Newhaven Fort

To Newhaven to visit its Fort. This was a 25 minute walk from the Premier Inn hotel. Sunday was chilly and drizzly but there was plenty of exhibits inside the fort and tunnels to walk down. We spent all day there.
 

Entrance

The Fort was designed and built by twenty two year old Lieutenant John Charles Ardagh of the Royal Engineers,  started in 1862 and took ten years and six million bricks to complete. 

Ardagh bucked convention by making the first mass use of concrete in a military fortification, he designed a new type of counterweighted drawbridge that completely covered the entrance  (and was then adopted elsewhere includingthe Eastbourne Redoubt)  and the built into the contours of the land, rather than flattening the ground to building on top. 

WWII Gun Emplacement

This narrow tunnel was used to service lamps set into the wall on the left which shone through windows into the powder stores.
 

Dieppe Ferry enters Newhaven seen from Fort ramparts

Newhaven from the Fort

Leighton Buzzard Railway

To Leighton Buzzard for a trip on the narrow gauage railway, organised by Probus.

Our train was pulled by Engine Doll.

We went to Stonehenge Works where there was a larg display of rail memorabilia.

On the return the engine has uncoupled to be moved back to the fronto of the train.

Dan and Krisie

Dan and Krisie stayed Thursday and Friday night and left Saturday dressed (above) to attend a friends wedding in Berkhampstead.

Thursday night we dined at King William IV and Friday at The Cock.

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Toby Driving Train

Vin de Francois Vertical

 

La Capelle Entrance

Tuesday 24th -- François Naudé hosts a tasting of all ten vintages of Vin de François at La Chapelle in Spital Square in the City with organiser Paul Plant and François Naudé  Junior. 

Menu

 

I had Tomato Salad as first course

Lovely  Beef, but needed roasties

Paul Plant and Francois Naude

Details of the wines here.

Great Yarmouth

Back to The Imperial at Great Yarmouth. This time for three nights Sat 14 - Tuesday 17th July, staying in the Ruinart Room,  to visit some museums for research. 

The weather was gloriously warm with clear skies.

Super steak in Cafe Cru restaurant with a glass of house Champagne and a bottle of wonderful Rhebokskloof 2015 Pinotage.

Sunday morning at the Museum of Norfolk Broads at Stalham. 

Then a short drive to East Ruston Old Vicarage Gardens (which we failed to find several times: note to use instruction and map on website rather than sat-nav or sign posts) for home made scones in the garden. 

Alan Gray and Graham Robeson's House

 

There are lines of sight from the gardens; one to Happisburgh lighthouse, 1.5 miles away.

 

This pillbox is between the lighthouse and sea

So we went to Happisburg for sea air before heading back to the Imperial.

Monday we spent the morning at the Time and Tide Museum in Gt Yarmouth which has a terrific cafe where we had lunch before joining a guided tour to the  ruins of Greyfriars Cloisters.

We finished in the Elizabethan House, built in 1596. 

Unfortunately the Tolhouse Gaol was closed, so we will have to return...

On the walk back I saw for the very first time punnets of red gooseberries on sale. These are sweet dessert gooseberries.

Our last night we enjoyed battered Haddock and Chips in Cafe Cru with a bottle of Ruinart NV Champagne.

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Madeira

To Madeira for a week 18-25 June. As BA flight left early from Gatwick we stayed at the Gatwick Hilton, where joy-of-joys we were upgraded to the exective floor. Free drinks and snacks in the evening and free breakfast in the executive room next morning.

First sight of Madeira was of its mountains rising above cloud cover as the plane descended. 

We stayed in Funchal at the Vida Mar Hotel on a fully inclusive basis.

Rooms were large with a seating area, balcony and full sea view. We were on the 8th floor.
 

View from balcony, restaurant at left

 Included house wines were Fonseca JMF.

We had red with dinner and white with lunch.

Lunch was at the sea-level restaurant. There were also a sushi, Italian and Madeira restaurant we could dine at.

We went to the Madeira restaurant on Thursday when they had folk singing and dancing. We ate espetata, chicken skewers cooked over charcoal.

A visit to Blandy's Madeira Lodge, a 30 minute walk from the hotel, was a must. We took two guided tours each followed by a tasting.

L>R - Rainwater (3yo), Verdelho (5yo) Malmsey (2010 vintage)

Barrels aging in heat of roof space

Me with a large barrel of 1948 Bual.

Old Satinwood vats

Near Blandy's is this castle by the sea

The Madeira flag

We took a trip around the island which stopped at the second highest cliff in the world with a glass bottomed viewing platform jutting out at the top.

Beautiful island, lovely wines, wecoming people, a super holiday.

Shame Thameslink cancelled all trains northbound from Gatwick after 21.40 so we had to get a taxi when we arrived home.

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