Pevensey Castle - Photos the Archives

While visiting a friend in Eastbourne, Essex, UK, she was kind enough to take me to Pevensey Castle, which was about 20 minutes drive from her house. Thanks to her generosity:) As usual, I was excited to visit a place of historical importance. It is said that the Pevensey castle was originally built by the early Roman settlements in the Southern Coast around 3rd century AD. Additions and modifications should have been done, however there is no documentary evidence of this castle after the Roman empire, until 1066!

A 12th century chronicle says,

Pevensey is a castle rising on a very lofty mound, fortified on every side by a most beautiful wall, fenced impregnably by the washing waves of the sea, almost inaccessible owing to the difficulty of the ground.

Here is a sketch of the castle in its heyday and its pitiable current state

It is very sad to see just the remains of this lofty castle...

View from afar

Entrance

Side view

Gate House built in 1200AD

Remains - For SOOC

Foundation stones of the Chapel and remains of the font in the nave

Air Show from Beachy Head

We had to drive up hill on a narrow road to reach the Beachy Head. What a peculiar name for a beach! It is off-beat yet truly romantic beach.

I can sit on the gentle slopes and gaze at the azure sky and water for hours together:)

The breeze was strong and it was slightly cold, but all of us were eagerly awaiting the red arrows to arrive and perform. 

At first, we heard the deafening roar behind us and in fraction of a second the red arrows zoomed above us...

The fighter performed mind boggling aerobic actions on the air.

They were forming patterns using colorful smoke and making dives and free-falls. Locals say that every year this show is performed by the Royal Air Force to attract candidates for joining the air force.

Airbourne at Eastbourne

My first thought when I was asked to visit Eastbourne Air Show was ah I don't have a powerful camera to capture the gimmicks. What a way to think!

The weather was pleasant and people were relaxing at the pebbled beach and waiting for the metal birds to sore...

The show was awesome, with my skills I was not able to capture the entire excitement, but still, here are some shots that I managed to capture...

 

However, the seagulls didn' t seem to like it. Every time the jets roared, the birds fluttered frighteningly, it was pathetic to see them.

On the first day, my friend lost her new Nokia 5800, so we missed out on the Red Arrows show. Next day we went to the Beachy Head to catch that event and I will be sharing it in my next post.

Eastbourne Pier

For the past two days, weather was perfect and High Street was full of enthusiastic shoppers dressed in cool summer wears. Yesterday, I just planned to go down to the market to grab a couple of sundry items, but ended up with shopping for whole day with my friends. And, trust me I did not buy any junk, so I congratulated myself for that and bought myself a large pack of salted popcorn:)

Well, this sunny climate prompted me to write a long pending post on Eastbourne Pier, which is situated on a romantic pebbled beach

On that day, wind was chilly and strong and the pier bridge felt a bit shaky but we went to the extreme end of the pier where there was fishing club...

I was reminded of the lone fishing "experts" who hang on forever on top of the bridges and by the ditches in Malaysia! But, this place is a far cry from all those places. Here, I guess you should be daring enough to brave the strong winds and get down to the fishing area...in fact there was a sign board that prohibited spectators beyond that area and as usual I wanted to go beyond that point, but the minute I peeped in, I lost my guts, see it for yourself...

Then I just started to take pictures of the shore from there...

It was lovely to watch the birds soaring up and down to catch fish and at the same time see the sweeping shore. The place was perfect for...umm so many things, I meant only writing and thinking! :)

As you exit the pier, I caught this breathtaking view of the roadside, dotted with beautiful white buildings and flowerbeds.

As we were walking by the beach side, we caught site of a class diner at a Fish and Chips outlet and without getting noticed I managed to take video...

Idyllic Countryside

For quite some time I was trying to go to the countryside. And, a chance came unexpectedly when I was visiting my friend in Eastbourne. As I was keen to go to historical battle field at Hastings, my friend dared to venture out on her own using the satnav (Satellite Navigator).

At first, it felt good that there is a constant companion who could show the route. But, after a while, when it kept repeating instructions, it felt like as if you are constantly nagged by a tensed passenger asking you to turn right when there is after all a bend in the road! So we reduced the volume and headed towards Hastings.

As usual, the motorway was narrow but scenic as we turned in the countryside.

The road further narrowed down and if a car comes in the opposite direction, it would have been difficult to give way.

The landscape kept changing by the minute, as we were driving through hilly farms.

Look at this lone cottage...

After 40 minutes drive we arrived at the Battle of Hastings site. Here am not going to cover about the historical site, as it deserves a separate post. However, am including some of the pictures that we took in the battlefield trail, as it was a beautiful countryside.

This part of the trail was laced with beautiful bluebells and it felt so good to walk in the woods:)

The tranquil pond and quacking of the unseen ducks were enough to transport me to Utopia.

Throughout the walk instead of getting tired or feeling cold because of the chilly wind, I had a silly grin like that of a teenager sneaking out without parent's permission:)

At first, I was eager to visit the historical site, but I ended up enjoying the countryside ride and the battlefield trail that we walked. I was thanking my friend several times for bringing me to this place:) Thank you my dear friend for giving me a lifetime memory...

Picturesque Eastbourne

Summer has just started and the weather is getting better. The best part is that sunrise is around 5.30 am and sunset is only around 8.30 pm. As we have long hours of daylight, I don't realize how late it is, until I see the time. No complaints, though.

Now, am in Eastbourne visiting friends. It is a picturesque seaside town and thanks to my friend who invited me to stay with her. Here is a predawn picture taken from the bedroom window around 5.20 am.

The streets are so clean and there is no din or the blaring siren sounds that we hear in Croydon.

I have not been to the town yet, but I followed my friend to the swimming pool. It is a ladies only session, which is organized by my friend as a community event. The pool was covered and with heating. Besides the chlorine smell, the water looked so azure and inviting. Later, I learned that my friend had received annual sponsorship from the council for conducting this program!

I didn't take photos in the pool because I was advised that some of the ladies would not be comfortable if I take photos in the pool. However, I took a couple of snaps in that area.

The houses hidden behind the greenery looks so romantic, as if out of a picture book. When I turned around, the deserted road was forcing me to press my shutter. Am not sure if am a shutterbug or just crazy to capture anything and everything.

When I took this shot, I did not to see the signboard at the far end of the this T-junction. What a surprise, in India, Malaysia and Singapore, I have seen boards that say Beware of Dogs. But, when we drove through that T-junction, I read that signboard AND it said Beware Traffic! When I was musing on these things, I got a glimpse of the distant blue sea, and instead of taking a long shot, I thought that let me wait untill I go there.