Note: this was originally published on Bootsnall in 2000 but as they’ve been removed from their website, I’m republishing them here. There were six posts from the start of my year abroad after university (I was in my mid-20s) and hopefully, they still have some value other than just nostalgia for myself.
After leaving London I ventured south to Brighton. I felt the urge to hear water again. A side note to explain that, I grew up about 500 meters from a lake and can hear the water rushing over a nearby dam. Added to that, I have worked for a division of Parks Canada for the past seven years on a marine lock station that has a dam within a stone’s throw away so the sound of water is something that is pretty much interwoven into my life.
But back to my travel adventures. I stayed at the Brighton Backpackers because of a great recommendation in the Let’s Go Britain and Ireland book. It is a very interesting hostel with a friendly international atmosphere but if you value cleanliness, this isn’t the hostel for you. The location is amazing though, right on the beach.
Speaking of the beach – it’s small stones, not sand, which has its own appeal. It’s exactly 72 normal strides from the high tide mark to the low tide one, or at least it was when I walked down to the water.
Yes, Brighton has a good nightlife or so I heard from my window anyways, but it is also a quaint little Victorian town and if you close your eyes just so, you can almost see the Victorian ladies and gentlemen strolling down the Promenade. Okay, so that may not be possible… but you can almost see it, really.
Now don’t stay away from the Brighton Pier just because it is a little cheesy. The views of the coast are amazing and the lawn chairs are free. On a clear sunny day (yes, there are some in England) the Seven Sisters jump out at you – great photo opportunity.
After Brighton, I moved on to Salisbury, home of the famous Salisbury Stake (sorry I had to say that, call me silly). Salisbury is surrounded by history – by now you have probably figured out, faithful reader, that I am a bit of a history nut (or just a bit of a nut). While Salisbury is quiet and a nice place to relax, there is also so much to do and see. I stayed at a hostel called Matt & Tiggy’s – it was more like a B&B than a hostel, quiet and clean.
First on my list of places to go was the Stake – which is actually the spire of the Salisbury Cathedral. Very tall, hard to get a good picture at the moment because of the scaffolding – they are doing some restoration work. The next on the list was Old Sarum. It was the original site of Salisbury and is a nice hike from the modern-day city – about 2 to 3 miles. Old Sarum has been inhabited by someone forever basically – from the Neolithic times to Roman to Norman to deserted ruins nowadays. The reason that the Salisbury settlement moved was the clergy and the garrison had a bit of a tiff apparently.
Stonehenge and Avebury were experienced the next day on a Rover Pass – that is a great way to do the two of them. I arrived in Stonehenge early before the hordes of tourists arrived. Yes, I am also a tourist I suppose but that doesn’t mean that I have to act like one. Stonehenge was everything I hoped it would be – not to be corny but you can still feel the power that emanated from the stones. I must have taken almost a whole roll of film – from every angle of course. When the hordes arrived, I moved on to Avebury.
Avebury is another circle of stones similar to Stonehenge except that it is about 2000 years older. And much bigger. Stonehenge probably measures about 150 feet across, while Avebury takes up several acres – there is a village in the middle of it. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain while I was there so I didn’t stay very long. But I did have a pint of Stonehenge beer in a pub in the middle of Avebury.
Well, those were my adventures in southern England. Stay tuned for my adventures in Wales – coming soon to a computer near you.
Rambles and Walks 