An architectural wander into Hastings Old Town

Last Christmas we escaped the usual rituals and London and headed down to a cottage in Hastings for the duration. Browsing through the photos on my phone - yes most of my blog photos are taken on my iPhone as it's always close to hand - I was taken by just how charming and quaint our walk into the Old Town in search of the sea was. That's such a seaside thing to do isn't it, head off to see the sea?

I'd been to Hastings many years ago, and remembered the funicular, mainly because my uncle tried to convince the ticket seller he was one of the children, and of course the six children found it hilarious. I've no idea what fare he paid, or rather my dad paid, because why would the child pay, but it's a memory that stuck. I think it may have obscured all my other Hastings memory as none of the rest of it looked familiar, not even the fish sheds (more on those another day), but then again at that age I probably wasn't that interested in them and no doubt the seafront has changed in the many years that have gone by.

But I'm not sure all of the views have changed, just look:

It looks so much more appealing than a standard row of terraced houses doesn't it?  You might imagine that even all the higgledy-piggledy-ness soon gets taken for granted but there is such a mix of architectural styles it was almost too much to take in on a single visit. Almost. It was one of those walks that was very stop-start, much to MOH's fake annoyance - it had to be fake annoyance as I'm sure no one could be annoyed with stopping to look at these, and on Christmas Day morning too.

I was fascinated by the brickwork on the house below, and the flower pots on top of the bay, which I presume hints there's an outdoor space up there. But even the ironwork on the front of the upper bay, and then the alleyway leading to another part of the town. 

And the more modern style of the grey, sleek and stylish house next door. It's a real reminder that traditional and contemporary styles really can work together, which is always a relief as I can never choose between the two.  Further along there's an old shop converted into living accommodation but in keeping with the street, retaining the fantastic - and dare I call it - vintage sign.

The colours too contribute to the general ambience, and it's not just pastels either as you'll see further down the post.  Unsurprisingly for a seaside town blue and white features heavily, but splashes of pinks and yellows and corals add to the mix.

I'd been looking out for the Piece of Cheese Cottage, and never did I expect it to be so yellow and cheese-coloured, or even shaped like a wedge of cheese, but it was. It's easy to see how it got its name isn't it?

Going back to colour there's pale pinks and brighter pinks, creamy yellows and cheese yellows and brick fronted houses too. Plus the coral or orange which on its own might appear garish, but not here.

As we reached the front the wood panelled or clapboard style buildings, and they were a hint of what was to come as we wandered around the fish sheds. It was eerily quiet in this part of town, most likely because everyone else was no doubt opening presents!

But we weren't quite done yet. We found an even more quirky house, whose outside was just full of texture and charm. And check out the name plate.

There was one more house that I insisted we stop and investigate and all because it had these giant plants and seedheads seemingly growing out of the building's foundations. Their shape though, made them appear to be decorations, in the most rustic of styles.

And now we really were ready for all the usual trimmings of the day, all that remained was to find our way back to our holiday cottage and work out how to use the oven!

The kitchen garden project at Blickling

I've been meaning to write this post about the kitchen garden project at Blickling for a while now, but it hasn't happened until now, and I'm not sure why. We were at Blickling looking for snowdrops and found so much more.  I'm a bit of a sucker for walled gardens, and kitchen gardens come to think of it, so a walled kitchen garden. Yes, complete heaven!

My pictures are unusually starting at the end of our jaunt around the garden, but it's such a pretty view I didn't want to leave it until the end; it's a view I think I could quite easily sit and watch for quite a while, preferably in nicer weather than we had on our visit there.

I didn't remember the kitchen garden from our previous visit, and it's unlike me to not remember such a garden. But as I read the notices I realised why, it was grassed over when we first visited and so I suspect it didn't hold the magic that these gardens so often do. But through a regeneration project it's being brought back to life and is already supplying fruit and vegetables to the cafes there.

It's a five year project and in the first year over 600m of metal edging was laid - perhaps I should get them to come and help with the edging on our circles, we could certainly do with some help!  They also installed an irrigation system and reinstated paths from its past. It was interesting to learn that in its heyday the walled garden was four times bigger than today, and in the 1950s most of the garden was put to grass, and in the 1980s it was briefly a garden centre.

It's fascinating to learn that they've reintroduced apple and pear varieties that were grown there in the late 1800s. I was keen to get on and explore the garden and so have only really fully read the information boards as I'm writing this post. I know I should read them at the time, but well it was cold, there was a garden to explore, need I say more...

And in fact there was more out than I expected there to be, and more than I'm sure I have on my allotment which is no doubt covered in weeds and full of neglect right now. In the photo below there's orderly strawberries, lavender and parsley and once again I wish my crops would grow so neatly.

Instead in the meantime I'll just drool in awe and amazement and try to remember not to cram as many plants into my beds higgledy-piggledy in the future, but no that that's most likely to be exactly what happens!

One thing that I won't be able to do, or have, is an espaliered fruit tree of any kind. But I can admire them and marvel at them, the ones here had some fantastic shapes, not fully symmetrical but characterful nonetheless.

The greenhouses - or glass houses whichever you prefer - were huge and reminded me of the ones at Heligan. I don't think I've ever shared pictures from there (sometimes I'm such a bad blogger!) but I'm sure one day I will. We've been there twice and I'd go again tomorrow if I could, it's such a fab place. And it has glass houses a bit like these.  Phew, back on track.

After lusting over the glass houses, my next lust full item was these bean poles, so much nicer than bamboo don't you think?

There wasn't a huge amount out, as I expected. Well, it was January after all, and I soon found myself being drawn back to the glass houses and to the cold frames alongside them. I love to see how these gardens work, clearly on a much larger scale than most domestic garden.  Peering into one of the cold frames, I was amused to see an army of black grass being cultivated.

And then I spotted one of the glass house doors was open and well, it would have been rude not to wouldn't it? Sadly as I expected it to be the rest of it was blocked off, but I was able to lean in quite a bit (all that pilates did pay off) and snap a few photos while I was doing so.

It's a fascinating structure isn't it? And I'm curious to know if those alliums on the bench above will grow into new plants, I've not had much luck with some dad gave me, and more surprising is that he didn't have much luck with them either. Maybe we'll try again, or maybe I'll just admire their structure when they're done...

So an interesting discovery, a walled kitchen garden that's being restored to its former glory. I'm pretty certain I'll be back at Blickling much sooner than before to explore the rest of the estate and to check on developments here too.  I thought I'd seen most of what Blickling had to offer, but there was still another surprise, and that one was indoors. More on that one soon. 

Proper Bikes (and more) at the London Bike Show

At the end of last week HeyGreenGo got in touch and offered me tickets to the London Bike Show which they were one of the sponsors of. MOH had planned to pop into the show after a 60 mile ride which started at the Excel on Sunday, but I didn't have any plans to go along. I assumed the show would be geared towards those who take cycling a bit more seriously and for those that wear full cycling gear, which as you know isn't me.

But taking a look at the site I wondered if my assumption was right. I knew MOH was keen to look at potential new bikes, and I knew that after cycling sixty miles or so around Essex that maybe might not be high on his agenda, so going a day earlier might work out well. And so that's what we did.

Imagine my surprise then when on the first stand we stopped at I spied a step through bike, and bikes with wicker baskets. Just my sort of bikes and where the afternoon potentially turned expensive. As with any show there were show offers, but while I was interested I knew I wouldn't buy one on the day, as for me a show offer only really works if you've done your homework beforehand and not in the fifteen minutes or so you spend on the stand.

The bikes that were deemed suitable for me ranged from £700 to £2,250 - and now you can see why I say deemed suitable. I think if I were to spend the higher end of that range on a bike I wouldn't leave it anywhere, ever. There were though some very nice bikes, and we spent quite a while learning about the bikes from an informed salesman. I don't know much about the technical parts of a bike, and nor do I think I need too, but I did find it frustrating that when it got to a technical bit it wasn't me that was being spoken to, it was MOH.  

A salesman once did that when I bought my Megane, and yes I still bought the car because it was a good deal. He insisted on talking to MOH, who doesn't drive, and asked MOH if he wanted to sit inside. The salesman's face was a picture when MOH got into the passenger seat. After that the salesman spoke to me more often and backtracked really quickly, and couldn't do enough for me to get the sale.

But I digress, it's still frustrating though.

I was quite taken with the Pashley, but was potentially swayed by the basket, which I think is bigger than my current basket and proper wicker, rather than plastic wicker. The Brooks saddle doesn't look quite as comfortable as my current padded leather one, but I know they come well recommended and well, they mould themselves to the shape of your derriere.

The bikes on the stand were generally in neutral colours and I think that's what made the one below stand out. I'm quite partial to green as well, so I found myself drawn to this one from a cosmetic viewpoint. It didn't have traditional brakes and involved pedalling backwards to brake, which I'm sure you get used to but it probably wasn't something to try out at the Excel on Saturday. It's a looker though isn't it?

In fact as I'm writing this I've realised I tried two bikes out for size, which was two more than MOH did and it was him that was supposed to be more seriously looking for a bike. Whoops.

This is the one at the higher end of that range I gave you earlier and was beautiful. It had a couple of people placed alongside it and I couldn't work out if they were just taking a break or ready to pounce on anyone that was taking a serious interest in it.

The light was integrated and pedalling powered the light, very clever. The chain too looked different, we saw this maintenance-free style chain on a couple of the bikes on this stand, and it looks interesting, although I'm sure I could make this type of chain come off, most probably without too much effort.  

What I did like about the people we spoke to on this stand, even the salesman that could sense my eyes glaze over at the technicalities, and throughout the show to be fair, was that none of them looked down their noses at us for having Halfords bikes (and nor should they), or for me being at the more leisure end of the cycling scale and that was much appreciated. Now if more cyclists had that attitude I think we'd all be better for it.

Finally we left the first stand, I know, I think I might have become obsessed with these bikes and I think I've realised that at some point this year I'll be replacing my bike. There's nothing wrong with mine, but it is a bit of a beast (MOH's nickname for it) and it is heavy. I know I want to keep an upright and step through style and I know that I don't want to spend four figures on it. I now also know there's a bike shop in Great Portland Street that will take the time to find me a bike that suits me and my price range, and so quite a useful afternoon. 

At the next stand MOH learnt more about the ORRO bikes, who are based in Ditchling, near(ish) to Brighton. I think he was quite taken with this one, and it was interesting to see him being drawn to black and red styled bikes throughout the show. 

There were many colours to choose from, and many specifications. You'll not be surprised to learn this one caught my eye, for the obvious reason. Here's a clue if you're not sure why: 💛

Elsewhere in the show there were clothing brands as you'd expect and plenty of lycra on sale and being worn. These more feminine tops from Chapeau caught my eye, but I'm still not sure if I'd buy one or not. I don't like, or wear tops cycling or otherwise with high necklines. I know why they're designed like this, but I've yet to be convinced, and all my cycling tops with back pockets (which are very useful on longer trips, even with a basket) are a vest style, which gives me the lower neckline, but are also sleeveless which isn't always practical. 

One day, maybe, I'll find what I'm looking for. 

Throughout the show there were many opportunities to try energy bars and flapjacks. Our favourites tend to be Cliff bars, as they're not too artificial tasting, are very dense but they do give your jaw a good workout so are good value too as we often share one between us.

When I spotted this beetroot based Beet It stand, I was keen to learn more, and to taste their bars to see just how beetroot-y and earthy they were. The answer is not as much as you think, and the bars were quite pleasant to eat, but not overly sweet either. Beetroot is full of nitrates, and that's good, especially for exercise; the more you have, the more it opens your arteries which allows more oxygen to get to where it's needed. That's the non-technical description of why.

What's more is where these are made in Suffolk the beetroot pulp is returned to the farm so that it can be fed to the pigs, so there's hardly any wastage and both us and the pigs benefit from the natural produce. The beetroot shots are quite concentrated and so do turn your wee pink, which could be a shock if you weren't prepared for it, and I do wonder if it has the same effect on the pigs too - I didn't ask that!

One of the last stands we visited was the Vitus stand, MOH had heard of them, I hadn't. I was though quite taken with the classic racer bike they had on display. It's a real beauty and the style of bike I remember being popular as I grew up in South London in the 1970s. I couldn't get on these then, so there'd be no chance now, this one was suspended way above my head, so it was safe, but it really is a design classic isn't it? 

So quite an afternoon at the London Bike Show, and I was glad we went, and even more glad that I'd found, what I call, Proper Bikes  if you haven't worked it out already that's step through and with a wicker basket. MOH still shakes his head, but for me a bike without a basket just isn't happening, I find it way too useful. 

We headed back to Greenwich on the cable car and was treated to another fantastic sunset, London still has the power to surprise me at times.  

I never really expected to find my kind of bikes at the show, let alone be considering a new bike, and I think I'll be studying this little black book of bikes more closely, working out what my budget is and most likely popping up to Great Portland Street to actually try some out for size. 

So while the afternoon itself didn't turn out to be expensive, there is still potential that our visit to the London Bike Show might mean a couple of new bikes for us, at some point. Ah well, there's worse things I guess...

Did you go along to the London Bike Show? What did you think?

* This is a collaborative post, with thanks to HeyGreenGo who gifted me tickets for the London Bike Show. As usual all views and opinions are my own.