Floyd's Travels and Thoughts on Life: 2015

After leaving my fellow hikers in Spain, I returned to London Heathrow from Bilbao and spent the night in Terminal 3. At about 5 am I validated my 3-day rail pass and took the first Heathrow Express into London Paddington then took the underground to London Kings Cross station and got on a train to Bury St. Edmund. I spent several hours in Bury St. Edmund. It was market day and people were selling fresh fruit and vegetables and other items from their stalls. I first visited the ruins of the Abbey of St. Edmund. During the Middle Ages pilgrims came from all over the world to worship at the shrine of St. Edmund, and St. Edmund was the patron saint of England until the dragon-slaying George took his place. After the Dissolutions of the Monastaries in the reign of Henry VIII, the abbey church -- one of the largest Norman buildings in Europe fell into decline. By walking around the ruins in the Abbey Gardens one can get a feel of the original immense size of the abbey. I then walked to St. Edmundsbury Cathedral but it had crowds of people, so I opted instead to visit nearby St. Mary's Church, only a short walk away, where I was the only visitor and had the church to myself. St. Mary's is a lovely church built between 1290 and 1490. It was once part of the abbey complex. It is the third largest parish church in England, with the second longest aisle and the largest west window. I love reading about the details and intrigues of England history and was interested to learn that Mary Tudor, the favorite sister of Henry VIII is buried here. Mary Tudor is not to be confused with Mary Queen of Scots who vied with Elizabeth I for title to the Queen of England, or Queen Mary ("Bloody Mary") the first child of Henry VIII and older sister of Elizabeth I, who ruled England as Queen before sister Elizabeth I (the second daughter of Henry VIII by his second wife Anne Boleyn) assumed the crown. Hopping back on the train I travelled to Norwich to visit Norwich Cathedral. Inside the cathedral I attended a service, then returned to the rail station and got a train to Cromer on the Norfolk Coast. I hiked with my backpack from the station to Albury House B & B where I had a room for 3 nights. During my stay in Cromer I explored the town, attended several services at the lovely Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, and had my first meal of fish and chips. On the first night I attended the opening night performance of a variety show at the Pavilion Theatre on Cromer Pier, which had recently received the Pier of the Year Award for all of Europe. After a full English breakfast on Day 2 I hiked from Cromer to Overstrand, the next village East along the coast. I travelled along the beach path and then returned to Cromer on the cliff path. I Day 3 I bought a bus ticket on the Coasthopper bus service and travelled west to the coastal village of Wells-next-to-Sea where I did more hiking and exploring.
Leaving Cromer I went my train to the cathedral city of Ely where I spent several hours touring huge and impressive Ely Cathedral. Then I re-boarded the train and went to London and from there to Redhill where I checked in at Lynwood House B & B for 3 nights, a B & B I have stayed in on many occasions. In Redhill I met my friend Dot. The next morning Dot and I drove to Ardingly to the South of England antique extravaganza where we spent much of the day walking around a vast area with the stalls and tents of hundreds of antique dealers. In the evening we had dinner at The Plough pub and joined friends for a fun-filled Quiz Night. The next day Dot drove me to Chartwell in Kent, the home of the Churchills and now owned by the National Trust. The admission fee to the National Trust sites scattered all over England can be dauntingly expensive, but thankfully Dot is a member of the National Trust and so we were able to enter with paying the high entrance fee. Both the home and vast 80-acre estate of Chartwell is well worth a visit, and it is interesting to realize that Sir Winston purchased the house and property in around 1920 for about 5,000 GBP. It was here at Chartwell that Sir Winston ran his personal secretaries ragged dictating about 50 books and where he painted many hundreds of paintings in his studio.

Ruins of the Abbey of St. Edmund in Bury St. Edmund

Entrance gate to Cathedral in Bury St. Edmunds

Market Day at Bury St. Edmunds. Pigs ears or roasted pig snouts anyone

St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmund, one of the largest parish churches in England and
the English church with the longest nave

Tomb of Mary Tudor in St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds. Mary Tudor was the 3rd daughter
of Henry VII and the favorite sister of King Henry VIII

Cathedral at Bury St. Edmunds

Cromer Pier, winner of Europe's Pier of the Year in 2015

Cromer beach and pier

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Cromer

Coast Path between Cromer and Overstrand

Wells-next-to-Sea harbor on the Norfolk Coast

Unoccupied beach houses at beach at Wells-next-to-Sea. Swimmers begin to arrive in late July and August

View of Cromer from the tower of Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

Ely Cathedral

The Plough Pub near Redhill

Quiz Night at The Plough. Our team did well, but didn't win

At the South of England Antique extravaganza in Ardingly

Chartwell in Kent, the home and estate of Sir Winston Churchill and family

Sir Winston's fish pond

Lady Churchill's Rose Garden

In June 2015 I went hiking in the Picos de Europa, the highest part of the Cantabrian Mountains which run right across the north of Spain. These mountains contain some of the world's richest unspoiled calcareous grasslands, resplendent with wild flowers un-tinged by any 20th century agro chemicals. High peaks are interspersed with deep beech, oak, and chestnut forested valleys, where centuries old farming methods are still practiced by people living in lovely villages. The area has been designated one of great natural beauty. The tour was organized by Adventureline, a company owned by Martin and Laine Hunt that is based in Cornwall, England. Our group of 8 hikers from England, Australia and the USA stayed at Casa Gustavo in the small village of Aliezo, a short walk from the larger village of Potes. Each day we travelled to a different area of the Picos for an all-day hike, and then returned to the Casa for a full course meal cooked by an excellent chef. There were 8 days of hiking for the group, but I missed the first hike thanks to flight delays by Delta airlines. When I landed in Bilbao, Spain on a flight from London Heathrow one day late, I spent nearly another day travelling by local buses to find the hiking group in Potes. The hikes often involved strenuous climbing, but we were always rewarded with views of spectacular mountain scenery. We visited some pretty villages and walked through meadows with many alpine flowers, including a diverse variety of blooming orchids. On two of the hikes we travelled to the cable car at Fuente De. On one hike we took the cable car up, explored the high peaks and snow fields, then returned down by the cable car; on the second hike we took the cable car up, then hiked back down. On another day we hiked to the peak of Mt. Coriscao, and on another day we hiked through the Cares Gorge - a breathtakingly deep gorge with a footpath hewn from its rocky sides.