Summer Trip - Day 12 - Angmering

We drove to Arundel station and parked in its car park. We walk down through Arundel to Swanbourne Lake.

Then up a dry valley onto the Downs. It was a circular walk, with a large variety of paths and scenery, forest, riverside, arable farmland. We saw lots of wild flowers, a pair of red kites and a deer.

There was an old barn with housemartins nesting in it.

We had lunch by a field of blue flowers.

Towards the end we walked beside a training gallop for racehorses, then a view to Arundel Castle.

At the end we bought an ice cream in Arundel. After driving back to the site we walked into Angmering village and had a pint at the Spotted Cow.

Later for dinner we had grilled chicken and vegetables.

Summer Trip - Day 11 - Angmering

We left the car park and drove the short distance down into Brighton, parking at the seafront west of the centre. We walked along past the old pier and the 360 tower.

We went for a cooked breakfast in a cafe near the Churchill Shopping Centre. After this we went to the NHS drop-in clinic to see if they would give Shirley a prescription for more blood pressure medication but they wouldn't.

We went to the main pier and had a walk round the amusements.

Just at the end of the pier we encountered Peter Andre doing some kind of celebrity shoot.

We then did a bit of a walk round the shops, then went back to the van. Next we stopped at a long spit of land at Worthing and had a walk at the fort and pier there.

We then drove to the next campsite that we had booked, Acorns at Angmering. It was smaller than we expected, but very quiet considering how close it was to the main A27 dual carriageway.

We went for a walk round the estate to the north, through woodland and fields of wheat and broad beans, then Angmering Park.

We then went for a drink at the Woodman Arms.

Back at the van we had dinner of Doritos :-)

Summer Trip - Day 10 - Devil's Dyke

We left Phyllis's and drove west into the South Downs National Park, stopping for provisions on the way.

Just after Brighton we turned up towards Devil's Dyke, the longest and deepest dry valley in the UK.

We walked one of the paths, which went to Saddlescombe Farm, where we saw the donkey wheel which used to pull a bucket of water up from the well.

We then walked back through the dyke itself.

We decided to stay in the car park, so went for a pint in the Devil's Dyke Inn. For dinner we had pasta and pesto with cheese.

Summer Trip - Day 9 - Eastbourne

Today we went separate ways. Shirley went by train to East Croydon with Phyllis and Tracy to meet Lindsay, where they had coffee, lunch and did a bit of shopping.

Scott went for a walk along the seafront, then had a look in the Towner art gallery. This was contemporary art and didn't really do anything for me.

The cafe, however, overlooked Devonshire Gardens, where the Eastbourne tennis championship was being held, so I had a coffee and watched some of it.

Later it rained quite heavily. 

Summer Trip - Day 8 - Eastbourne

We took Phyllis to visit Michelham Priory. This is a very interesting property and gardens. It has a moat all the way round, and a gatehouse.

We toured the inside of the house where the rooms are set up as they used to be. They had interesting stuff in the kitchen.

We walked round the kitchen garden, then across the moat to look at a reconstructed bronze age roundhouse.

We went into the old mill which is powered by a water wheel.

Later Shirley made dinner, new potatoes from Phyllis's garden with tuna, cherry tomatoes, pesto and spinach.

Summer Trip - Day 7 - Eastbourne

We picked up Tracy in town and drove to the Holly Blue restaurant for a carvery lunch. After this we went the Long Man of Wilmington, a famous white figure carved in the hillside. We walked along above it, then back below it.

After dropping off Tracy the rest of us went for an ice cream and a walk on the pier.

Later Scott mowed Phyllis's lawn.

Summer Trip - Day 6 - Eastbourne

We went to visit Shirley's cousins today, Pat then John and Peggy. We had sandwiches cakes and sausage rolls there for lunch.

Later we were going on the annual charity walk round Beachy Head lighthouse, so caught a taxi to St Bedes at the seafront.

We met Rachel there, and registered for the walk.

We first went up onto the Downs, then through Cow Gap to the beach.

Then along below the chalk cliffs to the lighthouse, getting there when the tide was out. There were hundreds of other people there. It was a pity the weather and visibility weren't better.

After returning to the start we said goodbye to Rachel and went for a pint at the Pilot. Then we walked along the promenade to the centre and on to South Street.

After a quick drink in the Eagle we went to the Dolphin for a burger. We caught a taxi home.

Summer Trip - Day 5 - Eastbourne

We were leaving the boat today, so after breakfast we sailed back to the boatyard in Stalham.

On the way Shirley had an accident with her finger and as we later found out, had "mallet finger", a damaged tendon.

We decided to leave and head for Eastbourne, and go to the A&E department at the hospital near sister Phyllis's house. We arrived there just before 3.

To cut a long story short, Shirley now has a splint on her finger that needs to be there for six weeks, with a check up in 10 days.

This will entail delaying our ferry to France. Fortunately we were able to amend it for a £10 fee plus the difference in cost.

After a fish and chip meal with Phyllis and Tracey we slept in the campervan in the driveway.