Portsmouth, Rye, Dover & London

Here we are at the end of this journey through Scotland and England. Let’s get going, we’ve got some ground to cover…here we go!

So from our last stay, traveling South from Stonehenge, we stopped off in Portsmouth, England. Now you could easily spend a few days here and get a history lesson on British maritime activities, defending both from the sea and land. All sorts of tours that you can take that can last a couple of hours or more, depending on how you’re equipped to take in loads of information. Most tours are self-guided. The folks that work, or volunteer, in the Historic Dockyard are so well versed in its history that, most likely, there isn’t a question you can ask them, about said history, that would remain unanswered.

Pictured to the left, the H.M.S. Warrior. The Warrior and her sister ship, H.M.S Black Prince, were the two original, iron-plated and iron-hulled warships. The Warrior was built for the Royal Navy from 1859-1860.

Within Portsmouth, and its tallest structure, is the Spinnaker Tower. Standing 170 meters or, 560 feet, you can see all of Portsmouth and the waterways that lead up to the different births for ships. You can see the tower from 23 miles away.

There is an abundance of things to see in this historic town that you should take advantage of but allow yourself the appropriate amount of time. This was meant to be a half day trip and had I researched anything at all about this town, I would’ve allotted more time for it. I’m glad we made this a little side trip, but the photography ops alone should have been spread out over 2 or 3 days, not a morning trip. But I got what I could and I look forward to the time when we can go back and do this town some photographic justice.

Continuing East on England’s South Coast, I decided, while planning this trip, to book a place to stay for a couple nights in Rye, England. We stayed at the Little Saltcoat B&B. A lovely B&B ran by a wonderful, Scottish couple who were so helpful, informative and accommodating that I highly recommend staying there. The breakfasts they serve will definitely fill you up for a day of sightseeing. All home made and made to order. Brilliant!

Editor’s Note: Pictured to the left is NOT a B&B called, Little Saltcoat. This is a castle in Rye that you can tour, but not stay at in any capacity.

Rye became a bit of a fascination for me as we walked along its streets. You never knew where you were going to quite end-up while you were strolling along. You could come across these beautiful, cobble stoned, walkways that weave in and out these slightly graded paths. Or, you could walk around a bend and be in a tunnel that, at its other end, looks out onto something completely different. There are fun little cafe’s as well as a few restaurants to grab lunch and dinner options. There is even an antique store that we stumbled upon whilst strolling. Our B&B was sort of on the outskirts of the town and you had to cross a bridge to get to it, so, we would set out on foot and no matter where we ended up, we always knew which way to head to get back to that bridge. Unless you’re popping off to somewhere outside of Rye, I would not recommend that you drive throughout the town. It’s actually easier to navigate on foot. Lots of one way streets that are narrow and some of them lead you out of town. But on foot, it’s a piece of cake! It’s actually fun to purposely get lost in Rye as you’re not quite sure, in a really good way, what you’re going to see or bump into. If you plan a trip to Rye…and why wouldn’t you, there is allot to photograph and the town streets and walkways are no exception. In the Summer, you’ll find allot of people there so be prepared. We went, you guessed it, in the Autumn and it was fine populous-wise. I really would not bother with a tripod in this town. Too many chances for other folks to kick it, trip on it and, depending on when you go, traffic may be heavy in Rye and you may have to move your tripod out of the way of vehicles, repeatedly. Hand held shots will be fine and, if you didn’t want to use a 35mm camera, your cell phone would also work well here. I used both, but that’s just me.

Dover. Allot can be said about the beauty of England, the history of England, but one of the most iconic places you will go to within England’s borders is the White Cliffs of Dover. These chalk cliffs are stark in their contrast to the blues of the ocean and sky. You can walk right up to the very edges, although I would not recommend that, and gaze for miles along the coastline and, depending on where exactly you are, you can be on the cliffs and see France. A beautiful place to visit.

Dover Castle. Established in the 11th century and, because of its placement, was lauded as one of the principle defenses from attacks by sea. It is an incredible castle to explore and there is allot to behold. Unfortunately I did not have a drone with me, but if you look up aerial shots of this castle, you’ll see what I mean. Those that make these decisions, like which castle in England is/was the biggest, have said that Dover Castle is the biggest in England…but, Windsor Castle also lays claim to that factoid. One may never know who wins that tug-o-war…but going there and seeing these places is one way to figure it out.

When I say that England is steeped in history…I ain’t kidding! The photo to the left has Dover Castle in the background and 1, of 2, Roman Lighthouse in the foreground. Britain claims a couple of things with this item. First, it claims it to be the tallest and most complete standing Roman structure in England. It also claims that it is the oldest structure in Britain. This lighthouse was constructed in the early 2nd century.

Visiting this castle could be an all day affair, if you let it. Bring water, snacks, something to keep those brain cells cooking for all that intel coming in of England’s history.

Here we are at the end, and beginning, of our journey together. London is a town for virtually everyone. From antiques, to the current style of almost anything, you can find it in London. Just the art galleries and museums alone would be worth dedicating a week to. You can walk through Hyde Park, come out to Buckingham Palace, pictured left, and continue on from there. If you go by foot, I highly recommend that option, have a map and a pair of the most treadful and comfortable walking shoes you can possibly find. Yes, I just made up my own word, so? Anyway, there are plenty of places to take a load off and get a lovely beverage, maybe some food to re-energize and off you pop again! By the time you get back to where you lie your head…you WILL be spent. A good kind of spent, but spent nonetheless. If you’re feet are really tired, try mass transit…

There is a lovely experience to be had, in London, that can help take a load off. They have what is called, The London Eye. It is a rather large Ferris wheel-type apparatus that has these pods, instead of bench seats, that you and a bunch of other people can cram into and, once at the top, you can see lovely views of London. To the left, there is Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster and, of course, the River Thames. Now, much to our disappointment, Big Ben and a portion of Westminster Palace were covered for repairs. Well for me, Big Ben kinda makes this shot. Otherwise, what do you recognize? Big Ben is iconic and is in virtually every photo essay involving London. Oh well, we soldier on and Big Ben is not going anywhere and will be there on our next visit. We had no time for London Bridge, either, so I got some ground to make up upon our return.

The photo on the left is of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Just one of many museums that you can visit and be staggered with what lies inside. So much history to be had. London should probably be a trip unto itself. And unless you had a month, you most likely won’t get to see half of it. But what you will see, and what you take away from it will hopefully last you a long time.

So, the photo to the left is of, of course, Sir Winston Churchill. There isn’t enough space to talk about this man and his legacy to England. But I will give a couple of quotes from Mr. Churchill that I believe are relevant, and important, to this day. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” Whatever your endeavors are, those are strong words to live by. “We make a living by what we got, but we make a life by what we give.” Giving of ourselves is a necessity in life. Whatever shape that may take, it is necessary. You can interpret that any way you wish. Traveling and giving to people in other parts of the world can be a rewarding experience. This last quote, I sort of apply it to traveling. “This is not time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.” You have to roll up your sleeves, get dirty and fly out of your comfort zone. This is a metaphor to apply to almost any aspect of life. Out of my comfort zone is going off the beaten path, traveling to places I’ve never been to before and diving headfirst.

2022 is going to be a good travel year and it starts fairly soon. Going to a few places here in the States and capturing some memories. I’ve done my research and we will have a ball going to new places! Xmas may hold a trip as well…you never know.

Let me end this particular journey with a little advice. If it seems, like there is allot to digest here, and yes, there is, then my advice is this…have a plan. Even if it’s a general outline of your journey. You can follow, or deviate from, the plan as you go. This trip was almost 4 weeks and I tried to squeeze in as much as I could and that was a downturn in the fun of the trip. Towards the end, it got to feel allot like work and we wanted to go home…it almost became something to endure, rather than enjoy. My suggestion is this…if you’re spending a considerable amount of time some place, then have a, “Home Base.” If there is allot to explore, then take it bit by bit. From your home base, drive South for a couple hours, see what there is, or research it before hand, then take a break from doing allot of driving and explore the immediate vicinity of where you’re staying. Do as much walking as you can. The 3rd day, drive East, repeat the process. Do that for half your trip, then the second half, go to another location, set-up shop there and repeat the process. Listen, you may not see everything and that’s okay. At least you get a couple of good areas to explore from your home base and you can always go further away from that as time allows. But every night you have a home base to go to. Editor’s note: Always keep an overnight bag in the trunk of your car. You may have driven 4 or 5 hours away from your home base and it’s late wherever you find yourselves, if you don’t want to drive back to your home base, at least you have an overnight bag and can see about finding accommodations where you’re visiting. A little preparedness can go a long way and can help ease certain circumstances as they pop-up.

Whatever you time frame, I hope that you get out and see some of the world in 2022. The world needs us to travel, to visit its mysteries, to see its history, to try the many foods throughout its lands. To experience its joys and its heartaches only make us better and more mindful humans. Wherever you go, I wish you joyful travels and I hope you are, and that you travel well.