In the Footsteps of William the Conqueror

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Today started with a little dip in the English Channel. We drove to Pelham Beach in Hastings. It is a very rocky beach but Peter had his reef booties, so we thought he’d be okay. The layer of rock was quite deep and slippery, and the walk down was quite steep. It was slow going but we eventually made it to the water.

Here’s a short video of his walk into the water. He got his toes wet but that was about it as there was a steep drop off just a foot or so farther into the Channel.

After the beach, we drove about 15 minutes to the 1066 Battle of Hastings Museum and Battlefield. In a nutshell…

Edward the Confessor died in 1066 without a male heir. Years earlier he promised William, Duke of Normandy, the throne. He said that Edward’s brother-in-law, Harold, would go to Normandy to let William know when it was time to be crowned King. When Edward died, instead of going to Normandy to get William, Harold decided he wanted to be King and had himself crowned. Well….William wasn’t happy about that and decided to come calling and take the crown back. He landed at Pevensey Beach, just west of Hastings. William and his Norman army met Harold and his Anglo-Saxon army at Hastings. It was a gigantic battle and ended when Harold got an arrow through the eye (ouch) and died. William took the crown and that was the end of Anglo-Saxon rule of England.

After the Battlefield, we headed to Pevensey Castle just a few miles up the road. It was originally a Roman fort built in the 4th century AD. William built a castle in the ruins of the old fort. It was occupied almost continuously until the 16th century before finally being abandoned. It was reoccupied during WWII when it was garrisoned by units from the Home Guard, the British and Canadian armies as well as the U.S. Army Air Corps.  Much of what was used in WWII has been demolished so only ruins remain.

After the Castle, we headed across the street to the Oak and Castle Pub for lunch. I had another delicious meal of smoked haddock in a white wine and cream sauce. It was a starter size and just enough. The sauce was pretty rich so I didn’t even finish it. It was quite good.

Our last stop was the Seven Sisters Cliffs at Birling Gap, a series of chalk sea cliffs. They look just like the White Cliffs of Dover, they’re just not as famous. It was crazy crowded but with our handicap placard we were able to park all the way in front.

So, that was our day. We pack up tonight for our trip to Portsmouth tomorrow. We’ll be there for 4 nights and are looking forward to a couple of day trips. Have a great night everyone.