As my sister was up even earlier than I ever had to get up for an early shift, I thought I'd do the same and was out the flat by 7am. My first stop was another cliff edge so brace yourself for another scary edgy pic - stop #130
BEACHY HEAD
Obviously Beachy Head is the cliff directly on top of the lighthouse. I'm at the point where many people who don't know the area very well throw themselves off which is unfortunate as there are quite a few ledges up to about 20 feet down. In my last few weeks as an ODA (Operating Department Assistant) at Eastbourne District General Hospital, we had a young man who jumped here and slammed into one of the ledges and survived, albeit with terrible injuries.
I had a little think about two people I knew who jumped, one a patient on one of the wards I worked as a student psychiatric nurse, the other one was Louis who jumped after a man broke his heart. Rest in peace.
Anyway, enough of suicide for which Beachy Head is probably most notoriously famous for. There was a sleeping pigeon right next to my while I was getting ready. It was tempting to pick them up and see if they were tagged but I resisted on the grounds of possible bird-flu. You can't be too careful these days.
I took the zigzag road to the top of Meads / start of the South Downs Way. So many memories here, I went to school for a while and had some of the worst times of my childhood. Somewhat gladly, I felt very little as I drove past. The road to my next stop was closed off - something to do with the upcoming annual airshow they have in Eastbourne. I was also a bit distracted by the Ferris wheel. It is huge. Anyway, parked a little further away than I planned to for stop #131
THE WISH TOWER
I have never been inside this particular Martello Tower despite those years spent either at school or living here. I also don't know why it has the name it has. It is also known as Tower 73, and that's much easier to work out why.
They have changed the garden around the tower to a peace garden dedicated to all the civilians who were killed by bombs dropped on Eastbourne during WWII, so I was frankly horrified to see a brass frame with the name of the headmaster of the school I went to on a plaque. This is a man who favoured the strong and assertive child over the meek and shy, and as a result the culture of bullying was pretty rife. I had a brief thought of vandalism but then just walked away. Shame that any feeling of peace vanished so suddenly when I saw it.
I really couldn't see my next intended Germinal CCXXIV place so instead drove across the town to my next stop #132
FORT FUN
Fort no fun. It has closed its gates and the rides are falling apart with weeds everywhere.
Weird, this, because the last time I parked around here a few years ago, Fort Fun was in full swung, and the smaller, older kids theme park (Treasure Island) looked closed and dilapidated. There has been a reversal of fortunes it seems.
I'd had quite enough of Eastbourne by now, so headed up the coast to stop #133
PEVENSEY BAY
Famous of course as it is where William landed his invasion fleet on the 28th September 1066. Although this sweeping bay that runs from Langney Point to Bexhill-on-Sea looks pretty awesome and I can just picture 700 ships off-loading thousands of men and horses, the sea shore looked nothing like this back then. There was a natural harbour (like a mini Poole harbour) where the ships were far more sheltered.
I learnt most of this from my next stop which was Pevensey Castle, yet another place I'd only driven past all those years spent living around here!
There was a lot more to it than I was expecting. For all those years, I thought it was just made up of a perimeter wall with big chunks missing. I had a lovely time walking around and I certainly learnt a thing or two.
It was impossible for me to not visit the Church at Westham which lies just beyond the perimeter, and which just manages to retain some of its Norman origins.
As it always seem to do, one visit to a church invites another, and there is a ruin of one near to my friends Rachel and Ashook who live on the outermost regions of the lovely Bexhill-on-Sea. We rented a house in Bexhill-on-Sea for a couple of months between stints of living in Zambia and The Gambia, but in those days the De La Warr pavilion was closed and unloved, and 70% of the population were retired. In fact, one day in the mid 1980s, Melvyn and I were hanging out and play-fighting in one of the parks one hot summers day, only for a woman who was probably closer to her 90s than 70s came up to us, wagging her index finger and shouting "You'll get thrown out of Bexhill if you don't behave!". I just stood open mouthed (well and truly gobsmacked, you could say - oh the shame of being banished from Bexhill) but Melvyn said a few choice rude words which had her walking backwards and repeating her dire warning. It became our go-to phrase whenever we visited.
Jeeze, where was I? Oh yes, my next visit was to Battle Abbey.
Another glorious ruin not ruined by the fact that practically nothing of the Abbey itself remains. The vaults under the dormitory block are spectacular and worth the price of the admission alone. The hill to the south, where the Battle of Hastings took place looks so peaceful today, it's hard to imagine the horrible carnage that took place then. I knew roughly what had happened having seen the disturbing scenes on the Bayeux Tapestry, but trying to envisage it on the field in front of me was impossible.
It was high time to get myself over to Bexhill. I promise to behave this time.
Allons-y
Douglas Germinal CCXXIV Brain over and out
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