Lyme Regis I

Monday 20 October, 2008

Arrived here yesterday after a beautiful walk through the house and gardens of Stourhead in Wiltshire. (Thanks Merrie for turning me on to to it.) Autumn leaves, a temple of Apollo, a grotto, a Pantheon, an obelisk, a Palladian Bridge, an inn: it’s got it all. Click here to see the photos.

Beautiful 2-mile walk. Alex complaining all the way, telling me it would rain. His mood improved remarkably after some hot chips and an ice cream at the Spread Eagle Inn. Joined the National Trust for one adult and one child: something that you can’t do online from Australia. You have to join for two adults or a family, both of which are prohibitively expensive. But now I have a year’s membership, so if you’re coming over sometime in the next year, just pick up my card first.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Old Man & the Sea at Lyme

Arrived at Lyme Regis around 5.30 yesterday. Thought we’d drive around & try to find the Old Lyme Guest House. It was scary. Narrow streets, only enough space for two cars if both drivers breathe in. And cars parked. They tell me buses go down the streets too, but I can’t imagine it. I was afraid of scratching the Jetta. Car is parked up the hill in a council car park & we’ve got a pass to leave it there. We won’t be driving it around here.

Tiny, tiny, beautiful rickety little town clinging to a steep hill on the edge of the sea. Like a fairy

Image by audreym via Flickr

tale full of pirates and lost boys and treasure. Tried to walk down to the harbour last night, but the icy gale blew us back up the hill. No sight yet of the Granny’s Teeth where Louisa Musgrove jumped. We had dinner in an Indian restaurant called Qilla Lal. Very good. This morning, after breakfast, the Jane Austen walk around town and to Uplyme.

There is an internet cafe, in town, so I hope to be able to publish the last few entries to the internet this afternoon.


Tuesday, 21 October 2008

Had our first bad weather since we arrived. It rained all day yesterday. Our fossil hunting tour was cancelled and there are no more until the low tide. The tide comes in and washes the cliff away, strewing fossils on the beach.