Walmer

Last Saturday we walked to Walmer through the rolling wheat fields mentioned in a previous post, past Walmer Station (line closed for maintenance, complete with a genuine maintenance locomotive), through Old Walmer (where I was able to buy a TLS) and onto the senior living opportunity illustrated left. Run by Trinity Homes, an offshoot of Trinity House (see reference 1) and not to be confused with Trinity Homes UK Ltd. A rather superior residence for such as the widows of officers of the Royal Navy. We were told that they were strict about qualifications, to the point where one of the bungalows was unoccupied. Atmosphere very officers' mess (the crest flanked space above the entrance way being given over to the wardroom), rather nice gardens out the back. Altogether a rather select operation compared with, for example, that of McCarthy & Stone here at Epsom.

Plus two residences for those with handicaps, I suppose an important part of the economy in these once thriving seaside towns. Plus an Abbeyfield.

Onto Walmer castle where an eager trusty sold us some annual membership, which we thought would pay, at least for one year given the cluster of English Heritage sites in east Kent. Another trusty told us that English Heritage do not offer their staff transfers around the country in the way of a Tesco; perhaps this is not so easy for the smaller organisation. We are betting on the National Trust not taking English Heritage over any time soon, in which case one would have to worry about compensation for those of us who had paid twice. I should perhaps add that these trusties were actually employees rather than volunteers, employees who might not be pleased to be displaced by volunteer seniors, after the practice of the National Trust. We wondered, not for the first time, about the potential for tension between employees and volunteers in such outfits.

Inside the castle was mainly interesting as the retirement home - or perhaps the home in retirement - of the Duke of Wellington. Entertainment of a sort provided a lady who kept passing on all kinds of important thoughts to her long suffering husband. The sort of lady who liked to fill any confined space in which she found herself. The guns looked to be from Nelson's time and I wondered what good they would have done had anyone tried to invade. The sea was several hundred yards away and my understanding was that cannons of this sort did best when fired at point blank range, with a thousand yard shot being a long shot indeed. Outside there were some rather handsome gardens, including, inter alia, some very old espaliers, some tulip beds, some vegetable beds, a couple of interesting glass houses and a rather spectacularly sculpted yew hedge.

Both elevenses and lunch taken at the canteen there, with the former including a substantial block of bread pudding (made on the premises) and the latter being cheap and substantial salads.

Big shingle beach, which the Romans must have found heavy going when they jumped down from their ships - but better, I suppose, than landing in front of the white cliffs elsewhere. Handsome walkway to match.

Surprised on the way back to see a smock windmill with rotating spars but without sails. A passer-by explained that it was an artist's studio, not usually open to the public and not into grinding. I wondered why you would go to the considerable expense of keeping a windmill rotatable if you were not taking money off of visitors. And was the rotation electrical rather than organic?

Lots of large flies about in the fields, unpleasant looking flies whose abdomens hung down below their wings. Presumably grub for all the skylarks which we heard but did not see.

Reference 1: http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/.