Avast!
Walking the streets of modern England's calm costal villages, it takes imagination to look back with history's eye and see them being shelled by French ships or terrorized by the likes of Grainne Ni Mhaille (called Grace O'Malley by the English) the female Irish pirate who led a band of 200 sea-raiders from the coast of Galway in the sixteenth century to fight both the Irish and English. Condemned for piracy, she was finally pardoned in London by Queen Elizabeth herself.
Whitby is the town that spawned Captain James Cook, who discovered Hawaii. Today they invite you to their Cook Museum, as well as the Walrus & Carpenter Cafe. They wish you to visit their Bramblewick Tea Rooms, as well as the place where Bram Stoker wrote the original Dracula in 1897.
Dartmouth in Devon Co. offers accomodations at Warfleet Lodge, Captains House and the Anchorage, among many others. Windjammer, Hooked, and the Singing Tea Kettle are some of the restaurants who bid you welcome. There is Sea Haven for Sport & Leisure Wear & Fishing Tackle... and Dartmouth Boat Hire for self-drive boats.
But the town of Rye does not shrink
from its colorful history, with its 12th century church, Augustinian Friary (the Old Monastery), Rye Castle with its Ypres Tower, and the Old Town Wall. Perched upon a sandstone hill at the estuary of the river Rother, a few stone buildings still bear witness to the burning of the town in 1377 by the French.
Afterward, substantial town defences in the form of thick stone walls were constructed, and parts of the wall remain standing today, including the Landgate portion. The Ypres tower, now a museum, stands ready for battle as it did then, with cannon aimed out to sea.
18th century Rye's prosperity depended as much on smuggling as any legitimate trade. Professional gangs of criminals roamed the countryside, stored their spoils in old vaulted cellars, and skulked through secret tunnels. Blue Badge Tours will gladly guide you through some of the more mysterious places in town, providing a narrative of days when life was thrilling.
The Irish Sea
On the coast of England that faces the Irish Sea, any day can be thrilling enough especially on the ocean, most especially in winter. Great breakwaters at Whitehaven (those are people, not dots, on the breakwater) and at Hollyhead where the Irish Ferries come in, attest to the unpredictable nature of weather and waves on that sea. Wales is the land they nestle in, populated by people speaking a dialect that is definitely not English. A beautiful place, a wild place, a different place. Perhaps a place to pass through on your way from London to Dublin.
On the other hand,
you have the "English Riviera" on the Cornnish Coast
Calling themselves the "English Riviera" may be a bit wishful, but the towns of Torquay, Paignton, Brixham, Torbay and a few others do offer many miles of beautiful coastal scenery, and the Torquay tourism council promises that "fun is never very far away in this classically English seaside resort." Fortunately, the impressive Riviera Centre overlooking the Torquay seafront offers all weather facilities. But in fairness, this area is truly the warmest in Britian. Winter temperatures rarely fall below freezing, and in summer, average maximum is around 66 degrees Farenheit, often reaches 70 degrees and occasionally 86 degrees. I guess that qualifies as Riviera temperatures.
There really is a spectrum of interesing and fun activities in the area for all ages, including: Kent's Cavern, Babbacombe Model Village, South Devon Steam Railway, Castle Drogo, Paignton Zoo, Woodlands Leisure Park, Pennywell Farm and Wildlife Centre, The River Dart Country Park, Dartmoor, Buckland Abbey, Plymouth Dome, The Hedgehog Hospital, River and Bay Cruises, Butterflies and Otters at Buckfast.
And Dame Agatha Christe lived and wrote in this charming area.
You know, whenever my wife sees these pictures, she tugs on my arm and asks if we can't go back to Europe, soon. I pretty much feel the same way, and as soon as we can make travel plans, I will be making arrangements through Rail Europe to
Travel Europe the way Europeans do
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