Weymouth and Bridport

South West Trains have a special offer on - you can go anywhere on their routes as far as Weymouth for just £10 return - normal price £77 return.   Not only that, you you are not restricted to any particular train, so don't have the problem of deciding beforehand when you want to travel.

I caught the earliest practical train - the 6.30 a.m. one from Waterloo, which meant a very early start, but was worth it.   The journey was not quite as straightforward as it could have been, as planned engineering work on the line between Southampton and Bournemouth meant that there were buses covering that part of the route.   But the buses were waiting on arrival at Southampton Airport, and were non-stop to Bournemouth, where we rejoined the train to Weymouth.

I wanted to go to Bridport, famous for its poetry competitions, and had already checked that there was a bus from the King's Statue on the front.   I had some time to spare so i went and had a late breakfast in a nearby cafe - not one which I would now recommend.  

The journey to Bridport was lovely, along little country roads, some running alongside streams, and all so English.    The land was a bit wet, but there was none of the massive floods that they have had in the West Country.  

Bridport itself isn't very big, but it has lots of character.    There is a market, selling a large variety of things from fresh food to bric-a-brac, which packs up about 2 o'clock, lots of interesting little shops, and the Bridport Arts Centre which sponsors the annual poetry competition.   The Arts Centre is something every town should have.   Housed in what was probably a former house, it seems to have a constant stream of events - concerts, plays, talks, lectures, exercise classes, language classes, music classes - there seemed from the notice board to be something interesting happening every day.   And they also have a nice cafe at the back, which is open to everyone, not just users of the Centre.

The church, though was a bit of a disappointment.   St. Mary's Bridport, although part of it dates back to the thirteenth century, and outside looks quite old, gives the impression inside of being very modern - perhaps due to the refurbishment which took place after a fire in 1996 and subsequent improvements, including flexible seating.   It just doesn't have the feel of an old church.  I also got the impression that they were a bit trendy.   But there is a lot going on there, with various clubs and organisations.

I noticed in the local paper that terrible storms were expected on Saturday, so decided to get the bus back to Weymouth earlier than I had originally intended - I had visions of some of the streams beside the road overflowing and blacking the road, as they were already at virtually the same level.    So I was back in Weymouth by about 5 p.m., and decided to have dinner there before catching the train.   I found a really lovely little cafe called Jack's Cafe in Great George Street - the food was well cooked, just as I asked for, the portions were exactly the right size and everything was delicious.  If I'm ever in Weymouth again, it's definitely the place I will be eating.

I got the train back to Bournemouth, and everything was fine; the threatened storm didn't seem to have arrived, and there was no real wind.    It was only when the bus arrived at Southampton that I - any everybody else - learned differently.   There had been a localised storm, which had brought down trees, completely blocking the railway line.   Sot there we all were, stuck at Southampton Station, with no-one really knowing what was happening.   The station staff were very good, trying to keep us informed, but were a bit in the dark themselves.   Some people started getting rather annoyed, but really there was nothing the staff could do until they found out what lines were blocked.   I wasn't bothered, as it was still quite early in the evening, and anyway, I knew that they would get us back to London somehow.

Eventually, they announced that there would be buses to Basingstoke, where we could pick up another train to Waterloo.   I shared a seat with a girl who came down at weekends to Bournemouth to play beach volleyball at an indoor pitch at a school there, who told me that they were setting up pitches in parks  all over London following the popularity of beach volleyball at the Olympics - until then I hadn't known anything about that.   So it was quite an interesting journey.

I finally got home about a quarter past eleven, feeling decidedly tired, having up on the go since before 5.00 a.m.   But it had been a really nice day out, despite the long and disjointed journey back.

Roman History

After going to the Lisa Ross exhibition, I went on to a lecture on Roman history at the British Museum, which started at 3.15 p.m.    There was quite a crowd there, but the lecturer had a fairly loud and clear voice, so there was no problem in hearing.  

Starting with the beginning of Rome, whether factual or mythical, we moved on through the centuries, looking at statues and pottery, noting how modern the heads of the Romans looked - they could easily have been walking the streets today.

We ended up with the stature of Septimus, who is buried at York - again a figure which would not be out of place on the streets of York today if you changed the clothing to modern dress.

The British Museum have a lot of interesting talks - the problem is getting the time to go to them.

Lisa Ross Exhibition

I'd seen it listed in Time Out, and it looked interesting - an art exhibition produced over a long period of time focusing on China.   But it wasn't quite what it seemed from the listing in Time Out.

For a start, it was very small - just one small room in a basement at 22 Eastcastle Street, near Oxford Circus.   Secondly, the pictures could have been focusing on anywhere - there was nothing specifically Chinese about them.

That said, however, they were quite distinctive, with rich colours and an amazing attention to detail.   They were set in various places, but with a common thread of spiritually - sacred spots in the middle of deserts, forests and shrines where visitors left various items on the trees.

Not an exhibition where you needed a couple of hours to see and appreciate it all, but worth a few minutes of your time just to have a quick look.

Lisa Ross is obviously a skillful painter, but there needed to be more of her work to make it really interesting.

Tunbridge Wells

This was more a shopping trip than a sightseeing one, although I did manage to wander around the town, again in the cold and damp.   But I came back with a lot more than I went with, including some new navy blue shoes, and some new clothes from - guess where?  Yes, charity shops.   They are about the only places that have really nice things at affordable prices.   Most of the shops seem to have just things for the very young, or things that aren't very well cut.   Charity shops, on the other hand, often have very expensive brands which are beautifully cut and finished and really fit properly.   When I buy things in charity shops, the first thing I look at is the brand - if it's George or Atmosphere or something like that I don't buy it.   But if it's Dereta, or Country Collection or David Nieper or something like that, then it definitely warrants a second look and trying on.

Tonbridge

A visit to Tonbridge, which I hadn't been to for ages.   As it was the cheapest way to go, I got the train to Bromley South, and then the bus, which runs hourly and stops just outside the station.   It's quite a long journey, passing through Sevenoaks, but the countryside is very pretty, if a bit sodden - no, very sodden.   In Tonbridge, the River Medway was several times its normal size, dirty, and very fast flooding; the low lying fields beside it were covered in water.

Tonbridge isn't very big, but is extremely interesting, with lots of history and interesting things to see. - although it is much better to go in the summer when everything's open than at the beginning of January.  

My first stop was Tonbridge Castle - or rather, what remains of it.   Built 900 yeas ago, and now owned by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, there now isn't very much left, except the gatehouse, although in its heyday, it was huge, and the gatehouse was reputed to be one of the finest in England.   It is now a museum and tourist information centre, although the museum wasn't open.  

The original castle was built by Richard FitzGilbert who, following the Norman Conquest, was granted land at Tonbridge to guard the River Medway crossing.   He erected a simple motte-and-bailey castle, moving 60,000 tons of soil in the process.   However, trouble was to come.   In1088, some of his descendants, the Clare family,  rebelled against King William II; after a two day siege, the castle surrendered, and both it and the town were burned to the ground.   It didn't do to rebel agains the king in those days.   That wasn't the end of the matter, however; the Clare family rebuilt the castle, and by 1260 the current gatehouse was completer, built over 30 years by either Richard de Clare, Earl of Hereford or his son Gilbert.

The castle was lived in until 1521; after that it remained unoccupied until the late 18th century, except for a short period during the Civil war.

Despite the rain and the wind, I did manage to climb up to the top of the castle ruins, nearly getting blown away in the process.   But it was worth the effort; from the top there is a grand view of the surrounding countryside - although at the moment it looks mostly like a huge sheet of water.

Another treat in Tonbridge was learning about Jane Austen's connection with the town.   The Austens were a Wealden family, and Jane had a large number of relatives in Tonbridge, many of whom were  buried in the parish church, although there is no evidence that she actually visited it herself.   I spent quite a while in the parish church, partly because it was raining, but also because there was so much to see.

Tonbridge is definitely worth another visit, but preferably when it is warm and sunny.

Southend

Not the best day to go to Southend, but I decided to go anyway, getting the train from Fenchurch Street, as it goes along the coast and is a much prettier route than the one from Liverpool Street.   Also,it's quicker, and the station is more conveniently situated.

I arrived in time for a late lunch, which I had at a little cafe in a side street - one which serves things like English breakfasts all day.   Then it was off down to the front, where it was quite chilly and blustery - fortunately I was well-wrapped up, but it would have still been rather cold standing still.

I had intended to walk to Leigh-on-Sea, and get the train back to London form there, but by that time it was dark, with no moon, and I was starting to get cold.   Also I hadn't realised how far Leigh-on-Sea was from Westcliff-on-Sea, which I passed on the way.   On the train, it seems hardly any distance, but in fact it must be a good mile and a half.   I tried to find my way in the dark  through the gardens to what I thought should be about the right place; finding it wasn't, I asked how far it was, and discovered it was much further along.   So I decided to go back to Westcliff, which was on the main road and get the bus from there.