Our first stop of the day was Rochester, the place where Charles Dickens spent his youth and the town appeared as Mudfog and also as Dullborough in two of his books. After driving round for a while looking for a parking spot we pulled onto some waste ground by the side of the road. We had a word with a friendly Community Officer who said that the Traffic Wardens would book us. She advised driving a couple of miles to Chatham and parking up by the Historic Dockyard which we did and found a bay signed M/C which we took to mean Motor Caravan. Val did her best to find some information regarding parking. The only thing she learned was the parking was free when visiting the dockyard.
Historic Dockyard 51°23′16.84″N - 00°29′56.58″E
After a look round the Dockyard and St Mary's Island where the residents are not allowed to grow vegetables because of the nuclear waste left over from when they used to build nuclear submarines (according to a local who we chatted to) we headed back into Rochester over the bridge into Strood and found a parking spot. We then walked back over the bridge to visit Rochester Castle and Cathedral and some of the buildings mentioned in Charles Dickens writings. The Cathedral was beautiful both inside and out and the Castle was fascinating. We saw Topes House which was the late building written into one of Dickens books. We could have stayed a lot longer but we only had an hours parking
Our final destination via a Tesco Supermarket to pick up some beer was a wild camping spot on the Island of Sheppey. We visited two spots, the first had wifi through the iBoost and we stayed for a while to update and publish the blog. It was a busy spot and not flat so we decided to try another spot about two miles away at Leysdown on Sea. When we arrived there were a few Motorhomes, a Wagon and even a Caravan who were obviously there for the night. It was a quiet spot and nice and flat and it was a no brainier.
Wild Camping Leysdown on Sea 51°23'34"N - 0°56'1"E
I got the TV set up whilst Val cooked us some dinner which we washed down with a couple of bottles of ale and a glass or two of red wine. Happy trails.
4 October 2016
We were woken at about 4:00am by the truck parked about 50 yards ahead of us. The driver left his engine running for 15 minutes before he moved off. We then slept through till just before 9:00.
We had a trip to Minster and Sheerness but nothing seemed to motivate us to park up except a Tesco Supermarket where we stocked up with some beer and wine and a few other essentials.
We stopped for lunch in a lay-by just before the bridge back onto the mainland. After lunch we headed for a spot called Sea Salter. The wild camping spot on Tom who knows everywhere was out of date and the local council had put up signs saying no parking for vehicles over 1.5 tonnes.
We used the iBoost to log into some wifi across the road and tried to plan our next stop. Val spotted Sea View Holiday Park half way between Herne Bay and Whitstable that looked to tick all the boxes and at £11 pn with all mod cons it was ideal.
Sea View Holiday Park 51°22'0"N - 1°5'5"E
After setting up and phoning a local doctor to arrange for Val to have her stitches out we jumped on the bikes and headed to Herne Bay. There were a few interesting spots along the route including the pier and the clock tower. There was also a bronze of Amy Johnson the famous pilot, as it's the place where her plane disappeared over the bay on her final ever flight never to be seen again.
After a beer in the local Spoons we cycled back to the van and whilst the master chef cooked the dinner I washed up our pots from earlier in the day. We enjoyed a marinaded chicken with the trimming and washed it down with some San Miguel and a drop of vino. Dink dank do.
5 October 2016
We were up and out early on the bikes and heading for a walk in clinic at the far side of Whitstable so that Val could have her stitches removed. Just before we departed we had a call from our letting agent saying that someone was interest in taking on our house. Fingers crossed. When we got to the clinic the receptionists were very helpful and one of them managed to get Val's doctors at home to send through her prescription electronically so that we can pick it up the following day.
We then cycled into Whitstable Bay and enjoyed the best fish I have ever tasted and chips. The fish was thick and tasty and the batter was wafer thin, delicious. After a walk round the shops we had a pint in the Wetherspoon's pub The Peter Cushing. It used to be a cinema before being converted and it was packed with memorabilia from the cinema. There photographs of Cushing and posters from his old movies everywhere. He was a resident of the town and used to have Sunday Lunch across the street from the cinema every week. To top the afternoon off one of my old colleagues from my Cardington days got in touch saying he only lived ten minutes away so we arranged to meet up and have a beer in the evening.
Before heading back to the van we had a look round the Oyster sheds and the boats which seemed to attract lots of Oyster Catchers. There was lots of fascinating information to absorb and lots of photographs to take.
Back at the I did a few jobs whilst Val cooked dinner and watched Pointless at the same time. Sausage, onions and three veg, she spoils me. After the washing up it was time to meet my buddy from Cardington to do some serious reminiscing whilst Val had an evening to herself. A great day.
La Vida Loca Zendogs
Val's fact of the day: Loofah grow on trees, they are large elongated fruit and you peel the skin away to reveal the sponge.
6 October 2016
We left Sea View Holiday Park just after noon and headed for Reculver Towers via the chemist to hopefully pick up Val's prescription that should have arrived electronically for her doctors in Morecambe. Should that be too difficult in this day and age? Yeah success.
After taking some photographs we headed to Minnis Bay to check out a wild camping spot for the night. We had a look at the spot and were happy that we could return later in the day.
Minnis Bay wild camping:51°22′42.5″N 01°16′58.96″E
Next stop was Westgate Bay where we had a walk round before heading to Margate. We had a walk around the town centre and Cecil Square looking for an HSBC, but like Whitstable yesterday the branch had closed. We had a walk along the front taking some photographs and we called in at the local Spoon which was named The Mechanical Elephant.
Val's factoid: The Mechanical Elephant was created by Frank Stuart and used to operate in Margate back in the day as a children's ride. http://www.essexlive.news/man-mechanical-elephants-went-world/story-15294792-detail/story.html
Margate was rough and ready but worth a visit. We headed back to Minnis Bay and had a walk along the sea front. The wind was bracing so it wasn't long before we made our way back to the comfort of the van for a cozy night in with the TV and a couple of beers.
7 October 2016
This morning we headed to Broadstairs which was so much nicer than Margate which we visited yesterday. The cafes and pubs looked so much more inviting and the general air of the place was so much more upmarket. We spent some time on the promenade at Viking Bay and then had a look round some of the shops.We moved on to Ramsgate and had a look at a wild camping spot for the evening. Once satisfied it wasn't too bad we drove back a little ways towards Broadstairs and parked up on the promenade. We walked through the back streets to a large shop we had passed on the way in selling antiques and objects dar which kept us occupied for a good hour.
Next we set off in search of Eddie Gilbert's Fish & Chip shop which earned rave reviews in The Guide to Britain. We quickly found the road it was on but it had gone to the wall since our guide was last published, just like a lot of the town. On a brighter note we actually found an open branch of HSBC which we seemed to have been seeking for the last few days.
After having a look round the town centre we headed for the promenade which was reasonably busy with people. We climbed up and up to get back to the cliff top where we had left the van and then used the sat nav to find fuel and groceries to restock our dwindling supplies.
We headed back to our wild camping spot just in time to set up the TV for Val to catch Pointless. We had fish for dinner which made up for missing out at lunchtime and a couple of beers to wash it down and settled in for the night. Not the greatest location, but out of town and reasonably quiet.
Wild Camping Spot: Royal Esplanade 51°19'39"N - 1°24'10"E
Val's fact of the day: Oysters are bisexual. They can be male one year and then female the next.
8 October 2016
Our first stop this morning was at Cliffsend to see an old Viking Ship. It was surrounded by metal railings go apart from taking a few snaps we couldn't get up close and personal.
Next stop was Sandwich an old cinque port on the River Stour. We had a look at its famous Barbican, a stone gateway where tolls were once collected. We also visited St Peters Church which was undergoing some restoration but still looked great. We got caught in a heavy downpour and got soaked before we got back to the van.
Our next port of call was Deal. We managed to find some free parking on the roadside well out of town. We got the bikes off the rack and cycled back into town. We had a look at the Pier and then the Castle before locking the bikes up and having a walk first to the station to pick up some tickets and the along the high street to do some shopping. Val managed to get her glasses fixed at Boots and I picked up a video about Brian Clough's time as manager of Leeds United.
On to our home for the evening which was a wild camping spot in Walmer. There were a couple of other vans there when we arrived which always seems to give us some confidence that it's a safe spot. There was a lovely sunset which we enjoyed whilst having dinner. Then we settled down with a couple of beers to watch Strictly.
Wlidcamping Spot: 51°12′39.01″N - 01°24′10.04″E
Val's fact for the day. Deal is the town where Norman Wisdom grew up.
9 October 2016
We picked the wrong spot for our wild camping, it was like Brands Hatch throughout the night. Still, you can't win them all and it was worth it when we had a look around Walmer in the morning sunshine. We visited the bandstand which is a memorial to the Royal Marine Bandsmen who where killed by an IRA bomb in 1989. We had a look into the RNLI station and then walked about a mile and a quarter down to Walmer Castle. We took some great photo's especially now I have discovered how to take the panoramic ones. Like Deal Castle if you could look from above you would see that both castles are designed in the shape of a Tudor Rose.
Next we drove back to the dump that is Margate. We were aiming to go to the The Turner Contemporary which has a Turner Exhibition on at the moment. Unfortunately with it being weekend we couldn't find a parking spot but will return again tomorrow.
Next stop was our home for the night, the Birchington Vale Holiday Park. An out of season bargain at £11 per night with electricity and a swimming pool and clubhouse thrown in. We found a nice quiet corner of the field and made ourselves at home.
We had a relaxing afternoon and evening. Val did us a peri peri chicken for dinner which we washed down with a couple of beers and an odd glass of vino. An early night after last nights lack of sleep.
Birchington Vale Holiday Park: 51°21′56.09″N 01°19′55.62″E
Val's fact of the day: There's a road sign in Kent that gives you a Ham and a Sandwich.
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