a beach and a castle

Taking advantage of the sunny weather, we drove south to Birling Gap on the fourth and stopped at Hever Castle on the way home. It seems the rain has finally stopped.

Walking the beach in England isn’t like walking the beach in other places – no sand. It’s nice not to have the grit in my shoes but the stones don’t create a tranquil atmosphere. The stones are the size of a child’s fist and smooth like the kind that people use for boarders in their gardens. The tide was low and children were finding all kinds of treasures in the pools.

We didn’t stay on the beach long but drove a little up the coast, waked to the edge of the white cliffs just like in Dover, viewed a picturesque lighthouse at Beachy Head, then walked inland a short distance to a great pub where we enjoyed lunch with a view of the sea.


Hever Castle is the ancestral home of Anne Boleyn. It has a section built in the 1200’s that looks like a castle with a moat and portcullis, and a newer section built in the Tudor style around the 1500’s. It was purchased by the Astor family in the 19th century and furbished luxuriantly.



The grounds are particularly nice with hedge and water mazes, an Italian garden, and a lake. It’s located close to Gatwick airport and about an hour from home.