Steam Spa

Last Sunday was actually sunny enough for something of a trip out, so Heather and I headed for some excitement, in the form of steam trains!

Spartan

At Spa Valley Railway

We headed into deepest, rural Kent, which may account for my somewhat grumpy mood that morning as we were aiming for that grand bastion of deepest English middle class known as Royal [obviously!] Tunbridge Wells. I was even forced to look at a pretty little market!

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A Gallery And Toys

Saturday brought a trip into London with Heather *

and her god-daughter Gemma. We went for a wander around the National Gallery, with Gemma running scared at the sight of any nudity—which of course just made the supposed grown ups seek it out more!

The best part was probably wandering around all the floors of Hamleys though, somehow managing to avoid buying anything! It tired us out enough that sitting down in Pizza Express was something of a relief. Then it was off back home again, after a happy day.

Photos:

Riding A Horse, Not Going Anywhere

Gemma and Heather

Lego Guard

Baaaa

I’m supposed to be doing work, not watching sandcastles! #xkcd

Surprisingly, Rochester

The exterior of the castle

Rochester Castle

The exterior of the castle

So this is a post I never thought I’d write, but I spent a rather pleasant Saturday in Rochester, a place, having damned it, I thought given what has happened I would probably never visit again. Yet I enjoyed myself. Funny how things can change.

The well access at Rochester Castle

Rochester Well

The well access at Rochester Castle

The cathedral seen from the top of the keep

Rochester Cathedral

The cathedral seen from the top of the keep

This time I did get to see the castle (even if we arrived only just before last entry!), climbing right to the top for the spectacular views over Rochester, the Medway and surrounding countryside. I didn’t need the audio guide as I had my own personal guide, pointing out the interesting features, including where one tower was famously undermined, and the central well with access from every floor.

Rochester looks nice from up the top of the castle, the cathedral impressive and river interesting. And it was wonderfully comfortable in the pub later.