£17 POUNDS !

August 2024. Canterbury.

A new Guide entry, an old favourite, a pre-emptive tick and two hours of cheery conversation with strangers. Let’s call it a night, Canterbury.

Actually, the town centre is so compact we immediately bumped into Kathy and Wayne who we’d left 5 minutes earlier trying to finish off a shared sticky toffee pudding,

and then the next morning we saw them again, in the cloisters of the Cathedral.

It’s hard to avoid the church, to be fair, with the only other worthwhile attraction being the ducking stool at Kings Bridge.

See how the Cathedral dominates the view from the Google drone;

Hard to believe the Baedeker raids missed it and destroyed the Wetherspoons instead.

Many folk have made pilgrimages here over the centuries, and not just to tick pubs,

though I read the reward for the best tale in Chaucer’s book (the torment of many a 12 year old pupil) was a meal at the Tabard in Southwark, which tells you all you need know about the quality of the Master Brew back in the 14th century.

Astonishingly, I hadn’t been in the Cathedral on at least half a dozen trips, and nor had Mrs RM despite her working in the city in the 90s.

At the admission desk I remembered why. £12.50 admission in 2018, £15.50 last year, £17 today.

But we could use the tickets all year, so that’s OK then.

In fairness, it costs £20 to watch Maidenhead United, so £17 to visit one of the top tourist sites in Britain isn’t too bad,

and in parts it really feels like a tourist attraction rather than church.

One for fans of modern stained glass,

and old tombs.

Perhaps the most interesting exhibit is the display of the Thomas Becket windows,

apparently long shown out of that their correct order.

Anyone who has tried to get to grips with the ordering of chapters in the GBG will sympathise.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

9 thoughts on “£17 POUNDS !”

  3. “Hard to believe the Baedeker raids missed it” but they intentionally missed cathedrals as prominent landmarks useful for targeting future raids. And the Tower of London was missed as Adolf wanted it for his headquarters in England.
    “£17 today. But we could use the tickets all year, so that’s OK then.” So that’s not quite 5p ( a shilling in proper money ) per day. “Worth every penny” as Dave says.

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  4. It was £25 to go in Westminster Abbey the last time I was there a few years ago (I bought my mum a pencil from the gift shop instead). If you’re a member of the Church of England and make a big deal about visiting it for spiritual reasons, I believe they will eventually let you in for free, but the less theologically committed who try to see it for nothing by attending a service there and then set off wandering around afterwards are apparently soon shooed out by the stewards.

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