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Monthly Archives: August 2012

Ye Olde White Harte Inn

27 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by pat in Burnham-on-Crouch, England, Sailing, Travel, Uncategorized, United Kingdom

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White Harte Inn

When you are traveling, it is always lovely to come back to a place that you have stayed before, and find welcoming each and every time.  When we are in Burnham-on-Crouch, My Beloved Brit’s favorite sailing spot for decades, we stay on the seafront at The White Harte. In honor of Burnham Week this week, I thought it was the perfect time to re-visit an old favorite.

The White Harte on the seawall side of Burnham-on-Crouch. Photo by me.

The White Harte is located on the “seawall” facing the River Crouch, with easy access to the yacht clubs, restaurants and old friends who live in town.

The front door of The White Harte, “G. J.Lewis, licensed to sell Beer, Wines, Spirits & Tobacco. Licensed in pursuance of Act of Parliament for Music & Dancing.” Photo by me

On our trip this year we were able to reserve our favorite room, #6, and were pleased to find that it had been newly refreshed with classic floral drapes, and new carpet.  The room is on the back of the inn facing towards the high street rather than the seafront, but it is roomy and can accommodate our massive amount of luggage–and it is only one flight of steps up from the parking area, so easier to haul the luggage to the room.

Almost all the comforts of home, room #6 at The White Harte. Photo by me

One of the best parts of our stay is the full English breakfast in the dining room that looks out on the seafront walk.

Outside the front door of the old inn–the seawall is the perfect place to gather if the sun comes out. Photo by me.

So as we eat our breakfast, we can watch the dog walkers and the odd boats sail out for an early morning move up the river.

My Beloved Brit managed to get a full English breakfast with sausage and bacon, almost every morning. I loved watching early morning walkers along the sea wall. Photo by me.

There is an active pub downstairs from our room…

A corner of the White Harte’s pub, a favorite gathering place in town. Photo by me.

…where most evenings you can find a friendly face to share a pint with and catch up on the latest “dock talk”, the grapevine of information that constantly runs through Burnham.

The pub downstairs from our room. It’s quiet in the morning, but by lunch it comes alive. Photo by me.

Of course, as the saying goes, what starts at one end of the seawall changes considerably by the time it gets to the other end, but it still keeps the lines of communications open.

The seawall stretches from one end of town to the other and is a great place to run in to friends and find out the last news…”dock talk”. Photo by me.

MBB has known John Lewis, the inn’s proprietor, for many years, and his father before him. I love Burnham.  It is like coming home for me, and with the sailing involved and the old familiar faces, it’s even a better stop for MBB.

Burnham Week 2012

24 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by pat in Burnham-on-Crouch, England, Sailing, Travel, Uncategorized, United Kingdom

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Burnham Week 2012, race week

The sailing regattas of summer are an annual event met with great enthuiasm by English sailors–men and women.  The tradition continues starting this week on the East Coast of England in Burnham-on-Crouch, from Saturday August 25, through Saturday the 1st of September. It’s Burnham Week 2012.

The boats stand ready for race week in Burnham. Photo by me.

I know My Beloved Brit would love to be there, but this year he’ll have to be content to follow his mates on the internet.

Burnham was quiet when we there in June, but next week it will be a mad house. Photo by me.

He’s already been in touch with the line up from his yacht club, The Crouch, always steely competitors.

That is the Crouch Yacht Club on the far left (with the flag pole) facing the river, and the seawall of Burnham-on-Crouch beyond.  Photo by me.

There are 21 categories for the different fleets, but entries so far are lighter than when he sailed them in “his youth”.  The combination of a tough economy, and lack of available crew has cut the number of boats entering for the full week, but not the spirit of the sailors and spectators.

The “race box” on the top floor of the Burnham Sailing Club. A committee member sits up here to sound the horns, check the times and be in contact with the racers. The Crouch Yacht Club is right next to it on the sea wall. Photo by me

Let the races begin!

Inn Spirit is a worthy competitor for Burnham Week, and one of several boats My Beloved Brits will be following next week. Photo by me

 

Tides

21 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by pat in Cornwall, England, Travel, United Kingdom

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boats, Charlestown, Cornwall, Ships, tides

For such a very well-mannered country, the tides of England are pretty darn dramatic. Especially in Cornwall. It was so very evident wherever we went on the southwest coast.

The beautiful tall ships tucked in a safe harbour in Charlestown

But nowhere were the large tides more obvious than in Charlestown, where the big, old ships are berthed.

You might see a lovely bay, or small port, with the boats floating about, and when you came back a couple of hours later there is nothing but mud, and the poor boats are left high and dry.

The tide comes in at the entrance to the protected harbour at Charlestown. Photo by me

 

Poor boats left in the mud when the tide goes out. Photo by me

The change in sea level is very steady and goes from very high to very low in about six hours.

..and the tide goes out

Luckily the Brits know all about the sea, and have devised clever hideaways to protect their ships from the outgoing tides — like the lock system here in Charlestown.

The ships are carefully protected during low tide behind the locks. Photo by me

It’s a lovely feat of engineering that pumps the water in to the holding area if needed as the tide goes out. Someone actually closes the locks on the tides schedule. I imagine he keeps his alarm clock well maintained.

Water is pumped in to keep the ships high but not dry as the tide goes out. Photo by me

The system keeps the boats safe and protected no matter the time of day.

All tucked in for low tide. Photo by me

And if there are no walls to hold it back…

A beach in Cornwall near Carlyon Bay. Photo by me.

…the tide may just take a bit of England with it out to sea.

Castle Fever

18 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by pat in Scotland, The Royal Family, Uncategorized, United Kingdom

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Ballater, Balmoral, Castles, Prince Philip, Queen Victoria

I have been thinking of Balmoral lately, with the Royal Family in residence for their summer holiday, and Prince Philip having to retreat to the hospital in Aberdeen for a recurring health issue.

Beautiful Balmoral in the spring…a splendid castle. Photo by me

When we visited Scotland in May, we found our charming inn, the Dundee Hotel…

The Deeside Hotel in Ballater, our home while in Scotland. Photo by me

…tucked in along the road not far from Balmoral, just on the western edge of Ballater, and managed to drag our luggage up the narrow stairs to our room. Charm does not usually come with elevators in Great Britain.

Outside our room at the top of the stairs, the signs of the area…red deer and scotch. Photo by me

It was unusually warm for this part of the UK, probably close to 80 degrees, and after managing to get one window open in the room (air-conditioning doesn’t seem to be the norm in Scotland) we decided to walk in to town to enjoy the sun and get the lay of the land.

The parlor at the Deeside Hotel. photo by me

One thing I noticed walking down the main road was that there was definitely a castle theme in the architecture.

A neighborhood castle. Photo by me

Ballater is a holiday location on the “Deeside” which is what the locals call the area on the north side of the River Dee.  Most of the town closes up for winter and the season is March to November at the most, although there are a few ski resorts nearby.

We assumed that many of these homes were second homes, and obviously if you have the money to have a home in Ballater, it might as well be a castle.

Even new construction favors the castle tradition in Ballater. Photo by me.

It may be the Balmoral influence, which is only about 6 miles down the road. Or maybe they are just waiting for the Americans to invade and feel they need some extra fortification.

In the hills of Ballater on the main road. photo by me

None-the-less, it is a wonderful area, and returning to our rather warm, and bright room (the sun sets after 9:45pm in May) we decided it was definitely worth the long trip north. After all, it was one of Queen Victoria’s absolute favorite spots on earth. And no one would dream to argue with her.

The original train station used by Queen Victoria in Ballater. Photo by me

The Tower and The Shard

11 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by pat in England, London, Uncategorized

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NYC, The Shard

Coming across Long Island from La Guardia Airport into New York City last week, My Beloved Brit and I could see a huge new tower in the distance in lower Manhattan. When we went downtown on Monday, we stared right at it and realized it was the new One World Trade Center, better known as 1 WTC.

The 104-story skyscraper has reached its height, and will be finished by 2013.  It is quite impressive now…

The new tower nearing completion in downtown New York City on the site of the twin towers. Photo by me

…and will be even more beautiful when it is finished.

Rendering from the Wikipedia website

When completed in 2013, 1 WTC will be the tallest building in the western hemisphere and the third-tallest in the world, with its spire reaching the symbolic 1,776 feet in reference to the year of American Independence.

On the other side of the pond, The Shard opened in London on July 5th of this summer.

The Shard, to the left of the photo, from their website

The Shard, designed by architect Renzo Piano, is spectacular on the London skyline, positioned on the South Bank, it is by far the highest building along the Thames.  When I saw the new tower in lower Manhattan, I couldn’t help recalling the sloping sides of The Shard. The Shard is only 1,016 ft tall, but in a city like London, it seems much taller in comparison to the buildings surrounding it. It is the tallest building in Western Europe, and houses the 5-star Shangri-La hotel.

From The Shard’s website, you can see its relative height on the South Bank of London

Located in the London Bridge Quarter on the South Bank of the Thames, the developers are hoping the new skyscraper will add new life to the area with a transformed transport hub, new retail space, offices and restaurants. This is the look of modern London.

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