CANTERBURY — Today was supposed to be dry in the South-East of England but it didn’t start out that way. Got in the car and drove out to Richborough and the ruins of the Roman town of Rutupiae. I was the first visitor of the day which perhaps wasn’t surprising given the drizzle. Thankfully the clouds cleared away while I was there. Rutupiae began life as the Roman beach-head for their invasion of Britain in AD 43 and there is still evidence of the ditches that surrounded the camp. Subsequent phases of settlement as the camp became a town and then a fort are also much in evidence.

Afterwards I drove south a few miles to the coastal town of Deal to visit Deal Castle, one of the artillery forts Henry VIII had built to defend the coast against his enemies. Revolutionary in design for its time, its plan has been compared to a Tudor rose. The self-guided tour takes you to the keep where the soldiers of the garrison would have spent much of their time, and upstairs to where the officers had their quarters. You also get to visit the bottom level and walk a circuit around the castle’s outer wall through narrow, dark, damp passageways.

After Deal I headed back to Canterbury via Margate (just to see what it was like). There is supposed to be a sculpture of a house facade sliding into the street that I was interested I seeing—but I was unable to find it. Should have searched for the address first!