Dover Friday

Lavazza coffee for breakfast at the Tunbridge Wells Travelodge! Was good. Had breakfast beside an open window with a slight breeze, life’s good. Hotel is a grand old building with high ceilings, totally different from the run of the mill travelodges.

Walked into town, about 10 mins, and had a wander around. Impressive Opera House. Found Poundland, a shop where everything costs a pound. Needed a USB cable for the phone to replace the one I can’t find; cost 1 pound. Bought a couple of sets of headphones so we didn’t have to use the uncomfortable bud things we get in the plane, should be much more comfortable. 1 pound each. Plastic plates and steel knife set for picnics and “casual dining” some nights, had to stop looking at things we didn’t need.

First stop today was Scotney Castle. The new house was built in 1837 and is a compact, comfortable size compared to many of the big castles. The old “house” is the remains of a medieval castle and moat. It’s all set in over 770 acres, spectacular.

One of us needed a canal/water fix, so we found Allington Lock, on the Medway River. There just happened to be the old toll house serving coffee, so we sat outside and just enjoyed the view. So relaxing (not that the holiday so far isn’t). We walked along beside the canal and stopped to chat with the owners of a wide barge (compared with a narrowboat) that they were just finishing the fitout of. We had a guided tour inside, so much room and lots of mod cons.

On to Dover to See Di, Barry, Mary and John. We had a great welcome and we were very pleased to see them and see just how well they all looked. Seems like only yesterday that we last saw them, but it was 2 years ago. We’ve settled into our room and will be joining them for dinner soon.