In the Footsteps of the Templars: South East England

Staines

We arrive at Heathrow on an Alitalia flight. On time. We pick up the car (a Hertz minivan that passes outside Terminal 2 and, going through all the other terminals, reaches the parking lot). At pickup, zero explanation of the car, just keys and off you go. We head towards Staines, a place on the Thames about 20 km from the airport. There we stay at the Mercure Thames Lodge (€50 per night without breakfast). Let's call it a technical stop. Staines doesn't offer anything interesting except the Thames that flows right next to the hotel. Nice location, but the hotel has a terrible level of cleanliness, truly terrible. Our room also faced the parking lot (private and free anyway, which is rare) and was on the ground floor, so a night with the window closed. Eating was a challenge because we arrived at 11 pm and even McDonald's was closed.

We came across a place doing pizzas for home delivery and made do. Eating them at the hotel!

Salisbury

Bad weather. Cool, around 19 degrees, and cloudy. We stop to take a few photos of the Thames and head towards Stonehenge. Quiet road, highway for long stretches. About an hour and a half, we always go very carefully and respecting the limits (there are tons of speed cameras, the TOM TOM was warning me about them too). Stonehenge is disappointing because the park is crossed by the main road. And so you lose that mystical atmosphere you expect to find. Parking costs £3 and is in front of Stonehenge. To enter you pay about £8 and the £3 for parking is deducted. But don't make the mistake of going in because in reality everything is visible (and well, believe me) from the road. You can take your photos in peace. In fact, I'll tell you more: avoid the paid parking lot because further ahead (about 200 meters) there are small lanes where you can park for free (everyone does it!).

In short, disappointing… and on top of that it's raining too, so we leave, heading towards Salisbury. The medieval town is very nice. The Salisbury Cathedral is beautiful. Entry is free, you only pay if you want to climb the spire. It's also very nice at night when lit up and it's worth taking a stroll. The gardens surrounding the cathedral are, of course, well-kept and perfect in the English style. We stayed at the Pembroke B&B (very expensive, we went there because the previous hotel messed up the reservation and sent us here with many apologies. Just to give you an idea, this place costs £140 per night, breakfast excluded!! We actually paid £90 with breakfast. But honestly it's not worth it at all: small rooms and bordering on suffocating, even though very nice. Polite and kind staff, an English breakfast that's acceptable but I wouldn't say abundant or particularly well-prepared.

Free parking.

Brighton

After breakfast we head south towards the coast. Having passed Southampton without stopping, we go straight towards Portsmouth. An important port area where the Titanic was built, the town was ravaged during the world war with several bombings and today everything seems very new but also rather anonymous. We parked in a multi-storey covered parking lot near the port (£4 for 4 hours) and entered the historic port area where there are some ships you can visit, museums, and also the possibility of taking boat excursions in the port. We decided to visit the HMS Victory, the famous ship commanded by Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar. The visit was very interesting even though the ticket (£12) isn't exactly affordable. A museum is also included in the price (rather anonymous). The ship was nice anyway and there's even a paper guide in Italian (unbelievable).

We stopped to eat along the port in a nice pub and then set off again because the final stop of the day was Brighton, the "English Riviera." It was a nice day even though very windy and not very warm. With some difficulty (despite the TOM TOM, because some hotels don't register the street number) we find our Hotel Sea Spray (about €70 for a double with breakfast. This hotel is really nice with a very kind lady who will inevitably have to explain to you what to see and/or do in Brighton. It's impossible to resist her, she's too kind. Warning no. 1: if you arrive after 9 pm, write to her because otherwise you'll find it closed (there's no night reception). Warning no. 2: if you're claustrophobic, don't go because the rooms are truly microscopic, at the limits of survival. It's even hard to open your suitcases and moving around the bathroom is a challenge.

Another downside: very hot in the room and furious seagulls that woke us up rudely at 4:30 in the morning!! Brighton is nice but truly overrun. The beach is pebbles (small ones, but pebbles), the sea rather rough but with lots of young people swimming, risking being smashed on the rocks. There's a big pier (Brighton Pier) with a huge amusement park on top, open until very late in the evening. There's a wreck of the old Pier that caught fire. The wreck has been lying in the water for several decades and has almost become a monument. Along the beach, dozens of bars, restaurants, holes in the wall, pubs… in short, true chaos, even in the evening. There's a very nice seafront for strolling. The pedestrian area is also nice for some shopping, but also because that's where the places to have dinner in Brighton are concentrated. You can eat fish and shellfish or meat in a pub.

The important thing is to do it early because after 9 pm… it becomes hard to sit down since they no longer accept guests. If you're late (or don't feel like eating at 6 in the afternoon), then fall back on Brighton Pier, whose kiosks stay open until 11 pm (some even longer). The Pavilion was disappointing. They were doing renovation work, but the thing that struck me most (negatively, I mean) is that in the gardens there's real social distress with kids sitting around drinking beers (and smoking marijuana) or doing their business behind the bushes. In the evening the area then becomes not advisable because it's truly a den of misfits. I didn't like it and that's why we decided not to stop the next day to visit the interior (it closes at 5 pm).

Canterbury

We head towards Eastbourne. We say goodbye to the kind lady and go towards the Beachy Head cliffs just before Eastbourne. They are chalk cliffs similar to those of Dover, a little lower and perhaps less spectacular… but honestly we really liked them because at the bottom there are the classic lighthouses with white and red stripes… enchanting. Very strong wind but a rather beautiful day. Once you reach Beachy Head, park in the numerous (paid) parking lots along the road and take some long walks, or stop to contemplate the almost 150-meter drop that separates you from the sea. Be careful because along the edges there are macabre crosses in memory of the insane acts of some poor souls… Beachy Head is in fact also famous for suicides (or aspiring ones). We continue because today's stop is long and we arrive around 2 pm in Dover.

We look for a place to eat and find a truly sad pub but it fed us (with a 40-minute wait) for £2.75 each! Crazy, it felt like being inside an English family's home. If you want to go, the pub is called Falstaff and is at 8 Ladywell. Of course in Dover you have to choose between the cliffs and the Castle. We opted for the cliffs since the castle could also be admired from the outside (very distinctive, well-kept, and it also deserves an interior visit; I was there over 20 years ago and have positive memories). The cliffs have paid access (I recall £5 but I could be wrong) to park the car. The center closes at 5:00 pm but the barrier isn't closed before 7:00 pm. There's a long walk of over 2 hours. Obviously you can choose where to stop… keep in mind that after about 2 miles there's a beautiful white lighthouse and at a normal pace it takes about 45 minutes (one way).

The walk is truly invigorating and exciting: green hills, meadows, chalk cliffs over 200 meters high, ferries towards Dover and Calais, the French coast visible across the Channel. Incredibly pleasant, really. Even though the wind really makes your head spin. After two hours we return to the castle, take a few photos from the hill that dominates it, and then, it's past 7 in the evening, we go to Canterbury where we've booked our accommodation. It's a little over 20 km away: once we arrived in Canterbury, finding the hotel was a truly difficult undertaking. It's called Canterbury Cathedral Lodge (and the address read Cathedral Precinct but how could we know that the hotel was right inside the perimeter of England's most famous Cathedral??? So I'll skip the 30 minutes of frantic searching: you have to go along Burgate St (a pedestrian street that leads to the Cathedral).

The entrance gate to the Cathedral is guarded by a police officer but don't worry: ask and it will be opened for you. You can access the cloister where the officer will take your car's details and point you to the parking lot (facing the Cathedral). The hotel is inside the Cathedral's perimeter and therefore is the only accommodation that allows you to admire the building from your room or while sipping a coffee in the wonderful private garden. Details about the hotel: 1) Cost of £65 for a double with continental breakfast 2) The price also includes the cost of accessing the Cathedral. In fact, entering the cloister and then the Cathedral costs £7.50 per person, so you'll save £15.

Furthermore, you can easily wander around when the Cathedral and especially the Cloister close… at 9 pm the gate is bolted but in reality you can easily walk around as residents 3) Getting in and out of the closed gate is easy: just show a special authorization that the girl at reception will give you 4) The parking is wonderful because it's free; we asked and obtained permission to leave the car until 1 pm the next day, saving a few pounds 5) The hotel isn't bad, although the sore point of the room is that the double bed had one side against the wall, so to get out you had to climb over the other person! But the location was so perfect that you can't level any accusation 6) Shared internet PC station with free internet in the library. The hotel is in fact a former student residence of the University of Canterbury. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Canterbury is very nice.

Very traditional with many Tudor-style houses, very well-kept. The pedestrian center is nice, the gardens are beautiful and very well-tended. If you feel like it, you can also take a ride on a little boat along the canals that pass through Canterbury; it seemed very romantic. I'd have no idea about the price, but it seemed like an accessible city anyway. To eat (here there are no hours, you can eat even until 11 pm, a rare thing in His Majesty's kingdom) I recommend in the main square, right in front of the Cathedral entrance, the pub Buttermarket. Nice, with outdoor tables in a wonderful medieval setting and with good food. Excellent cider (Bulmers), both apple and pear. It's a low-alcohol (4.5°) sparkling drink obtained from the fermentation of apples or pears. Sold in half-liter bottles, it's normally served in a pint with ice.

It costs £3.65 (not cheap, I'd say) but it's truly refreshing. On the label it says not to overdo it and not to drink more than 4 units a day (2 liters!!). That evening I drank 3 and I was anything but lucid! Late in the evening, the center of Canterbury gave us the impression of being rather unsafe: I can't tell you exactly what it was, but there was a lot of police around and especially quite a few tipsy young lads going around shouting… maybe that gave the impression of poor safety, but it's something we only noticed here. We were wandering around at midnight but we weren't exactly at ease. Hmm..

Maidstone

We go to the coast, near the mouth of the Thames. The place is called Whitstable, famous for its… oysters! After the positive experience in Brittany, we rush there since it's 10-12 km from Canterbury. The town is nice but parking is difficult because there are few spots and parking is allowed for a maximum of two hours! So you then have to come back and put in more money (and without being seen, by the way, because it's not allowed!). We had our eye on a very nice place to eat oysters at a good price (also mentioned by Lonely Planet) but it was packed with tables booked until 5 pm (!!!) and so we asked a shopkeeper for an idea of where to go. Be careful because the places are nice but can also be expensive. And so we went to this place by the sea that was recommended to us.

Decent prices (not low) but good food and impeccable service, especially since they were patient with us, who weren't very familiar with the names of fish in English… we had oysters (6), half a lobster, and mussels + French fries. Drank two beers for £50. You can also find oysters at a low price along the port but you have to eat them sitting on the sidewalk. We paid £7.50 for 6 oysters but I saw some street vendors offering them for half price. It was very hot (almost 30°) and nicely sunny, so some daredevils were even swimming! We also got a nice ice cream to try to cool off (paid a hefty £2 for a McDonald's-style cone!). Around 3:30 pm we get in the car and head to Maidstone, where we'll stay for the last night. The hotel is called Oakwood House (and it's a beautiful estate just outside the town center. It's almost a Castle, with a wonderful park (I really mean it).

Free parking and squirrels running from tree to tree, a paradise. The only slightly sad thing is that the property is rather business-oriented and I believe we were the only tourists. The hotel has many conference rooms and in the morning at breakfast we were the only ones not wearing a jacket and tie (!). However, the cost is affordable: €65 for a double with breakfast (rather pitiful). The room was rather comfortable and large but rather anonymous and bare. The bar is huge and until 10:30 pm allows you to get a drink or even have some small snacks. The guy is very kind and even let us get drinks after closing. If it's daytime, you can enjoy your drink in the back garden, which is a marvel. Maidstone is nice but not overwhelming. In the evening it becomes a bit sad because it's not very touristy, except for the fact that within a few km there's Leeds Castle (the reason for our visit).

We wander aimlessly around the pedestrian center (after parking the car in a paid lot, of course) and come across a Spanish restaurant (La Tasca). Huge, clean, and quite busy. Why not? A Paella and a sangria. We wait ages, almost an hour. They also bring us some meatballs to pass the time (which of course we then pay for!). Paella not bad (not excellent but not bad). Sangria to be absolutely avoided (£12 wasted!). Staff very kind anyway, and happy hour until 9 pm with an offer at £10 per person where you can order "tapas as you like," i.e., until you stuff yourselves.

Heading home

Early morning breakfast (also because the hotel bar closes at 8:30!). Then we head to Leeds Castle. I don't want to say anything other than: SUPERB! The park is wonderful, with black swans, ducks… beautiful gardens… entry costs £16 but it's valid for a year and allows you to enter and enjoy the garden, the mini attractions for kids (aviaries, falconry, maze, a small obstacle course Camel Trophy style) and of course visit the Castle. Of course the Castle is very well-kept (it belongs to a private foundation of the descendants of the American magnate who bought it at the beginning of the 1900s) but inside it doesn't cause much surprise. Beautiful on the outside, with the little lake, the drawbridge, and then a huge golf course. If you want, the Castle can be rented for weddings (it's also possible to officiate a civil ceremony) and a beautiful white marquee hosts the banquet.

Of course I couldn't tell you the cost! We don't realize it but lunchtime arrives quickly. Getting around the immense garden is anyway made easier by a little train that takes you around to avoid walking kilometers. But above all to avoid dying of heat (the day was even hotter, over 31°). We go to the parking lot (included in the entry price) and go a couple of kilometers from there where we had seen a wonderful place to eat the last meal on British soil: the Park Gate Inn (a huge Tudor-style pub right on the road with a large parking lot and a very large garden equipped with benches and umbrellas. We try to sit outside but the heat is truly excessive and we opt to go inside. There's a promo with two dishes of your choice for £9 and we opt for a main dish (sausages and mash for me and roast chicken for my girlfriend) and a nice berry fruit salad.

Of course, the inevitable cider but also a good coffee (I must say that even though it wasn't espresso, it wasn't bad). We slowly head towards Heathrow airport and as we get closer, the traffic increases and so do the highway lanes… we counted 4 in each direction plus the emergency lane, of course! Always allow time to return the car, check out, and then take the shuttle that goes through all the terminals until it reaches yours… it took us a good hour. Plan accordingly. Having done this… we're left with a bit of a lump in our throat and then we leave on the 8 pm flight to Rome. Sweetening the sadness is a magnificent nighttime view of Paris… and then we arrive in the oppressive heat of the Capital. Happy travels everyone!