June, 2024 - Travels with Verne and Roy

Two Weeks in England, 15-30 May 2024, Part 3 – East Sussex and London

Two weeks in England: Detour to Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex; beating the bank holiday traffic; De La Warr Pavilion; Laetitia Yhap art exhibition; Relais Cooden Beach; via Lewes to London; Docklands and Canary Wharf; shopping disappointment; two London shows; Blackheath pub grub; Gatwick Sofitel and EasyJet to Montpellier

It’s over 300 miles (480km) from Liverpool to the Sussex east coast, where I’d managed to convince Roy to take us to spend the night at the Relais Cooden Beach, at Bexhill-on-Sea. (As mentioned before, I do freelance writing and editing work for the Relais Group, which also took us to The Relais Henley the previous week: see Part 1 of Two Weeks in England, here). On the other hand, it would be just a two-hour drive the next day from Bexhill-on-Sea to London, the last stop before France.

We expected a good 5.5 hour drive from Liverpool, plus the frequent pit-stops that this flesh of mine is hostage to; so leaving early was a good idea. Like most Brits, Roy vehemently dislikes being wrested untimely from his bed; but we were surprisingly up, out, and on the road by 7.15am… and that was how we beat the Monday bank holiday traffic.

Bexhill-on-Sea

Relais Cooden Beach is located in the southern part of Bexhill-on-Sea.

Two Weeks in England, 15-30 May 2024, Part 2 – Merseyside

Two weeks in England: Merseyside is not Liverpool: Crosby and The Wirral; three nights in Wallasey; family matters; Roy and 100 other iron men at Crosby; topless in Liverpool

So, from the birthplace of the Bard to the birthplace of Roy. Well, not actually Liverpool – he was born in Crosby, north of Liverpool. The Wirral, a wide peninsula on the other side of the Mersey River, where several family members live, is similarly not Liverpool.

There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.

John Lennon

New Brighton Promenade, on The Wirral – Crosby Beach is on the other side of the water

Two Weeks in England, 15-30 May 2024, Part 1

Two weeks in England: The Plan; Singapore stopover; nothing to wear; cream tea at The Relais Henley; not visiting Blenheim Palace, Woodstock; not visiting Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford Upon Avon; Roy’s family birthday

It wasn’t easy for Roy to leave the house we’re having built in Perth WA, especially at rather a critical point – our cursed builder went into liquidation, remember? – but this trip had been booked a year earlier. Two weeks in England, then the full month of June in the South of France – bookended by three days in Singapore.

He had planned this first post-COVID trip to England mainly with extended family in mind. It felt well due. His sister Lyndsay and John live near Stratford Upon Avon, so it made sense to kick off with a week there. Then, not having seen Aunty Marjorie, cousin Richard and cousin Kate for far too many years, we would head up to the Wirrall and Liverpool for a few days. Finally, we’d spend four nights in London.

Getting there

We took an SIA flight from Perth to Singapore, arriving on the evening of Sunday 12 May for three days with the ever-hospitable Paul and Salinah. Thanks, guys!

Singapore, all about food and friends… and foodie friends

They do not love that do not show their love.”

Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona

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