Tunbridge Wells and Rye

The next morning we set off late (waiting for Mike to get out of bed is annoying), about 10am or something, got on the M25, went over the Dartford crossing (huge bridge built over the Thames in 1991) into Kent, and got back off the M25 when traffic congestion started to get painful. We arrived in Royal Tunbridge Wells after about an hour and some intense single lane tourist traffic on its outskirts. We found a car park, checked out the grand old Pantiles shopping precinct (cafes, restaurants, bandstand, Morris dancers) and got some sandwiches on the run. We walked up to the top of the main street, having a look at a really nice park, real estate agents, architecture, some gelato (had been having withdrawal symptoms) and a pet shop (full of illegal species) on the way. We walked back down and it was time to go. Very nice town, but I was disappointed we didn't get time to sample the spring water for which it is famous.

We drove on to a place called Rye in East Sussex (almost on the coast) and passed a Medieval 'fayre' on the way into town and I saw people jousting. We parked, got some info from the tourist office, booked a B&B room for the night and walked back up the town to look at the medieval 'fayre'. The jousting was supposed to go until 5.10 but it had finished by the time we got there just before 5. We had a look around and a little sit down in which Mike went to sleep on a hay bale and I called Liz who had left me a message. We checked out Ypres Tower (part of the castle), Lamb House where Henry James lived and some other fantastic Tudor houses.

  
That was about all we could see in Rye, but it is very nice. We drove on to Fairlight where we were to stay and eventually found the B&B down a bumpy dirt track. It was worth it as the house was beautiful, the view was amazing to the sea and the people were lovely. Apparently Alexander McQueen the designer lives next door. I missed the fox and badger feeding at dusk, but we saw plenty of rabbits.