retiredmartin

April 2023.

Everyone is visiting Kent these days. BRAPA, Paul Bailey, Pauline, the bloke doing every GBG pub in the county…

I was in good company as we went down to Rye Harbour to make sure our caravan was ready to receive a few visitors. 3 days; enough time to get a few ticks.

And admire Rye itself. Honestly, it really is one of the most gorgeous places on earth, even when the Ypres Castle is closed.

Two ticks, Canterbury and the mysterious Sturry. I bet only tickers have been to Sturry, unless they got off at the wrong stop.

I’d planned to do Sturry first, but excitingly the earlier train from Ashford had been delayed just long enough for me to do Canterbury first, as long as I could get there and back and get a pint in 23 minutes.

Google suggested it would be tight.

But not so tight I couldn’t take a few pics on the way. Canterbury sparkled.

The Bell & Crown was due to open at noon, but the door was wide open at five to. Ooh, early tick.

Sadly, not, they were “getting ready”, so I had five minutes to do the tourist thing.

I know it got heartily bombed in the war, but it’s scrubbed up quite well,

and despite what these shots show was heaving with French and Italian students doing coursework on Kent GBG entries in the 21st century.

Students get in the cathedral free, old codgers like me have to pay fifteen pounds fifty.

You read that right £15.50 to see old stuff and hear about a rather messy murder in 1170.

I gave it a miss, and took a photo of some ancient medieval poetry instead.

And then went back to stand outside the Bell & Crown at 11:59 to be first at the bar…