Here's the second half of our wonderful week in Kent. We arose early on the Tuesday morning for a wander around the surroundings of our cottage in Sandwich. The streets were narrow with some very old looking buildings, most of which increasingly jutted out with each storey.
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| Strolling through the poky streets |
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| Walking on the wall beside the river Stour |
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| An interesting find - someone had obviously run out of ideas |
Then we headed to Dover once again, this time to visit Dover Castle, a 'must-see' attraction in the area. It was a great place to visit for Zachary, as there were so many things to touch and look at.
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| Walking up towards the castle ahead |
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| A grinning competition near the top of the castle |
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| The network of underground tunnels was a highlight for all of us |
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| The Lion of Dobson |
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| Couldn't get him away from the stained glass reflections |
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| Stairs are a toddler's best friend |
A crowd of Japanese tourists took a liking to Zachary...
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| A typical kitchen of the time. Fortunately everything was stuck down and the eggs were fake. |
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| Fillet of a fenny snake... |
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| Stunning views over Dover and beyond |
The following day, the morning was spent at Walmer Castle, near Deal. The grounds were as beautiful as the weather that day. They also had an interesting vegetable garden. The house was interesting to look around, although Zachary once managed to climb underneath the ropes of a cordoned off area which turned out to be alarmed!
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| Lily pond |
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| Pretty in pink |
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| Giddyup, Daddy! |
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| BOOM! |
That afternoon we drove to Ramsgate and enjoyed a stroll alongside the harbour, then a tour around the home of the famous architect, Augustus Pugin.
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| It was tempting to go for a dip |
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| Pugin's home |
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| Pugin's cloister design |
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| Pugin's vibrant wallpaper - not to everyone's taste |
Here's Swith enjoying some waffles topped with ice cream and various sauces for tea, yum!
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| So good, it melts in your mouth |
The next day involved trekking through the oddly bleak landscape of Dungeness. This consists of several non-matching and odd looking houses, a couple of lighthouses and a whole load of abandoned boats/fishing equipment, all dominated by a huge imposing nuclear power station with hundreds of pylons.
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| NEVER ask Swith about the mishap with the sign |
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| Walking along a shale beach in the sweltering heat |
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| Packed lunch by the sea |
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| The power station has put this up to test for radiation leaks |
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| Tonnes of abandoned boats and equipment to explore behind |
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| Up the winding stairs of the lighthouse |
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| Two aliens made an appearance |
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| Zachary had fun constantly running around the top of the lighthouse |
That afternoon we drove to the lovely town of Hythe to visit the church and crypt of St Leonard. This was no ordinary crypt, it holds the largest and best preserved collection of bones and skulls in Britain, with bones from an estimated 2000 people. It is thought to originate from the 13th century, when the church was extended eastwards which required the uncovering thousands of graves. Many of the people are thought to be of Roman descent. It was interesting to look at some of the injured and diseased skulls and bones, including one with a dagger through the head, another which had been sliced by a sword in the back of the neck as well as various bone abnormalities.
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| Disappointment when we thought the crypt was closed |
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| Skulls a plenty |
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| 10% of the skulls are children |
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| Dead to the world |
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| We then had a lovely stroll through the cemetery for great views over Hythe |
Our final day on holiday involved gradually driving home whilst stopping off to visit places on the way. The main stop-off was at Hever Castle and Gardens which was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. We had a wonderful time roaming the absolutely stunning gardens (especially beautiful in the glorious sunshine) and the castle was great too, with lots of history and even a torture chamber!
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| We ate our lunch here |
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| The shade was lovely |
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| A great feature for kids - the water maze, in which water spurted upwards when you triggered a trap; Zachary wasn't too sure |
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| The castle itself |
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| Topiary in the form of giant chess pieces |
We headed home after yet another wonderful (but tiring!) holiday. We'd recommend Sandwich as a great location to stay as there is such an array of different places of interest to visit. Bring on next year's holiday!
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