We always thought it would take a lot of preparation to travel to Great Britain with our dog. But when I actually went on the internet last year to find out what hoops Timo and we would have to jump through, it turned out not to be so bad. In addition to the normal shots and vaccinations, an anti-tapeworm tablet was only required one to five days before arrival in the United Kingdom.
The train journey through the tunnel was also a piece of cake. After 35 minutes the three of us were on the other side of the Channel. And because when selecting our destinations we are usually looking for a country/region where it is around 20 degrees at that time, southern England seemed like a good target. Cornwall and Devon here we come!
We could of course have driven straight to Devon to start a tour of the southwest, but we prefer to take it easy and visit some other beautiful parts of England on the way to Devon.
From Folkestone the first is the town of Rye with a charming medieval centre, nice old half-timbered houses and cobbled streets.
After a short walk we drive on to the 'Seven Sisters', one of the most beautiful parts of the coast with the famous white chalk cliffs. It's Sunday afternoon, nice weather and therefore quite busy, but that shouldn't spoil the fun. The view from the side with some coast guard houses is fantastic.
At the end of the afternoon we continue our journey to spend the night on the coast at Newhaven. In the evening there is a nice sunset and that gives me the opportunity to take my new Kase filters out of the bag and start experimenting with long shutter speeds.
The next day it is not far to Brighton. A walk on the boulevard with a view of the famous, iconic pier should not be missed. By the way, we did not go to the pier itself, because it is literally and figuratively one big fair and not really for us.
After Brighton it was time to rack up some kilometers. The next stop was on the Portland Peninsula, where we spent the night. In the evening I took the photo below of Fortuneswell, because I thought all those different rows of houses together made a nice graphic whole and the evening light was not bad either.
On the morning of the third day we first drive a short distance back east, because I would like to capture the photogenic Durdle Door. This natural stone arch also appears to be quite popular with the English and quite a few people sit on the beach to enjoy the view. Not really the picture I had in mind, but luckily Photoshop does a good job and in the end it looks like I was the only one walking around on the beach.
Near Durdle Door lies Lulworth Cove, an almost perfectly round bay that could easily be pasted onto a postcard. I left my wide-angle lens in the car in the parking lot, but luckily I just managed to capture the entire bay with 16mm (APS-C).
We then drove on to Dartmoor National Park. I didn't really know what to expect, but it is beautiful, very beautiful. It reminded me a bit of Swedish Lapland. Bare hills, sublime views and a strong wind. Unfortunately, the rain poured down that afternoon, forcing us to postpone our hiking and photography plans to the next day. Fortunately, the rain stopped at the end of the afternoon and I was still able to let the camera do its work in and around our sleeping place in Princetown.
The next day was dry again and so we were still able to implement our plans. First there was Wistman's Wood, a small grove of oak trees, but what a beauty. The tree trunks and branches have the most bizarre shapes and due to the climate in this region, plenty of moss grows on the trees themselves and on the boulders beneath them, a phenomenal sight. A photo of such trees begs for a good amount of fog to make it really 'spooky', but even without fog it was very special to walk around there.
We then drove back a little further to photograph the two bridges at Postbridge. Beautiful pictures too, but for me not nearly as impressive as the trees that morning.
After lunch we continued our way through the beautiful landscape in this region. Meadows fenced with hedges and interspersed with the occasional bush, it doesn't get much more English.
Every moment we leave the main road for even a moment, we immediately drive on the 'white roads' as they used to be drawn on a Michelin map. One lane, often with high hedges, trees or walls on the left and right, and occasionally an alternate port for when an oncoming vehicle comes towards us. Great to drive through, but you also have to pay attention when you approach such confusing bends and you are also in the car on the wrong side.
We end this fifth day with a visit to the old, charming fishing village of Polperro. Beautiful cottages are, as it were, draped around the centrally located harbor.
We have only been here five days, but we already know that this trip through Great Britain may be our first, but certainly not our last.
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