To put it plainly, this experience has been the best of my life. I have spent 7 days alone in a car traveling across the south of Great Britain, seeing so much history and learning about my heritage. I couldn't have asked for more, I genuinely had the time of my life. I am now completely satisfied with my journey and would be happy to come home right now. But alas, I will continue on a little more while I'm here. My plans are to see a bit of London, see Scotland (& Reesy) and then a little of Europe before making my way back to Australia. Perhaps by early May. But for now, let me tell you about this road trip.
Staring down the road at first, seemed a little daunting, I didn't really know how well this was going to pan out. I hadn't really done much planning and I wasn't sure how well I would gallivant across these great lands, nor did I have any idea if I could afford to do it. I first stopped at a churchyard somewhere (still don't know where it was) and had a quick walk around and picked a daffodil to decorate my home... You can see it in the air-con vent.
Secondly, I set up my iPad as a map and plugged into the car's iPod port to charge the device as I went. This proved to be invaluable to me over the course of the trip. I was never worried about getting lost and I knew that I would always have charge in my only connection to the internets. A creature comfort I can not live without.
The next thing I had to do, which was something I would have to do every night, was find somewhere that I could park my car for the night; to sleep. Here I found the Squirrel Inn, near Battle.
I figured it would be a good place to rest up for the night, because the place didn't open till 11am the next day, long after I would be gone. This proved to be a greet idea. By morning, I could get out of the car and stare out across the mist soaked valley, with rolling country hills and farm animals wearily wandering in the morning fog; I could not supress my smile.
At Battle, I would get my first taste of solo sight seeing. The grounds where the famous Battle of Hastings occurred; where William the Conqueror would take Britain and seize the throne in 1066.
This is the exact battlefield. The English were positioned up the hill on the left and the Normans attacked from the lower side (at a disadvantage) on the right of the picture. Even though they seemed to have the poorer odds in the fight, the Normans conquered the English after a grueling day of battle.
The abbey (Battle Abbey) was built by of William to pay tribute to the defeat of the English at the exact site of the battle; where the English army were positioned in fact.
Not a great deal remains today, as King Henry VIII had it destroyed during his war on the church, but what remains proves just how beautiful the place must have been in it's prime.
Again, I had fun squeezing around the tunnels and tight staircases. I love secret passageways n stuff.
A commanding sight. And this was just the monk's dormitory and lavatory area.
I was on a high from the stories about 1066, so I made my way to Pevensey Castle late in the afternoon. It was built in 1066 shortly after the conquering of England as a vital defensive position against any attempts to take the newly dominated lands.
There was a well, still housing water albeit stagnant, in the bailey.
This is the sight inside the bailey from the south west corner of the grounds.
These are the foundations of the chapel that once stood.
That night I drove some 300 miles to a spot near the town of Swanage, near Corfe Castle. I was improving my sleeping quarters by fashioning curtains out of blankets and sheets.
This was my next campsite. Amazing!
Corfe Castle towered high above it's motte. It was an ancient skyscraper.
The keep, although quite damaged through time, was very impressive. I was lucky enough to enjoy some time here alone, free of other visitors. I was able to reflect on things in the company of something quite unique.
I really enjoyed this castle but it was time to leave. I had something in mind that had to be done...
I drove down some really tight Dorset roads...
Passed some things less pleasant...
Down some even tighter Dorset roads...
And found what I was searching for... River Cottage.
I really am glad I took the time to research the location of this cottage and put in the miles to find it. It has been the highlight of my trip so far.
I'm not even kidding, I spent at least an hour and a half here.
Hugh's (Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall) smoke chambers are still fixed in the cottage's chimney stack.
Hugh's beloved stinging nettle grows everywhere here.
A view from the brook that gave River Cottage it's name.
In one episode, Hugh got to shoot pigeons off of his landlord/neighbor's shed roof. This shed. He then cooked them up and served pigeon to these distinguished people. I loved that episode.
Speaking of the Lord of Slape Manor, I got to meet him, as he came over to me to see if I was alright. I asked about the rent of the River Cottage, as I had (by chance) seen it up for rent on a website for £750 p/month, but alas, he said the lease had just been signed. He said "cheerio" in his very proper accent and went on his way. I was a little starstruck... how tragic.
I had to get to Tintagel, in Cornwall for the next day to see Tintagel Castle and by Jesus the roads were tight. I would come to realize later how tight they could get.
Nevertheless, I found another place to park up for the night. But not before finding a caravan park (late at night, after reception had closed) and snuck in for a shower. This was now my "new town nightly ritual". I felt like a showering ninja... in the cover of darkness, I was in an out without being seen... every time.
Tintagel Castle in nestled on a hill's peak by a beautiful bay and home to the classic myth of King Arthur and the knights of the round table, and of course, Merlin.
Merlin's Cave.
Inside a cave with the water rushing up toward me. It was a little frightening.
A long climb up the stairs brought you through this doorway.
And out to the castle grounds. These would have been houses once.
Tintagel castle stretched over two peaks actually. You can see the other one in the distance in the top right of the photo.
I found an overhanging rock and camped.
My view.
The next morning, I was faced with some pretty foggy weather. The road just appeared in front of me at only 40 yards or so ahead of me. It was like a poorly rendered video game.
I was on my way to my private lesson in Clay Pigeon Shooting this morning when I encountered some really bad Cornish roads. This pic is not the worst road. I had to drive down one that was so tight that I had to drive in 1st gear only, one handed as my right arm was out the window bending and snapping thorny vines out of my path as I went along, as to prevent them from scratching the rental car.
But then, I got to drive down some really nice roads along scenes like this.
Amazing.
Clay shooting was awesome. I took to it straight away. My instructor (Bill Moussalli) was the English champion skeet shooter in 2008 and the most senior instructor in all of south Britain.
It was a one on one session and after hitting all beginner traps (8), Bill took me onto advanced traps which fly at 90 degrees across the sky from the shooter. This means they are faster through the air, harder to hit and have a much larger lead (more distance in front of the trajectory of the clay to which one must aim). I was nailing the advanced traps so he challenged me further by shooting doubles, where you have to shoot one trap from one direction then immediately shoot another from the opposite direction and from an alternative angle to the former. This is how you shoot in competition. I scored 7/10 which is considered to be quite good, as most beginners score around 3-4/10. So, with a pocket full of extra shells, he wanted me to shoot from lower gun position. With the gun unmounted you call "pull" and the clay will fly from one of the two directions. Within about a second or so, you have to see the clay, mount the gun, take aim, track the clay and add the lead and then fire. I hit most of the traps and Bill was slapping me on the back grinning and saying I was doing an awesome job. He was genuinely excited and said that in all his 20 years of teaching he had never had a student shooting from lower gun position on their first lesson ever before. He was so excited he encouraged me to seriously consider taking up the sport and took me on a bit of a tour of his grounds to show me Olympic skeet, explaining the rules of competition and was even letting go multiple traps to show me how fast the clays move at Olympic level. They're a lot faster than what I was shooting. Anyway, I'm hooked.
So, on a bit of a high from the shooting, I decided that I would have enough time to make it to Dartmouth to see the castle before heading north to Stonehenge. This turned out to be an awesome idea, as I was welcomed by a fog soaked town tucked in the hills. A beautiful place, even though I was disappointed to learn that the castle was closed. There was plenty more to see.
Shopping district.
Daffodils again.
Beautiful.
Foggy.
On the way to Stonehenge I stopped at this chapel I found. That is the best thing about a solo road trip, you get to do whatever you like whenever you want.
I found myself inside the church alone...
... Staring at stain glass windows illuminated by a setting sun.
Made in the early 15th century I think, it still had old school bell ropes.
Pulling on bells housed in an impressive tower.
The carvings were amazing.
I thought it necessary to use this time to respect why I had come to this country at this time.
And so my foggy journey continued.
I reached Stonehenge at an ungodly hour. But (if you can see this photo well enough) the henge at this hour seemed out of this world.
In the morning, I decided to visit the lesser known, Woodhenge.
This explains it all.
But after this, it was time to get to the site of one of the most vivid memories I have of the UK from my trip here at age 4, Stonehenge.
The place was epic. I got here at opening time (9:30am) to avoid the crowds. Best idea ever. As I was leaving, it began to rain and three busloads of Japanese tourists turned up... Timing Win!
1000's of years old.
I was so happy!
It changes from every angle.
An artists recreation of what the original looked like before falling into disrepair.
From stonehenge I drove to Winchester to see the Great Hall.
Where inside all that's left of Winchester Castle, you can see King Arthur's Round Table.
This gives you a good perspective of it's size. It's got a diameter of about 18 feet or so.
The current paintwork is late; it was done by order of Henry VIII of England for Holy Roman Emperor Charles V's 1522 state visit, and depicts Henry himself sitting in Arthur's seat above a Tudor rose. The table itself is considerably older; dendrochronology calculates the date of construction to 1250–1280—during the reign of Edward I—using timber from store felled over a period of years. Before this, it was believed to have been unpainted.
The town of Winchester was pretty cool in itself.
This was apparently the first public clock to be gas illuminated.
Winchester is also home to the longest cathedral in the UK, Winchester Cathedral. Jane Austen died in Winchester and was buried here. Also, Tom Hanks can be seen here in scenes from the Da Vinci Code.
On the final day of my road trip, before handing my home back to the car rental agency, I wanted to make one final stop. The home of Charles Dawin.
Strictly forbidden to take photos inside the house, I saw this as a great opportunity to raise my middle finger to the rules and sneak in some shots. This is the actual journal Darwin kept on his 5 year voyage around the globe on the HMS Beagle. Legit!
His gun and other personal items. They had cabinets everywhere full of his stuff.
Like his beetle collection. Again, legit.
His greenhouse and experiment lab where much of the study was done for his masterpiece, The Origin of Species as well as the Power of Movement in Plants.
This is his wormhole, where he monitored the activities of worms and the soil. He died soon after his book The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms was published. His final works were of a humble nature but one he felt was one of the most important realizations. Here, here.
This is his billiard room where he would often call in his butler (& friend) to play when he needed a break. Other times saw this room filled with pieces of his work, covering the table felt with plants and paperwork.
Darwin's Study, where he would spend many hours every day. In between three walks, one in the morning, one mid morning and one late afternoon.
I drove past the childhood home of Lady Anne Boylene, Hever Castle. But I hadn't the time or money to go in. This is the front gatehouse to the grounds.
I stayed the last night at my Cousin Kati's with her and her cool ass children, who took to her eggs with pen... Rad. She was so hospitable toward me, a stranger of 25 years but (as she showed to me) family nonetheless. An amazing connection with someone I haven't spoken to or seen for 2.5 decades because we are family.
I came here from Peru in a rush, because I wanted to connect with grandad before he passed. This didn't happen the way I thought but I was gifted with an experience of a lifetime... 7 days in the British countryside alone, seeing things I never dreamed of, doing things I never anticipated myself doing, experiencing his world of 100 years and witnessing the history and culture of his domain, achieving contentment. I have succeeded. I am the happiest man alive. I am here.
Location:London,United Kingdom
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