Day 2: Bexhill, Hastings, Rye and Camber

Typical May Bank Holiday weather, wet and foggy!!

I left Eastbourne by driving to the foot of Beachy Head heading and down the seafront to Bexhill. In the spirit of the ‘On The Edge’ theme I went via Norman's Bay, literally along the beach.

I had a coffee stop in the De La Warr pavilion; an Art Deco art gallery and well known theatre.

I asked the locals for their tips on a must see must do in Bexhill.
"You're IN the only thing worth seeing in Bexhill" they said... "Try Hastings!"
Eddie Izzard was brought up in Bexhill when the most exciting thing growing up was the local amusement arcade. He's still working hard to improve Bexhill's image and bring a bit of excitement to the town. i've heard the old town is sweet, but sadly I didn't have time to visit today.

So, on to Hastings…

It was shut; at least it was to me. 

I had such great plans for Hastings: lunch, a stroll down their newly opened pier, visit the Jerwood Gallery, stroll through the old town...

Not to be today, as today Hastings was obviously the most thrilling place to be in Sussex. Thousands of bikers and their metallic steeds, a beer festival, a population with strange green noses, flowery garlands and trees apparently growing out of their heads and crowds of men with bells round their knees hitting each other with sticks to music!

Must be a Jack of the Green Festival or some such but nowhere to stop or park so onward to Rye.

Rye was nearly as bad - bikers on their way to Hastings no doubt! Very noisy...but very pretty.

But I arrived just in time for the Annual Mayor making. Mayors from all the cinque ports hung out of hand town hall Windows in all their regalia, showering penny coins into the crowd. No officious Health and Safety executive in Rye, some pennies landed in my hood.

The Mayor of Ramsgate invited me to get a selfie, gave me his card and told me to call in on him when I get to Ramsgate.

Had lunch in a cafe and met Rita Adams of the Rye Deli. She was an extra in the BBC production of Mapp and Lucia which was filmed in Rye. Her list of things to see in Rye:

1. Historic Mermaid Street
2. The only remaining Rye Pottery
3. The Kino cinema

I browsed the antique shops – lots of them!

From Rye I drove to Dungeness via Camber. I work in Holland several times a year and the plane often flies over the power station and all the little dots. I was curious about 'the little dots' and I wanted to see Film director Derek Jarman's garden. 

Dungeness must be the only desert in England. In fact, a helicopter pilot told someone that once you'd seen it, you knew what it was like on the Falklands. 

My "little dots" turned out to be dwellings - some made of old railway carriages - some made of old tarred planks and paint flakes and other obviously des-res designer. 

I found Derek Jarman's garden. 

Dungeness boasts a massive ugly power station, one pub, two lighthouses and a tiny art gallery run by a lovely lady called Helen who told me that in sunny weather the place is heaving. I can't imagine it. Today it was cold, misty and very atmospheric. I loved it just like that. 

 

 

Last lap via Littlestone and Greatstone along the coast road which could have been romantic but sadly wasn't.

First Airbnb stop a pretty blue room in the Corner House.

it's based in New Romney, Kent with my hosts Hilary and Nigel.