Canterbury – some random images

A few pictures taken over the past two or three days. Most of Canterbury has been photographed a million times.

All that remains of the Worthgate. The inscription on the panel is dated 1833, shortly after the demolition of the gate.

Probably because of the number of visitors, Canterbury still has more pubs than the average English city or town. These two are a little off the tourist trail, more authentic and worth a visit.

St Mildred’s Church, parts of which pre date the Norman invasion of 1066 although it has been extensively changed in more recent times, but not much for the last 500 years or so!

The river Stour flows through Canterbury in several channels. Until fairly recent times there were flour mills and tanneries within the city walls for which this was the water supply and power for the watermills.

The Zoar Strict Baptist chapel dates from 1854 and is one of the few buildings in that area to have escaped the destruction of the 1942 air raid. It is built into one of the bastions of the city wall.

Parts of the city wall and the bastions are restored and well preserved.

Not so the skeletal remains of Canterbury Castle. Dating from the late 11th century it is now closed to visitors because its crumbling walls.

One of the few streets in Canterbury that can be photographed without parked cars spoiling the view!

A traditional and colourful greengrocer’s stall in the High Street.

 

Visit to Lesparre

Took a day out last week to visit the town of Lesparre, primarily to the Tour de L´Honneur. The Tour is all that remains of a 12th century castle which one dominated the area and was in fact English until the year 1453, that same year of the battle of Castillon which marked the end of the 100 years war.

Lesparre has a huge church, the church (in English) of Our Lady of the Assumption, whose tower hits the sky. Close inspection reveals part of it to be in very poor condition.

The Tour de L´Honneur houses a nice collection of exhibits from recent and more distant times agriculture, wine making and resin collection. They also have special themed events in the grounds.

My pictures at https://1drv.ms/f/s!Am0w7qp9HCpqhJkSeNGMTu_cibOEHw

The tower is open for afternoon visits (1430 to 1830) between March and October except on Sundays and holidays. In July and August it is also open in the mornings from 1030 to 1230 except Mondays. It is closed at lunchtimes. The exhibits are labelled only in French but there is a brief guide available in other languages.

It is NOT suitable for those with mobility issues. A spiral staircase is required to reach the upper floors and the roof.

Free parking outside. For those without cars it is 5 minutes walk from Lesparre railway station (local trains from Bordeaux) which is also where local buses stop. The town centre, with all the usual amenities, is also about 5 minutes walk.

You can read about it on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_l%27Honneur

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Trip to Ferragudo 11th May 2017

I needed a day out, so took the short trip over to Portimão and Ferragudo last Thursday. I have been to Portimão many times and taken a lot of pictures, so none of there. But I have been to Ferragudo only twice before, so decided to take a good look around.

The original fishing vllage is now dominated by a large amount of modern development up on the hill. Some of it is nice, some not, typical ‘urbanisations’ you can see almost anywhere. There are a couple of popular holiday resort complexes. Many people rent apartments and houses. There are two river beaches. A couple of km to the south is a large campsite and an ocean beach, the Praia dos Caneiros.

I have often wondered about the brown building that looks like a church that can be clearly seen from across the river. Now I know what it is!

It’s the Castelo São João de Arade. Originally built in the late 15th century, it was badly damaged in a storm in 1669. It was repaired in 1754 to once again serve as a fort protecting the port of Portimão. Some websites say it is open to the public, however it looked decidedly locked on the day of my visit. Certainly, with walls 5 or 6 metres high you won’t be jumping over into the garden.

It was a wet and windy day, although the worst held off until I was on my way back home. A couple of sample pictures below, the rest are in this album.

Ferragudo is on the River Arade, ‘opposite’ and a 10 – 15 minute bus ride from Portimão. There is also a little railway station called Ferragudo – Parchal about 1km from the village, a nice easy and flat walk. A water taxi connects the village with Praia da Rocha at Portimão Marina, also to the small quay at Portimão museum.

Silves visit 27.10.16

Good weather is back, 24C during the daytime. I took myself out yesterday on a short visit to the historic town of Silves.

It was a warm day, if rather windy. Plenty of tourists were out and about, including several boatloads who had taken the trip upriver from Portimão.

Here are just a few pictures – click the picture box below to see.

UK Visit – quick sample – Tonbridge Castle

The gatehouse at Tonbridge Castle on a sunny day, Tuesday 22nd April.

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