kimbofo

Grow-your-own-skeleton

Place: Tenterden Station, Kent.
Date: October 30, 2011.
Camera: BlackBerry Curve.

We recently spent a week's holiday in East Sussex, where we rented a cottage on the beach at Camber Sands, near Rye. On our first day we journeyed to nearby Tenterden, just across the border in Kent, to take a train ride on the Kent & East Sussex Railway (K&ESR). I was amazed at the station's Halloween decorations: there was ghost-adorned bunting flying overhead, carved pumpkins dotted all over the place and skeletons "growing" in the garden beds. Imagine my disappointment when I realised the K&ESR had hosted a special evening ghost ride the night before — take all the kids out of the equation and I would have loved to have gone on a spooky train trip through the countryside.

Scenes from a seaside town

All pictures taken: Ramsgate, Kent, England.
Date: July 11, 2009.
Camera: Panasonic DMC-TZ3.

Ramsgate must be the dog capital of England. I swear I've never seen so many pooches of all shapes, sizes and descriptions being taken for walks. T wondered if you could hire them. I wondered if there was a rule that you couldn't leave the house without taking a furry four-legged creature on a leash with you. Honestly, we felt a bit naked without one.

The other surprising thing about Ramsgate was the beach. I've never seen an English beach comprised of sand. The only ones I've seen have been made of pebbles.

This beach (above) actually had a lifesafer sitting up in his own little lifesaver seat. Where did he think he was? Australia?

Interestingly, because Ramsgate is one of the most easterly points in England, it has its own meridian line and Mean Time, which is 5 minutes 41 seconds ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. You can check the current time here.

And finally, there's a bit of a Belgian influence in town (we enjoyed a small beer in the dubiously decorated bar on the right, which may well double as a burlesque dive in the evening, it had that kind of look about it) and an enormous amount of fish'n'chipperies. Sadly, my plan to enjoy fish'n'chips by the beach didn't eventuate... because we went to nearby Broadstairs instead... and come Sunday I didn't much feel like eating them at 11 in the morning. I guess that means I'll just have to go back...

A trip to Ramsgate

All pictures taken: Ramsgate, Kent, England.
Date: July 11-12, 2009.
Camera: Panasonic DMC-TZ3. 

I was whisked away on a surprise (early birthday) trip to Ramsgate in Kent on Saturday morning, a two-hour train journey out of London. The only thing I'd been told was to pack an overnight bag, but I clocked the destination as we approached the train labelled "Dover & Ramsgate" waiting for us at Victoria Rail Station.

I've been eager to visit Ramsgate for years, ever since we saw one of those property shows on TV where a young couple upped sticks from London to live there. I remember them walking around the harbour and thinking, wow, that looks quite nice.

In person the impression was pretty accurate. The harbour, filled with all manner of leisure craft, is lovely. It's apparently one of the largest on the English south coast. It runs cross-channel ferries too, so if you fancy a quick trip to Belgium it's all possible from Ramsgate.

We spent quite a bit of time admiring the marina -- on foot and through the window of the lovely hotel where we spent Saturday night -- before heading further afield... but more about that in another post.