Archive for October, 2013
October 12th, 2013
LEICESTER — Checked out of the hotel this morning—destination Leicester. The plan for the day called for an initial two hour drive to a little place just outside Stamford, Lincolnshire called Burghley Park, home to the Burghley Horse Trials. I arrived shortly after noon and, first things first, had some lunch. Then it was time to take a tour around Burghley House.
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October 11th, 2013
NORWICH — I decided to get out of Norwich today and explore Norfolk—not exactly sure how well it would turn out as it looked like it would rain all day. First stop was Great Yarmouth where it was hosing down and there wasn’t a lot to see. I stopped to buy some lunch before heading for Caister-on-Sea and the promise of a Roman fort. There wasn’t a lot to see while dodging the raindrops. Apparently it was small fort on what used to be an island. I decided to head north to Cromer where the weather maps had indicated the likelihood of less rain.
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October 10th, 2013
NORWICH — This morning I set out to find the final resting place of my great aunt Winifred Hewitt, a school teacher who lived and died in Norwich. Using Google I discovered that Norwich had two cemeteries and the burial indexes were held at the Norfolk Record Office—so off to County Hall I went. Found it really easily thanks to the SatNav, but finding a park once I was there was a nightmare. Every parking space was taken, even in the overflow parking area, and there must have been well in excess of 1000 parks. After driving around slowly for fifteen minutes and heading toward the exit I was directed to a space in the visitor car park.
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October 9th, 2013
NORWICH — Today I travelled from Halstead to Norwich. I had intended to stop off at a couple of tourist attractions along the way only to find that either they didn’t open on Wednesdays, or as in one case close to Halstead, they only opened in the afternoon. So instead I went to Ipswich to shop for an additional suitcase.
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October 8th, 2013
HALSTEAD — it has been a beautiful sunny day today though the forecast for the rest of the week is for rain and a temperature drop of seven or so degrees. I began today by leaving the inn on foot and walking around the corner to the parish church to search for Sturmers and Alstons. I had no luck in finding any—it looked like the graveyard had had a makeover to clear many headstones and leave only those that would contribute to a most atmospheric cemetery. And many of those remaining had illegible inscriptions.
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October 7th, 2013
HALSTEAD — Today I left Canterbury for Halstead, a village in Essex where one branch of the family came from. Leaving at 10:00 a.m. I input the destination into the SatNav which told me I was just two hours from my destination. Which left a four hour hole as check-in time started at 4:00 p.m. I would have to find somewhere to visit on the way.
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October 6th, 2013
CANTERBURY — Another lazy start to the day with a lateish breakfast and an even later than normal exit from the hotel. The centrality of the Pilgrims Hotel means it’s only a couple of minutes walk to the cathedral and the city centre. My first stop of the day was The Canterbury Tales, a guided tour through the medieval world of Geoffrey Chaucer as a member of a group of pilgrims on the way to Canterbury.
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October 5th, 2013
CANTERBURY — Today didn’t go exactly as planned. I spent the morning as a guest of the NHS in the waiting room of the Minor Injuries Unit at the Canterbury and Kent Hospital due to a localised infection that was becoming troublesome. How is that an injury? I can only put it down to mistaking the shaving gel for deodorant a week or so earlier. Thought nothing more about at the time.
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October 4th, 2013
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.
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October 3rd, 2013
CANTERBURY — It was a relatively early start today (out of the hotel by 9:00 a.m.) for a short walk to the cathedral. Entrance to the cathedral precinct cost £9.50 but I was directed through when I mentioned that I had an appointment at the Cathedral Library.
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