Haven't had a chance to blog about this yet, but here's a little snapshot of the first half of our holiday in Kent, back in July.
It's a good five hours to Kent, so we had the obligatory stop at a playground on the way, in Andover...
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| "I want to go on that one next!" |
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| Zachary spent a long time counting on the abacus |
Our next stop was at Rochester, to visit the beautiful Rochester Cathedral and Castle. Zachary had a fantastic time in the Cathedral, running up and down, playing with chair covers and attempting to climb on things he wasn't supposed to. The weather was a little murky, but the rest of the week was largely very sunny, so we had little to complain about.
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| Rochester Cathedral (taken from Rochester Castle) |
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| Zachary sneaks into the sanctuary |
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| The cloisters and a well-kept garden |
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| Rochester Castle; we were slowed down by the large number of puddles that needed jumping in |
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| Zachary loves steps, and this castle had steps-a-plenty |
After stopping for fish and chips in Ramsgate for our tea, we finally made it to the historic town of Sandwich. The cottage in which we stayed was old and had a lot of character - even the floors weren't level!
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| The cosy lounge where Zachary enjoyed the luxury of watching cartoons on Sky |
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| Mummy and Daddy's luxurious super king size bed - so large they could spread out and not touch one another! |
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| Here's the goodie pack the owners kindly left for us - yum! |
The following day we headed to Margate to meet Uncle Caleb and Auntie Bev. The first stop was the Shell Grotto, a hidden network of underground passages lined with ornate shell mosaics, which had the feel of a temple. Discovered in the 19th century, this marvel is unknown in its purpose, origins or date (even century) of construction. Zachary enjoyed running through the narrow corridors, being chased by his adult attendants.
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| Producing a work of modern art |
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| A gathering in the final cavern |
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| "You can't catch me!" |
We later enjoyed a tour of Margate, hosted by Auntie Bev who grew up there and showed us places where she used to live and various other interesting features.
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| We visited a Tudor House with dark rooms and low ceilings |
After a trip to the playground and beach in Broadstairs, we visited Crampton Tower Museum, an interestingly shaped railway museum with little trains that moved around when you pressed some buttons (Zachary's favourite). The beehive building was an interesting experiment in sound - if you stood in the exact centre and spoke, the sound resonated back towards you, making your voice sound amplified. We climbed the tower for more railway history and train models.
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| Watching the trains move when he pressed |
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| He soon get distracted and went to play with a chain instead |
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| The oddly shaped beehive building and tower behind |
The following morning's breakfast was a delight of waffles, bacon (from the welcome pack) and honey (an excellent stand-in for maple syrup).
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| Tasty |
We drove to Canterbury for a glimpse of the Cathedral and a wander around the City Centre.
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| To prevent him dashing between the many legs, we put Zachary safely in his buggy |
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| At the gate of Canterbury Cathedral |
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| This is the most you can see without paying an extortionate price |
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| We stopped for lunch at St Martin's Church, the oldest church in continuous use in England |
After lunch, we drove west to Faversham for Belmont House and Gardens, for a lovely walk in the sunshine around the stunning gardens, followed by a tour of the largest privately owned clock collection in the UK.
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| Put it back, Zachary! |
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| Zachary loves smelling flowers |
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| Always there at the drop of a hat |
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| Just pretty |
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| Cuddles in the nice cool shade |
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| Belmont House - the front is tiles, not bricks |
We had dinner at Pizza Express, although Zachary was a little bored waiting and kept throwing things onto the floor. We treated him to his own portion of dough balls.
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| He decided he only liked the insides of the dough balls |
The next day we headed to Dover for a walk along the coast to see the white cliffs and visit a National Trust lighthouse.
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| Zachary liked watching the trucks at the docks |
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| The White Cliffs of Dover |
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| We finally made it to the lighthouse for a tour |
Keep a lookout for next week's post with part two!
