Part 5 - Woodbridge to Stamford, Lincolnshire

 

Tuesday, 18th August, 1981

 Restless night as it was hot.  Had breakfast in car park then off to Norwich. 

We stopped at Woodbridge to see the castle of Framlingham.  It was very beautiful!  First record of the site was in the 1100 AD.  It was given to Roger Bygod by Henry the first.  It was here that Mary the first supporters rallied in 1553 when the attempt was made to set Lady Jane Grey on the throne.  The whole castle is steeped in English history - we all climbed up to the wall and walked around - so far above the ground Sandra took off.  I overcame my agoraphobia and took photos of castle and surrounds.  It is kept in good condition.  The family scared me out of my wits as I came out into the great wall, this type of castle I like.

Framlingham Castle (TripAdvisor)

We then drove to Stradbroke where I bought my first fresh English eggs - had one for lunch at "Olde Buckenham".  Slowly through Diss - the architecture of homes changes now.  Still Tudor but more Georgian.  Out from Diss we came across Goldbridge, the bridge a bridal party caused the capture of King Edmund later St Edmund one of England's few saints.

Norwich Castle

On to Norwich through hedge-lined narrow roads (good surface though).  We visited the Norwich Castle - though very big, was not impressed as it has been too commercialised - Norwich is a thriving city. 

We strolled through delightful winding streets, shops from another world - a market graced the middle of the town.  We were parked in a half hour spot but got lost and expected a ticket but luck was with us as we were only two hours late.  Norman churches grace every town.  Tired, we found a nice camping area where we scrubbed and showered, cooked a savoury mince and are now ready for bed.  We are now in Norfolk.

 

Wednesday, 19th August, 1981

Stayed overnight at wood-land camping area.  £2.50

Trimlingham - very nice.  Showered, washed hair, clean house, good night's sleep. Up and away about 9 a.m. into Cromer where there was a yearly carnival beginning.  We put the laundry in and went for a walk.  The centre of town is narrow cobbled streets; shopfronts untouched from another era - roads weave around all seem to go somewhere.  In nearly every town we notice the centre of town still in the past - beautiful little shop fronts abutting cobbled streets, narrow but negotiable.  On too Little Walsingham where we visited the shrine Our Lady of Walsingham built in 1060 AD. 

Shrine to Blessed Virgin

Pilgrims came from afar to pray here.  Once Catholic where a lady appeared to the widow of the Lord of the manner.  The English had a great devotion to the Blessed virgin.  The shrine is magnificent.  Cobbled stones - completely walled.  We went for a walk.  Noticed architecture changed as we went across Lincolnshire - ugly front of homes, the country, dark red unattractive bricks.  Then through other villagers the architecture changed again-cobblestone houses and walls.

Collected holy water from the well in a shower cap container and sprinkled the kids and the car.  Had lunch in car park - all car parks are pay and display 20p-50p.

 

On to Castle Rising, Norfolk - built in 1150 by Earl of Sussex.  Built it as a fortified dwelling.  Parts of the Gatehouse and north of the keep appear foundations of Norman Chapel.  Sandringham, the Queen's residence, could be seen in the distance.

Castle Rising, Norfolk

On to Heatham to the Lavender farm.  They had finished harvesting so very little Lavender could be seen.  Onto Kings Lynn - found a good park and shopped in their lovely little town centre.  Once again winding small streets, people stroll on the roads.  King's Lynn is on the Norfolk coast.  Here King John died after eating too many lampreys and lost his baggage in the Wash.  People still look for his treasure.  Then on to look for a campsite for the night - on to Stamford.

The entrance into Stamford is Uffington - pretty little village, first Stone hedges lined each side of the road and properties.  Stamford a large town-15,000 population.  Elizabethan built homes and buildings.  Large tall spires on churches which graced centre of town.  Tea in car park at Stamford - we met Italian family travelling in van - Senor and Senorita Fontaine and Barbara and son.  Exchanged gifts.  Then walked up to George hotel - lovely old inn.  Met a cynical Rhodesian who thought we were nuts to come to this country.  Had a drink then off to the campsite.

Woodbridge to Stamford

Part 4 - Into the Suffolk countryside

 

Sunday, 17th August, 1981

 

Crown & Billet Pub (TripAdvisor)

Up early and off deeper into rural England, through delightful named places & lanes - past fascinating pubs "Cock Inn" "Crown and Crooked Billet ".  We first went to Leigh-on-Sea.  Boats waiting in the mud for a high tide.  A mildly active village at the mouth of the Thames.  All streets and lanes had the prefix "Leigh".  A very small sandy beach.  Fish salesmen selling cockles and muscles 70 p a pint.

Then on to Hadleigh Castle - built in 1230 by Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent.  Reverted to royalty and over the years granted to Queens of England as part of their dowry.  Built on a hilltop with slanting green slopes - the sea and the Thames can be seen in the distance.

On through Battlesbridge and on to Maldon where a church spire - 500 years old - still stands.  Spent quite a few hours there strolling down the streets which were old and winding and narrow but well-kept.  Six bells graced the bell tower.  In all these older buildings restoration relies on subscription from visitors.

On to Southend-on-Sea.  A pretty sea village with a promenade miles long with rows and rows of entertainment, and a sideshow alley.  The pier juts out into the sea for a mile.  We strolled leisurely along - Sean in his glory with pinball machines.  I think he did his full weeks pay.  We all had a go in a bingo Palace, sat at a desk with a lighted board and shutters with red, white, yellow and blue lines of colours you close a shutter if your number comes up.  I won one game and won a washing-up dish and because we came from Wagga Wagga he threw in a salad bowl so that night we had coleslaw.  The caller was the living image of David Garbutt.  Had lunch in the park whilst parking officer looked on.

Then drove on to Colchester and found camping area.  Very clean and quiet, 10 p for shower, but worth it.  We are still in Essex.  Settled for the night - very cold.

 

Monday, 18th August, 1981

Up at 7:45 a.m. best sleep we've had.  Jet lag is easing and off to sight see the castle at Colchester.  Built in 1080 AD by King John.  Found the ruins of a Roman fort 50 AD.  It was the scene of the Colchester siege in 1642.  Pictures were taken and postcards bought-as there was so much to see-strolled through the castle remnants of many past eras.  Had our first Ploughman’s lunch in the "King George Inn" - bread, salad and pickles.  Very nice!  So many places have underground dining rooms.  Had laundry done £3 and then on to Dedham -Constable country - beautiful town.  Tudor shopfronts, thatched roofs (no wonder John Constable painted such peaceful scenery). The church featured in his paintings stands still - tall and noble.  Walked around town past Hawthorn hedges and shaded lanes.

On to Bergholt - where Constable lived and painted.  What a lovely town - we bought a home -made chocolate and made hogs of ourselves.  Tudor and Georgian houses and shops line the streets - narrow but well looked after.  A sad farewell and onto Flatford to see the mill where Constable’s mate and father lived. 

This mill featured in so many of his paintings and Willie Lotts Cottage is probably the best known in England through Constable's painting-a delightful place still untouched by commercial trade.

The mill was owned by Constable's father, a lock has been built into the estuary surrounding the mill.

On to Woodbridge a small port on an estuary of the Deben River.  We are free parking here -first time - in car park behind the town.  Went for a walk after tea, hundreds of boats down a river high on the mud waiting for high tide at 3:15 a.m.

We are now in Suffolk County.

Chigwell UK to Woodbridge, UK

Part 3 - Buying the van and leaving London

 

Friday, 15th August, 1981

 Up early and off to Brentford to see the van.  Went by tube after lots of discussion.  Sandra and I don't care much for the underground.  We nearly balked when, after going down two flights of stairs, we were hustled into a lift to go down further into the bowels of the earth.  We hesitated but bravely entered where the driver chatted quite madly to either himself or us, we never did find out, then out to Brentford to pick up the van, after a unanimous vote to buy same we started back through London traffic to Paddington. 

 The afternoon was spent shopping and planning, filling the larder for our farewell. After we sent the boys and Rae home with a pizza each, San and I went into a small cafe for a steak and salad.  Have not found things expensive yet here in London - meal was £5.25 for both and very nice.  Bought 2 dolls, flags and match boxes for the kids back home.

Saturday, 16th August, 1981

 Up early to pack the van and bid our little rabbit warren goodbye.  With much trepidation and nervousness, we set off into the London traffic. We had to pick up the camping gear from Apex on the river embankments - we were there on time, parked the van and headed for the rural district after visiting Ron Phillips at Brentford again.

Made Chigwell for camp at "Grange Farm" camping area - beautiful sleepy place, small narrow roads, beautifully kept.  Swimming pool, tennis area for children £5 for the night. 

John jogged up to the village and booked us in for dinner at "Ye Olde Kings Head" in a beautiful Tudor style - visited by Charles Dickens and included in his book "Barnaby Rudge".  Also Winston Churchill country.  This was his favourite spot in his country.  Had a very nice meal!  John was disappointed as they had visited this hotel last trip and had exquisite service.  This time it had changed ownership and the service just wasn't as yesterday but then what is as before?  We could not complain about the service - four people served us food and wine -crystal glasses, silver service, tea service superb meal - about 10 pm we ambled home through country lanes to the park.

Ye Olde Kings Head, Chigwell UK

Part 2 - London

 We arrive in London

We were met at Heathrow by a Walkabout Club member Philip an Australian who gave us a description of each suburb on our way into Paddington W2 to Royal Eagle Hotel at Craven Place. 

Our bedroom was not ready so we settled into one room with all our baggage and then went down to breakfast where for five days the poor little Spanish waiter trembled each time he saw us advance.  Then after refreshments we went to find our way into London.  Our first ride in the tube - took the Bakerloo line into Oxford Circus where John left us to inquire about the van and we just wandered through Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square - names I had heard of but couldn't believe really existed but here we were in the midst of the throbbing pulsating streets of London.  

Piccadilly Circus  1981

Piccadilly Circus - at night 1981

It is August and what with school holidays and holidaymakers from the royal wedding, London is crowded.  The streets are lined with remnants of bunting, photos of the wedding couple and every window is decorated.  Souvenirs line every shop window and every vendors stall.  Can't grasp the cosmopolitan population of London.  Punk groups rub shoulders with white garbed people from the Middle East.  Black taxis drive side by side with the black limousine.  Shop names known for years are now for real - Tiffany, Hamblin’s, Liberty.  After lunch we headed for home as overtired bodies pleaded for rest.  All laid down at 1 p.m. and slept till 1 a.m. next morning, awakening starved and bright.  San and I dozed on till 5 a.m. but now all three bright sparks Rae, Sean and John stayed awake and went walking in Hyde Park at 4:30 a.m.

 An early breakfast with our little Spanish waiter.  Did he get our order right?  Not yet!  Breakfast is inclusive.  Bacon, eggs, cereal, tea and toast - then off for a tour of London by Walkabout bus - a double-decker yellow and green (Aussie colours) providing a good tour to places where we may never get to, like the tower, dungeon, lots of places we will revisit later at leisure like St Paul's Cathedral, the Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, Wellington's Palace which has the smallest police station in the world.  London fascinates me with its cultural population its buses, cars, Christopher Wren's architecture standing out to fascinate the visitors.  It's streets are very grotty but that could be the holidaymakers.

 After lunch went for a walk through Hyde Park to stroll through Harrods - its food stalls are terrific.  

Every country is represented, grapes from Spain, oranges from Italy, tomatoes from America, cheese from every country in the world.  Marvellous!  Browsed through shops looking at crockery and antiques.  

Tomorrow we are off to inspect the van.  Have hardly seen John since we arrived, poor darling has to find us a good van to last us 12 months to get us safely through Europe.  To bed very tired.

I love the names of pubs. The lanes are so clean -Pudding Lane, the Bald Head, such musical names.  Also the streets are so well -kept, main roads and side streets and lowly, narrow lanes are all beautifully paved.  A lesson Australia!

Pat's European Diary 1981-1982

 As they say .... the best laid plans of mice and men!  I started this blog in 2017 and life and Covid got in the way.  My commitment now is to document Mum's European diary.  It will be in Mum's own words with very little editing.  She certainly had a great way of taking one into her experience.  

European Tour 1981-1982 as written by Pat Romeril

 

9th August, 1981

                                                Sydney to London

Beginning of an adventure

 Left Sydney on time, after waving goodbye three cheers and brave smiles, into the inner sanctum and life was not one's own swept along through unfamiliar checkpoints, immigration and customs where we had a delay - one of John's boxes showed up suspect, it was the cord, it had to be undone and passed - not a bomb, by a disgruntled duty-free officer.  Hundreds of people sat in the long corridor waiting for another flight.  Well when they called QF1 every mother to child lined up and shuffled through onto the plane.  We had another dicey moment when we had to unpack and reassemble all John's equipment so we could fit aboard - out came Sean's forbidden knife and amid much laughter, he cut the rope.  My big moment had come; here I was actually sitting in a 747 and on my way.

At this moment my other self came and sat on my shoulder to watch the flight into the hemisphere.  

3:30 p.m. up and away on time - this moment I placed us all into the Lord's hand and settled down to enjoy it.  Well my seasoned travellers on either side provided enough entertainment to keep me busy.  Hyperventilating Rae nearly passed out, however on levelling out, all returned to normal and enjoyed the trip.

4 p.m. over Moree then Mt Isa, Darwin and on to Singapore - the attention and activity was marvellous - juices, wines, hand towels and tea.  A delicious meal - ham mushroom hors d'oeuvres, fillet steak, fruit and cheese.  Then clean up and a movie "Eyewitness", after which we all settled down to sleep.  And Australia slipped away somewhere there.  We slept seven hours but woke about 11 p.m. Australian time to supper.  Cold salad, brown bread and butter and tea. 

Then down to Singapore.  It has been a smooth flight so far.  Changi airport is a very modern one.  Had one and a half hours there - people were charming. It was 29° at 10 p.m. Singapore time.  Bought a calculator for $12 Australian then back on board and up and away - drinks, hot towels - we walked around between activities.  Met some nice people.  Ron Wells kept us amused with his mouth organ.  Then we had roast duck with lychees, veggies and coffee.  Slept then for four hours and dozed the last three hours.  About 1:20 a.m. we landed at Bahrain.  I could see oil wells in the sea.  It was very hot and no air-conditioning.  Arabs were dressed in their turbans and long Persil white robes or shirts and jeans.  We were only there 30 minutes.  Up again to last leg of trip.

Already my body is objecting to the change of the routine.

Omelette, tomato, bacon, bread roll, cinnamon roll, marmalade and coffee or tea - imagine breakfast at 3 a.m.  After clean up the second film "Tribute".  It could have been good with Jack Lemon, but I dozed again and saw only bits of it.  We all awoke to dawn over Belgrade and we could see the blue Danube wending her way along.  Later on we could see the top of the Alp's as we flew over Frankfurt on over Amsterdam on to London but not before we had tea and coffee, Scotch shortbread, Delicious apple and beautiful dark cherries and chocolate.  Guess who ended up with all of them?  We saw the outline of England through quite a fog - the pilot thought we would be held up because of the mist but like a good pilot he put his plane and us down smoothly five minutes ahead of ETA 6:50 a.m. English daylight Time.  

Yippee!-we are here - it promises to be a nice warm day.