Hastings Towne

We are back and will be daily blogging  our Griswald experience in reverse.

We wrapped up our trip at Hastings, 19/8 to 24/8.

[Oh look, he's using European style dating. Care to try Celsius temperature?-Ed]

No.

We took a train from London down to Hasting Station, a very comfortable ride slightly better than the AMTRAK in America. We passed idyllic English countryside with ancient English sounding names like Tunbridge Wells (now there's a Viking root-name if we ever heard one*) Broadstair and Folkstone.

We stayed at Combe Haven, an old fashioned English style all inclusive resort with caravans (trailers), onsite pubs, grocery and entertainment.

We were the only Americans at Combe Haven and people expressed surprise and astonishment that Yanks were there.

Combe Haven sits on an ancient hill. From here English lookouts watched the channel since the time of the Romans right on through to the Blitz. Just east of the resort is another ancient hill. Viewing the hillock in the twilight we felt like we were at the end of a Led Zeppelin song.* The resort is frequented by working class families (in the American vernacular) from south, southeastern England. 

The town of Hastings itself is a slightly worn seaside resort with, believe it or not, palm trees. Somehow Hastings has a vague Mediterranean feel, something we would have thought impossible on the English Channel, yet there it was. The Channel itself surprised as well. We expected a roiling body of grey, cruel sea, but instead saw blue waters and even  inviting turquoise close to shore. Speaking of, Hastings is not really a beach town in the American sense, as the beach is not sand but rock and pebble. 

People come here to get some sun and catch the breeze. English late August feels like New England's late September, with cool air never topping 73 degrees and a bracing wind off the Channel. These people were just dying during the previous week's heat wave.

For us the highlight of the town was Hastings Castle, built by William the Bastard upon conquering England. The castle is all ruins which one can walk amongst for 4.99 a head. 

Hasting's Castle sits upon a hill with a commanding view of the town and the shore.

William the Bastard may have gotten across but nobody else has in the last thousand years.

Still British.

*Any English name with ton, tun, tunne - you get the idea- on the end of it has a Viking root, ton being Viking for fort, town or settlement
**Name the song, get a book. Come on guys, this one should be sooooo easy.