Rottingdean.

A few weeks ago we walked to Rottingdean.

Rottingdean is a village in the city of Brighton and Hove, in East Sussex, on the south coast of England. In the background of the picture is Beacon Mill, a smock Mill built in 1802 for the purpose of grinding corn. It is a Three-storey smock with a single-storey base, eight sides, four patent sails, a cast iron wind shaft and fantail winding.

Dean’ in a place name means valley. ‘Rottingdean’ means ‘valley of Rota’s people’ . Rota was probably the name of a Saxon invader, driving out the existing Romano- British settlers.

So from Saxon origins to a quintessentially English seaside village, Rottingdean is well worth a passing visit.

Bodiam Castle.

We spent Bank Holiday Monday at Bodiam Castle on the Kent/ Sussex border. It was built by Sir Edward Dallingridge c. 1385.

Sir Edward was born into the minor gentry c. 1346. Lady Elizabeth, sir Edwards wife, was a key figure in the castle’s history. She was heiress to the land of Bodiam and considerably wealthy to boot! Upon marriage Sir Edward was entitled to her land and money, which helped him to build the castle. A castle the size of Bodiam was large enough to house up to eighty servants.

On a natural note the castle plays host to bats, particularly the largest Daubenton maternity roost in England as well as well as a maternity roost of Natterer’s bats.

The castle stands alongside the River Rother and there is a beautiful walk following the river. The Tenterden to Bodiam railway also runs alongside the Castle stretch. There is nothing nicer than walking alongside the river with the castle on one side and the steam train passing by on the other. East Sussex is diverse and beautiful.

Saltdean Lido.

An English lido is a public outdoor swimming pool and surrounding facilities. On a cruise ship the lido deck features outdoor pools and related facilities.

The term comes from Lido, the Italian word for “beach”, and may have found its way into English via English visitors returning from Italy where sea-bathing took place from the late-19th century.

Saltdean Lido in the city of Brighton and Hove, is an Art Deco lido designed by architect R.W.H. Jones. Originally listed at Grade II by English Heritage for its architectural and historical importance, its status was upgraded further to “Grade II*” on 18 March 2011.

https://www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/saltdean/

The Lido was one of the sights on our coastal path walk from Peacehaven in East Sussex to the city of Brighton and Hove.

Sheffield Park Gardens. National Trust. East Sussex.

The Greenwich Meridian Line, Peacehaven.

Today we walked a section of the Meridian Trail at Peacehaven. The trail runs through Cambridgeshire, East Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Hertfordshire, Gtr London, Lincolnshire, Surrey, and West Sussex.

Inaugurated in 2009, the route follows the line of the Prime Meridian as closely as practical, using public rights of way, but the route does not rigidly stick to The Meridian line.

The **Meridian** Monument at **Peacehaven** is 3.5 meters high. It was unveiled on 10 August 1936.

The Royal Observatory at Greenwich was agreed as Zero Degrees Longitude for the whole world at a conference in America in 1884. Before that time, charts and maps used many different meridians as zero. At the same time, the delegates agreed on the ‘universal day’ which is the same the world over. Each day begins at midnight at Greenwich, thus giving us Greenwich Mean Time. Maritime Greenwich is recognised as a World Heritage Site.

The very blustery Westerly wind made it a breezy July cliff walk but certainly worth doing.

This England.

And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon England’s mountains green?

…

In Englands green & pleasant land. William Blake, ‘Jerusalem’.

East Dean, Friston and Jevington, East Sussex.

Quintessentially English.

Arlington Reservoir, East Sussex

A late summers evening last week saw us walking around Arlington Reservoir in East Sussex. Set in 120 acres of beautiful landscape below the South Downs it is maintained by South East Water.

It’s a nature reserve and a site of special scientific interest. And the reservoir’s beautiful bird hide is a special, favourite place to hang out, be it a warm summer evening, a crisp autumn morning or a cold winter afternoon.