A Quintessential English Weekend at the Shore

A few months ago a friend posted pictures of a weekend in Winchelsea near Rye. A quick look at the pictures and I was on the phone getting details about where it was and how I could go there! Chris's birthday seemed liked a perfect excuse to rent a car and hit the road for a quintessential English weekend at the shore... coats, gloves and all! Lucky for us the sun decided to make it's long awaited spring debut! Not so lucky for us the heat in the house wasn't working. C'est la vie!

The front gate to Pebbles Beach House

  

    

Pebbles... our home if only for a few days!

        

        

Gnewa likes it... caught him out in the yard picking flowers to refresh his basket!

        

The beach... no sandy white beaches here. The water makes a hypnotising sound as it washes against the pebbles. I could have stretched out on the beach in the sun and listened to it for hours without getting any sand in my pants!

The house sits beside a nature preserve. We set off on Saturday morning for a short walk... a few hours and 7ish miles later we had walked along the beach, through the nature preserves, through the middle of some random campsites, hung out in a field with a horse, walked through a field of sheep, stormed a castle, bird watched, drank a pint in a harbour with the locals and explored the shale ridge. A productive morning to say the least!

The best part of the weekend was being disconnected from technology. We had no Internet, spotty cell phone reception and a tv out of 1978 that wasn't worth the effort that turn on. We listened to music, read, talked and just enjoyed being together... something that we don't do nearly as often as we would like!

We finished off the weekend with a drive to Dungeness... a uniquely odd but breathtaking beach in Kent. The beach is dotted with old rail cars once used to carry the shale but once the railway was abandoned they were turned into fishing huts. There is an eclectic mix of architecture and people but the most striking site is the massive nuclear power station and it's pervasive hum. And did I mention the miniature railway?

I was limited to only 50 or so pictures as I grabbed an old memory card but I think I managed a few good shots of the weekend. Have a look here.

Teach a man to fish...

And you will have a freezer full of trout and no clue how to filet or cook them!

For Chris's 30th birthday we got him fly fishing lessons. He had the option to meet the instructor just outside London for a day trip or we could plan a weekend a bit further out and make a mini holiday out of it. It took a year but the weekend before his 31st birthday we headed to the quaint village of Longstock for some fishin' and eatin' and of course some R&R!

I brought the picnic basket in hopes of a nice lunch by the lake. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate so we lunched at the pub instead!

A country house just down the road from our inn. I looked at a few listings for local property and was amazed that a house like this is more affordable than a 2 bedroom flat in central London! It is times like this that I ponder the benefits of commuting... a fast train to London from here takes about an hour...

I am really, really, really looking forward to late spring and summer. This drizzly, grey weather is really taking a toll on me. Consider this picture a starting point... now close your eyes and picture green leaves, blue sky and little white fluffy clouds!

Let the fishing begin!

Can you spot the professional?

While Chris has practising, I wondered around and took picture...

And I put my feet up for a bit... fishing is hard work!

Any chance there is a fish on the end of that line?

This looks promising...

Two at once... now that is skill!

Once the fish were gutted and beheaded (poor little guys) I headed back to the pub/inn and asked the chef if he would cook us trout for dinner. A few hours later Chris returned with a massive smile, rosy cheeks, and stinking of fish... after a shower and change of clothes, we enjoyed the freshest fish ever! The other 3 trout are now in our freezer awaiting the grilling season... and visitors!