East Sussex

DA and his mom

Saturday was spent exploring the county of East Sussex with our guests. East Sussex is southeast of London on the English Channel coast, about 1.5 hr drive from here. We roamed around the really cool Bodiam Castle. It is a ruin, but is in great shape, so you really get that old castle experience with an actual moat too. Had a picnic on the grounds and had to drag B out of the trees. She's never met a tree she didn't want to climb!

Later we drove a few miles away to the "ancient village of Rye". It predates the Roman occupation, so it's really old. The church in town was 905 years old, if that helps you any. Surprisingly, lots of the town survived even though it was bombed in WWII. Henry James, the author, wrote his novels in Rye. It is very quaint. Has lots of timber buildings, but still has a very seaside look. Of course hearing the sea gulls really gives you that experience too. Jo and I really enjoyed all the antique shops - of which there are MANY. It is a very hilly town with lots of shops, tea houses and pubs. The streets are interesting. Some of the sloping streets were made of rocks that were standing on end. I don't know if it was to give you traction or what, but very difficult to walk on.

Aren't these statues at Bodiam so lifelike and modern?

DA and the kids skipped the Rye experience and went to the beach in Camber. They LOVED it. First time the water has been warm enough to swim. Now they can all say they swam in the English Channel. Sun, sand, surf, waves - The whole bit. It was cousin A's first time in the ocean, so she was having a ball.

Finished the day with dinner in an ancient pub, with low ceilings, huge fireplaces, creaky floors, and mediocre pub food. A good way to top of our English experience in Rye.

Those are the kids waving on top of the castle. Very, very steep, winding stairs. Kudos to them for making the climb all the way up!