to its absolute best – if you’re going to go – then July and August, even though it’s probably the busiest time, is probably the best.