Wasteland

We decided to make a trip to Dungeness and to the wilderness area around the Nuclear Power Station. This was on the recommendation of one of S's friends. What a place. It was like a Nordic desert wasteland with tiny wooden houses, old and new, randomly scattered around an arid, flat shingle and wild flower moonscape complete with dilapidated buildings, roads and machinery strewn about the place.

It was super hot too. We started with a cooling drink at a pub just outside the gates of the power station then set off along the huge, high shingle beach towards the power station. We walked for a long time and my feet gradually protested as I got shingle and grit in my sandals.

We saw the sea 'boiling ' where the hot water outlet comes about about 300 yards out to sea. The warm water must have been teeming with fish as the gulls all went mad in that area. It was really weird to see. Quite surreal.

We thought we could walk all the way round the power station but were thwarted at the far corner when the fence turned and went in the opposite direction so it was a long walk back. With sore feet! We saw some great flowers, rock samphire, and some cool butterflies.

I did catch the sun but the sunscreen worked. There were a few weird and wonderful artists' gardens dotted around the place too. The whole area was totally cool and is quite understandably a mecca for photographers because of the weirdness and openness, the unusual flowers, butterflies, the industry, the empty shingle, the huge skies and seascapes. My blip is inevitably of the power station and and I had so many to choose from it was a difficult choice.

After a brief lunch at the pub in the shadow of a lighthouse and the power station we went back to Dover and to the castle.

Initially, we were just going to do a recce for another day as we didn't get there til 5pm but after seeing the views from the walls we just kept going and found ourselves in Henry II's Tower (keep) dating from 1200s. It is absolutely fabulous. Huge, complex and really well 'done' by English Heritage. Most impressive. The views from the top were spectacular. It was hazy though, so we couldn't see France that day.

We left at 6pm and did a quick Tesco run for blister plasters (!) before heading back to the cottage for a Tuna Niçoise salad and to watch 'Eat Pray Love'. What a great day....