Day 1 of our trip to the UK began with an unpleasant discovery – overnight flights are NOT conducive to slumber. We arrived at Gatwick Airport, which was a mess due to heavy construction, tired and groggy. But we made managed to summon our excitement to be standing on English soil. The trek through Customs was quick and easy, as was finding an ATM to give us British Pounds Sterling and collecting our luggage. We then set out to pick up our rental car, and got a bit of a run-around from the company by having to switch terminals (the location at the North Terminal didn’t have vehicles with automatic transmission). 

We quickly discovered that driving in the UK was a bit more of a challenge than anticipated, especially with only 2 hours sleep and rain drizzling from the sky. The other drivers were fast and aggressive and seemed eager to force us off the narrow, winding lanes if they could. I’m afraid I ticked off more than one local driver with my slow speeds and hesitant turns. After indulging in a shouting match parked on a side street somewhere south of London, before being distracted by a very large cat playing with a dead mouse (I didn’t think about it at the time, but this does seem a bit ominous), we abandoned our plans to gather supplies at the Tesco Supermarket that was supposed to be nearby and instead headed for Ashdown Forest. We hiked through Pooh Country (see previous blog) and then drove on to Bodiam Castle.

Bodiam Castle was built in 1385 along the River Rother in East Sussex as a fortress to defend the southern coast of England, which is now some miles away. It saw little action in its lifetime, however, it was damaged during the English Civil War by Parliamentary troops. Cromwell ordered the roof removed and it fell into disrepair and was abandoned. In 1919 the castle was restored by Lord Curzon and given to the nation. Today, it is maintained by the National Trust and used in such films as Monty Python and the Holy Grail. 






 

Few castles live up to the romantic ideal of Bodiam, with its wide moat, sweeping battlements, spiral staircases, and gatehouse with original portcullis. I was surprised by how narrow and steep the staircases were, and how tall each step was. It was difficult to climb even in jeans and sneakers. I imagined the ladies of old, most shorter than today’s average height of 5’4”, scaling those stairs in long, heavy dresses, and without the aid of a banister. It must have been extremely tiring and troublesome. Even tall soldiers must have had some difficulty mounting the steps swiftly while wearing heavy armor and carrying bulky weapons. I found it very easy to believe that people died from tumbles down the hard, stone stairs.