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Sunday 24 August 2014

Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France ... at night

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together? Mr B asked me to organise an overnight stop somewhere in France on our way home to Spain. It was a great brief - anywhere, I mean anywhere interesting in France. Well the sky's the limit ... .

And it totally was. The sky was the limit with this leviathan of the Roman world. Feast your eyes, my friends, on the tallest aqueduct that Rome ever built.

Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France
Twilight at the Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France


Isn't it a beauty? Way up on top, where it looks like someone sewed on the top tier using blanket stitch, they used to carry the water across the valley to feed the growing Roman colony in Nîmes. Down below where you can see the wider arches they had a viaduct where people would travel across the river gorge with the Gardon river flowing merrily on its way down below.

Mr B thought that it was a pretty good choice.

We arrived in Remoulins in the early evening, and checked in with our (dog-friendly) hotel in the centre of town. Then we decided to take Maxi, the wonder dog, for a walk to stretch his paws after all that time sitting in the back of the car watching Scooby-Doo videos with Emi, who was also looking slightly goggle-eyed in the way that eight year old boys do when they've just spent eight hours watching non-stop Scooby-Doo on a small screen in the back of a fast moving car.

As we had a UNESCO world heritage site on the outskirts of town that seemed like the obvious destination to bend our steps towards. We asked the chap in the hotel reception, and he gave us one of those Gallic shrugs and told us that it would take tventy minoots to get to the bridge.

About an hour later we ambled up to the bridge, hungry and wondering how we'd ever manage to drag our weary backsides back to town without some pommes frites and a nice glass of something cold and wet.

Then we saw this:

Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France

... and forgot about the pommes frites.

We wandered around admiring it and wading into the river to get the best possible photo. And then we wondered whether or not they'd have some sort of son et lumière gig later when it got properly dark.

It got properly dark.

Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France

And the lights came on ... and I felt a bit inadequate at having come without my tripod ...

Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France

Taking photos in the pitch dark, half way across the river was a challenge. Not least because my anxious son would shout out my name every five minutes from the viewing terrace to reassure himself that I hadn't been swept away by the water. Every time I released the shutter I had to shout back reassurance that I was still very much in the land of the living, resulting in a blur as my exhalation shook the camera ever so slightly. And, with the lights dancing in waves of colour, it took very little to blur the image.

Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France

And then we climbed the bridge and walked across it with the lights playing around us. It was a moonless night, which made the colours all the more dramatic given the contrast they made with the inky blackness of the sky.

Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France

Emi's new word for the evening was serendipitous: adjective: occurring or discovered by chance in a happy and beneficial way. Our discovery of the night-time spectacle had been a truly serendipitous gift of fate, and our good luck didn't end there. You see, by now, we had really worked up an appetite and the idea of a nice steak-frites was weighing very heavily on our thoughts.

Just as the happy holiday mood was in danger of being deflated by hunger pangs we saw this place, Les Terrasses, on the rive droite of the Gardon.


Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France


Now we would normally run a mile from the only restaurant operating at a tourist hotspot like this, dismissing it as something that only survived because it held the foreign tourists to ransom being the only pit-stop in town. But we were very hungry and it was a long walk back into town (merci, Monsieur le concierge for your advice on that point). So we decided to give it a go. And it was really great. They offered us a bowl of water for le petit chien, which immediately earned them multiple brownie points chez moi, and with very little fuss and fanfare they delivered succulent rib eye steaks in a pepper sauce with pommes frites and some lovely ice-cold glasses of the local beer. Fantastique! Formidable!


And the best bit was the magnificent view from the terrace where we sat feasting in the balmy night air:

Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France

Apologies, but the glass of the fine local beer did very little to steady my hand on the camera ... .

So, if you happen to be in the neighbourhood of Remoulins and you'd like to go for a stroll, head for the rive droite, the right bank of the Gardon, walking out of town. It's much closer than the left bank, and don't be afraid to try, Les Terrasses, the terrace restaurant when you get there. It's not half bad!

Pont du Gard, Remoulins, France
Anyway, drop by tomorrow, and I'll show you what this baby looks like in daylight.

À demain,


Bonny x


Or if you're in the area why not check out Perpignan?


Or the insect kingdom of Micropolis?


Thursday 21 August 2014

Lulworth Crumple, Stair Hole, Lulworth Cove and then on to Durdle Door

Following our visit to Corfe Castle and lunch at the Scott Arms we headed off to Lulworth to see the cove and the crumple. Now this sort of thing is just so interesting. It's kind of like having a geology lesson that you can walk through. And it's not just me: more school children come to Lulworth on geography field trips than go to any other corner of the country.

So what's the Lulworth Crumple, you ask?

Well, here it is. This magnificent cliff face with the layers of rock all playing off at jaunty angles to the horizontal is the Lulworth Crumple.

Lulworth Crumple and Stair Hole
Lulworth Crumple and Stair Hole

The rocks here are sedimentary, and, as you might expect, they once lay in nice, neat, horizontal layers made up of hard limestone alternating with soft mudstone.

The Crumple was produced when the tectonic plates carrying Europe and Africa crashed into one another about 65 million years ago. The force of the impact folded up parts of the land to form the Alps and the Pyrenees after a fashion that was not totally dissimilar to the way in which a car hood - or bonnet, as we like to call them in England - will bend in a head-on collision.

Shock waves spread out across the plates, like ripples in a pond, pushing up smaller hills like the chalk ridges in Purbeck. As the layers of rock at the Crumple were pushed against each other under the impact of those shock waves they bent so that some of the originally horizontal layers are now almost vertical, but the different types of rock performed differently under the huge pressures to which they were subjected. The hard limestone bent and cracked, but remained largely intact. Gravity caused the soft mudstone to slide between the harder layers of limestone to fill any spaces produced where it had bent. In this way the amazing folds that are the Lulworth Crumple were formed.

Lulworth Crumple and Stair Hole
Lulworth Crumple and Stair Hole

Stair Hole is the big hole in the spine of hard Portland limestone that faces out to sea. It's been formed by sea erosion of a weakness in the rock, which is slowly, slowly producing a circular sea cove behind it that will one day, in the distant future look like Lulworth Cove, just over the other side of the headland. In fact it will probably merge with Lulworth Cove as a result of continued coastal erosion.

Would you like to see the famous Lulworth Cove?

Here it is:


Lulworth Cove, Dorset
Lulworth Cove, Dorset

It's a perfect, almost fully circular, cove. It was formed where a river, swollen with melt water at the end of the ice age wore its way down through the hard, almost vertical rock strata of Portland limestone, directly in front of the sea. Behind this hard rock were bands of much softer rocks backed by a harder band of chalk (which you can see, rising up from the beach). As a result when the channel, which had been opened up by that old river, was exposed to the ebb and flow of the sea, the soft rocks between the limestone and the chalk were eroded much more rapidly than the hard rocks in front, or the chalk behind. Diffraction of the sea waves as they bunched together to pass through the narrow opening at the mouth of the cove and then spread out afterwards caused the circular erosion. If you look carefully at the photos you can just about see the circular wave forms resulting from this diffraction.

Lulworth Cove, Dorset
Lulworth Cove, Dorset

And you can still see the remains of that big old river that caused the whole thing to develop in the first place. These days it's more of a fast-flowing stream, but it runs down past the beach café where they sell teas and ice cream to the tourists.

Lulworth Cove, Dorset
The entrance to Lulworth Cove, Dorset

And then we drove off round the coast a little further to see the wonders that are Durdle Door and the Man O'War Rocks, which are to be found in the cove to the east of Durdle Door.



You can see the Man O'War Rocks in the photo below. A very, very long time ago the cove here looked a lot like Lulworth Cove, but sea erosion eventually wore away the spine of hard limestone that faced out to sea, and the Man O'War Rocks are all that remains of that old limestone spine. Look carefully ... you can still see the large hole in the centre, through which the sea entered and which caused the wave diffraction that produced the circular cove. And if you look even more carefully you can see how the waves are still diffracting through that opening to come out rounded. There's a bit of interference with waves coming through the other openings, but the diffraction is still pretty clear.

Man O'War Rocks, Dorset
Man O'War Rocks, Dorset
Anyway, on over the headland is the famous Durdle Door, formed by sea erosion of a weakness in the limestone spine that faced out to sea.

Durdle Door, Dorset

Isn't it amazing?

When we were there a multitude of people were dressed in wet suits to swim through the arch. Others were climbing up the outer pillar and jumping into the sea. Can you see one of them, brave soul, in the photo below?

Durdle Door, Dorset

Emi thought that was the very coolest thing he'd seen anyone do in ages. And I prayed quietly that he'd forget about it, and not want to repeat the trick himself any time soon ... .

Durdle Door, Dorset

If you'd like to visit I'd advise you to wear strong shoes. You can easily walk down the steps to the Man O'War beach, but you have to climb down the cliff to get to the Durdle Door beach, and it's a bit of a scramble.
Durdle Door, Dorset
Access to Durdle Door Beach, Dorset
All the best,

Bonny x

And if you're down in this neck of the woods why not visit some other cool Dorset delights? There's:

Corfe Castle (just down the road)



The Scott Arms (great tucker and a view to die for)



Or, for something completely different, the Tank Museum, Bovington, which isn't very far away either.





Wednesday 20 August 2014

Corfe Castle and the Scott Arms, Kingston, Dorset

Yesterday I wrote a post about the very lovely Corfe Castle on the Isle of Purbeck. If you haven't read it you can read it here: Corfe Castle and Lady Mary's Last Stand

If you happen to visit Corfe I have the perfect place to go afterwards for a spot of lunch: the Scott Arms in Kingston, up on the hill overlooking the castle.

The Scott Arms, Kingston, Dorset
The Scott Arms, Kingston, Dorset

I am a great fan of the traditional English pub, where the food is honest and wholesome, the menu is unpretentious, the staff are friendly, and dogs and children are not just tolerated, but are positively welcomed. It's a great institution that has, for centuries, been at the very heart of our national life. And the Scott Arms is a great pub in that great tradition.

One of the very best things about it is the view from the terraced garden out the back.

View from the Scott Arms, Kingston, Dorset
View from the Scott Arms, Kingston, Dorset

Isn't that a magnificent outlook to enjoy whilst you down a glass of cider?

And speaking of cider there aren't many food miles involved in getting a glass of the good stuff to this particular watering hole. It's made just down the road, and it's delicious.

Joe's cider is a winner. It's a still cider, made from local apples, and if you're on Purbeck you'd be crazy to drink anything else. I have a preference for dry rather than sweet cider, and the glass (or two) that I enjoyed were just perfect.

With our glasses charged we sat outside in the sunshine, enjoying Joe's wonderful brew and drinking in the view. The garden is fragrant with the blossoms of Rosa Rugosa, or Japanese Rose, which makes up a hedge around the lawn.


Playing on the connection with their namesake, Kingston, Jamaica, they've got a jerk shack in the back garden where they barbecue food for their guests.

The Scott Arms, Kingston, Dorset

We started off with a couple of platters from the Chesil Smokery, also in Dorset, which bills itself as the hottest little smokery in the West. The charcuterie and fish were delicious. Coming from Ulster where we have a strong tradition of smoking our food, I adore smoked meats and fish, and I have to say that these selections were exquisite. If you'd like to find out more about the smokery, you can check out its website here: Chesil Smokery.




Our party were still pretty ravenous after our morning romping around down at the castle so we ordered their wonderful succulent beef burgers and chips. Verdict: fabulous.


Our friends insisted that we try the local Purbeck Ice cream. In particular they recommended the caramel and sea salt flavour. Once again it's made a few doors down from the pub, and once again it's a wonderful, wonderful local product. The deep and profound silence that comes with food being consumed and greatly appreciated descended on the table as we all tucked in. Verdict: it's totally worth getting fat for!



And then we enjoyed our coffees and relaxed back into our chairs to admire the view some more. Let's face it you'd never get bored with that view!

If you'd like to check it out or make a reservation, the website for the Scott Arms is here: Scott Arms

The Scott Arms, Kingston, Dorset
The Scott Arms, Kingston, Dorset


And if you're up in Kingston, check out the lovely parish church of St. James. It's a bit of a beauty too. In fact, you can see its great square tower from the castle, which gives you a useful landmark to navigate towards if you're not sure how to get up the hill to Kingston.



All the best for now,


Bonny x

Tuesday 19 August 2014

Corfe Castle and Lady Mary's last stand ... a day out on the Isle of Purbeck

We've just got back from the most amazing weekend away with some very dear friends down in dreamy Dorset. We had a day of just lazing on the beach, chatting, catching up on each other's news and checking out the action in Poole Harbour.

And then we went for a big day out on the very lovely Isle of Purbeck.

Now the first thing to mention is that it's not actually an island. It's really a peninsula. They just refer to it as an island because it's a bit isolated from everywhere else.

First stop was Corfe Castle. If someone asked me to nominate the ultimate romantic ruin, I'd be hard pressed to think of a better one than this. Have a look and see for yourself.

Corfe Castle, Dorset
Corfe Castle, Dorset

I have to say that its history as well as its good looks are behind its nomination, but I'll come to the history in a moment.

This is how it looks from the church yard of St. Edward, the Martyr, in the village of Corfe.

Corfe Castle, Dorset
Corfe Castle, Dorset

The National Trust, who run the castle these days, had set up camp - medieval style - at the bottom of the hill, which was a real hit with our little people (two 8 year-olds and one 10 year-old).

Corfe Castle, Dorset
Corfe Castle, Dorset

There were martial arts demonstrations, displays of medieval food and lots of knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers explaining different aspects of medieval life. And there were plenty of things for the little people to have a go at themselves. Sword fight, anyone? No? Spot of archery, perhaps?

Corfe Castle, Dorset

Emi and his chums were very enthusiastic about doing the children's castle questionnaire, and incredibly proud of the medals that they got for finishing it.



Now for a little bit about the history of the castle. It was built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror, and, like the Tower of London, was exceptional for its day in that it was built of stone whereas most English castles of that period were built from earth and wood.  In fact there may have been an earlier castle on the site. Postholes of a Saxon hall have been found, and some folk believe that this was where the Saxon King, Edward, the Martyr, was assassinated by his stepmother on 18th March, 978 so that her son, Æthelred the Unready, could claim the throne in his place. Today the church in Corfe village, at the foot of the hill on which the castle stands, is dedicated to King Edward, the Martyr. Legend has it that the church was built on the site of an old blind lady's cottage to which the king's body was taken after his murder.

St. Edward's Church, Corfe Village Dorset
The Church of St. Edward, the Martyr, Corfe Castle, Dorset

Corfe remained a royal castle until Queen Elizabeth I sold it to her chancellor, Sir Christoper Hatton, from whose London estate Hatton Garden in London takes its name.

In 1635 it was sold again, this time to Sir John Bankes, the Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and Attorney General.

Now I've said that the castle is the ultimate romantic ruin, and it's a ruin that comes with a damsel  (of sorts) in distress. Seven years after the Bankes family had moved in and got themselves settled in their nice new castle the English Civil War broke out. They were staunch supporters of the beleaguered King Charles I, and, as Corfe was a powerful citadel, a force of between 200 and 300 Parliamentarians laid siege to it in May 1643. Now as luck would have it old Sir John was off Cavaliering up in York when the Roundheads showed up, leaving the missus, Lady Mary Bankes, to defend the castle. Lady Mary, who was a force of nature, had by this stage brought 4 sons and 6 daughters into the world. The sons had been sent away for safety what with heirs and spares being more important in those days than mere daughters. But the formidable Lady Mary remained at Corfe with her little girls and a force of just five men.

Lady Mary Bankes
The very formidable Lady Mary Bankes shown holding the keys to her castle

She saw the Roundheads off and then petitioned for reinforcements. The King sent a troop of 80 men to hold the castle, but the Roundheads returned in June with a force of 500 to 600 men and two siege engines. Mary and her own small party held the Upper Ward, leaving the 80 newcomers to look after the other parts of the fortification. By all accounts she and her five men were very effective, heaving rocks over the battlements and hurling hot embers down on the unfortunate besiegers. By the time the siege ended, a staggering 3 years' later, her group had knocked at least 100 of the Roundheads out of action, either killing them or injuring them so that they couldn't return to the fray.



Lady Mary carried on defending her castle until she was betrayed by Colonel Pitman, one of her officers, who let the Roundheads enter through the sally gate. The defenders had been expecting reinforcements so, when the invading Roundheads turned their jackets inside out, they weren't recognised as enemies until it was too late. The army outside launched an assault on the castle walls, and then the enemy within followed their lead so that the Royalists found themselves under attack from two sides. Lady Mary was forced to surrender, but her valiant defence won her the total admiration of her foes who allowed her and her retinue to leave unharmed and, in a powerful symbolic gesture of respect for Lady Mary they allowed her to take the keys of the castle with her when she left.


You can see the tower of the church of St. Edward, the Martyr through the castle window. It had been quickly taken over by the Parliamentarians in the early stages of the siege, and used by their gunners as a stronghold from which to bombard the castle. They ripped the lead off the roof to make lead shot. By the time the whole shooting match had ended they'd wrought over £50 of damage to the fabric of the building, which was a small fortune way back then.

After Lady Mary had gone the Parliamentarians heaved a huge sigh of relief, and then, in March 1646, the English Parliament voted to destroy the castle. Given that it was such a solid structure it was impossible to obliterate it completely, but they did their best. Barrels of gunpowder were brought in and they blew the place to bits.


It had been one of the few strongholds left in Royalist hands, but it would never again give sanctuary to the cause of King Charles I or his successors.


When the monarchy was restored in 1660 the Bankes family were able to recover their lands, but they felt that the damage to Corfe was just too extensive for it to be restored to its former glory, and they moved their family seat to a new house, which they built on land they owned at Kingston Lacy. And if you go there you will see Lady Mary's keys proudly displayed amongst the family treasures.

Corfe Castle, Dorset
Corfe Castle, Dorset
The years passed, the restored monarchy tightened its grip on the country and the castle's ruins deteriorated more and more with every passing winter.

Corfe Castle, Dorset
Corfe Castle, Dorset
And whilst no one was paying much attention to the old castle walls the locals, down in Corfe village, quietly got on with using them as a quarry, carrying away what they needed to build their homes in the shadow of its broken ramparts.

Corfe Castle, Dorset
Corfe village,  Dorset
So, in a way, the old stones have survived both the siege and Cromwell's Commonwealth, to be regenerated in a way that I'm sure Lady Mary would approve of if she were around to see them.

If you drop by the village on your way up to the castle, take a look at the church of King Edward the Martyr and the Town Hall, which backs onto the churchyard and is reputedly the smallest in the country. It houses a museum on its downstairs floor, which must also rank amongst the smallest museums in the country.

All the best for now,


Bonny x

As shared on Our World Tuesday

And if you're feeling hungry after your visit to the Castle I've got the perfect place for lunch with a view back down the valley to where the ruins stand. Check it out here: the Scott Arms, Kingston


And if you find yourself in this part of Dorset, perhaps you'd like to check out the Tank Museum, just down the road. You can read my post about it here: Tank Museum, Bovington

Or if the Tower of London, another Norman citadel, is more your thing you can read about it here: The Tower of London.