Friday, June 22, 2012

Lyme Regis Revisited

This week saw a short break in the perpetual soggy crap which has become the summer and it just so happened to occur during a family trip down memory lane, otherwise known as Lyme Regis.

We used to holiday here regularly when I was but a nipper and is in fact the first of such destinations I remember as a child.  It was a traditional British beach holiday with buckets, spades and fossil hunting a plenty and quite frankly what more could a kid want...well...apart from ice cream...there's always room for ice cream.

This is the 4 year old me rocking the dungarees look on the guesthouse balcony in 1983 (mischief managed by the looks of it too)


We have been meaning to return for some time to see how much, or how little, has changed and 2012 was decided as the year.  Mother nature however seemed to have missed the memo and the toxic little witch has been playing silly buggers with the weather all year.  All she needs to do is flick the Jet Stream north and Aloha summer...but instead we have this:


Which produces copious amounts of this


Anyhoo, to Lyme Regis we were bound and we weren't about to be beaten by the great British weather. I packed for every eventuality with jeans, trousers, shorts, t-shirts, jumpers, boots, trainers, slippers, rain coat, fleece coat & thick fleece rain coat, as well as books and card games a plenty...internet not being an option is this provincial town in deepest darkest Dorset.

As it turned out we actually managed a mixed few days and certainly made the most of exploring and revisiting the holidays of my childhood.

Lyme Regis is filled with twisty little lanes and a settlement has been here dating back to 774



The historic Cobb Harbour from the hillside gardens
(being woken up by seagulls at 6am had its advantages...sunny & very few people)




The beach where I spent so many days as a nipper


Circa 1984 (ish)


 A theme of this trip down memory lane was steps & stones...for some reason I have a vivid memory of these steps and the sand which used to gather in the criss-cross pattern


The view from the Cobb




The famous Granny steps, health & safety issues be damned, I would always use these steps when walking on the Cobb


 Boats in the harbour, looking serene in the lull between storms


The hill in the distance is Golden Cap and weather permitting I was determined to have a walk on this particular stretch of coastline



Same cannon 27 years before...I remember posing for this, the weird look is probably as my thighs are burning from the metal.


Jane Austens Garden looking towards to Cobb


And the alternate beach view


Some of the new developments in Lyme included this part of the Prom, mostly though it hadn't changed in the last 27 years


A little walk from the prom takes you through the lanes & past the lepers well into the hillside woods





A nice little 3 mile walk which eased ones thighs into the rather steep hills of this region


More pics and memories to come.....

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