Rye 28-29 May Battle Medieval Fair

 I forgot to mention that on Thursday night Bob organised a visit to taste port wine at Castelinho cellars in Regua.  White port wine was offered, an aperitif dry wine and much cheaper than the more aged tawny or ruby port wines.  We liked it enough to buy a bottle for E9.50, a waste of money as I failed to pack it in hold luggage and it was confiscated at Porto Airport.

Another omission – our week-long holidays in both Naxos and Regua were organised by Hf Holidays, a UK group using volunteer guides and one which we used in 2004 and 2006.  We like them because they offer a ‘nest’ in the one hotel for 7 days, plenty of countryside walking and like-minded companions, never Australian in our experience.  Also, we find it easy to deal with our own excursions in a country when we’ve already been there for 7 days.  Thank you, Hf!

We have no problems making our own way in UK, using the internet to book accommodation.  Humphries Cross just outside Rye has been a great base  for exploring East Sussex and Kent.  The apartment is well equipped and comfortable; the views from our windows are so peaceful and pretty.

 

 In early morning and dusk  4-6 adult rabbits with white cottontails browse unmolested outside or in the adjacent field.  Wood pigeons with white collars and white in wings feed on the ground.  Later we see sparrows, red robins, blackbirds, crows, magpies and a few other birds I have yet to identify.

Sunday 29 May

Checked out the big pile of tourist brochures and decided that a FREE Medieval Fair at Battle (1066 and all that) would be fun.  And it was!  All the stalls had attendants in costume, everyone was happy and we loved the British sense of humour displayed by a comedy act.  Stayed long enough to see Maypole dancers, not expert, led by a child and bear (who asked for donations).  We missed out on the Singing Plague Victims.

 

David wanted to look at Rye Harbour and the Nature Reserve there later in the afternoon, despite the cool, very windy conditions.  So we set forth.  The area was very barren, being revegetated (though it was hard to see where).  We sought refuge at a small hut manned by the local natural history group before retreating back to our car and going 'home'.