Date: 2nd October 2023
Travelled: 0 kms from Watten to Cranbrook ย
Visited: Canterbury and Cranbrook ย
Stayed: John and Lindaโs, free, N00.0000, E0.00000ย ย
Budget: 131 days @ โฌ96 per day
Bit of an update and a fast forward.
We spend our last evening in France at one of our usual haunts, the aire at Watten. Standing just off the Fleuve Canal it has a lovely aspect. Apart from being a free stop-over the village has a lovely little tabac and our last chance for a Leffe and a rosรฉ for less than โฌ5.
Itโs a very early start next morning and a 45 minute drive to Calais and the chunnel. Itโs still dark and just starting to drizzle when we roll up to the French border checkpoint. After a couple of minutes whilst the young officer counts months and days on her fingers, she informs us what we already know, we have overstayed our 90 days.
Once we explain we are not English but the grand children of the valiant diggers that saved France from the evil Bosch and having sauerkraut instead of croissants for breakfast. She promptly apologises and bid us a bon voyage.
Thirty five minutes later we roll off the train in Folkestone. We reset the GPS for the aire/park and ride at Canterbury another of our usual stopovers. Not free but ยฃ4 is as close to free as England gets. The bus from the P+R to the city is free so we give that a flogging.
We have wandered Canterbury during previous visits, the old town within the city walls is very popular. Particularly as Friday is Goth day, every second person was wearing Doc Martins, fish nets stockings and something their parents wouldnโt have approved. Studded nose, cheeks, lips and tattoos of something from JR Tolkien seemed popular this year.
After a second retail therapy visit to Canterbury next morning we point the Hymer south into Kent to visit our long standing friends John and Linda. We met many years ago in Malta of all places and make a habit of catching up as we return from Europe each year.
John and Linda live on the outskirts of Cranbrook, so other than going to the pub for dinner we do some walks and take in the village sights.
We have a wonderful catch up with John, Linda and family talking motorhome and caravan adventures. Weโll start our journey north tomorrow, but thatโs a story for another blog.
Michael + Pam
3 thoughts on “Back in Blighty, England ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ 2023”
Interesting access arrangements for the first floor of the windmill.
Hi, Thats me talking with Michael after emptying or Cassettes in Canterbury
Chris
How funny is that. I didn’t even realise Pam had taken the photo until that night when I was drafting the blog. I hope you didn’t mind your 15 minutes of fame.