To look at the photo above, it is the perfect day. When I tell you that winds were gusting to sixty miles an hour and we were in the middle of yet another storm (Franklin) and that all the bins had been blown over and the pier was shut, well…yes, it’s still looks nice! I did have to hang on to railings a couple of times.
I took the bus for the thirty minute ride from Canterbury and was nearly knocked off my feet when I got off the bus. The storm peak hadn’t hit, so I thought I’d risk this trip. I didn’t stay long as it was no fun walking in that wind. The tide was out and hardly anyone was about, unsurprisingly! I walked a little way and then decided to check out a small seaside museum I’d seen, only to find that it was shut on Monday’s. There wasn’t really anything else to do. Herne Bay is small, a few shops, but nice walks….when the wind isn’t blowing a gale.
I found a small cafe and ordered a hot chocolate to pass some time. There wasn’t anything else to stay for. One drawback to Herne Bay is its lack of toilets. I hadn’t seen any and the cafe I was in was too small to have them. I had to Google ‘public toilets’ to find one. Then I had brave the wind again and walk back to the Bandstand. Thankfully, the toilets were open.
I headed back to the bus stop, and the bus came while I was checking out the timetable. I was back in Canterbury before lunch.
During the afternoon, when the winds had died down a little, I headed out again, walking through the city to Westgate Towers where there is a museum, restaurant and Escape Room in the old gaol. Now, I don’t like old gaols. They are creepy, and the only reason I went to this one was because of the viewing platform on the roof of the tower. The whole place gave me the eeby jeebies. Even entering (you have to climb stairs to get in) is worrying (for me). There is one large room with items on display, then one room (cell) upstairs, the debtors’ prison on the ground floor, then back up to the roof. The views are good, but I have to say I was glad to get out of there! Sometimes one has to do things out of one’s comfort zone to get the photos!
This was my last day in Canterbury, and I had managed to see nearly everything I’d set out to see, despite the weather. The trains were running again on Tuesday when I left, though I know some places were still struggling with trees on lines. It was good to actually see the view going home, as when I travelled to Canterbury, it was dark.
Our house was still okay after the storms, though one flower tub had taken flight over the back into someone else’s garden (hubby went and got it back a few days later).
Next week I will back to the usual Monday blog post.
My London+ 