Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Essex

Carcassonne Day One : Stansted Wetherspoons – The Windmill

As there’s limited public seating in the airside part of Stansted, it wasn’t clear where else we would wait for our flight other than at the Wetherspoons at Stansted Airport, the Windmill. I’ve written about this venue before, but it’s well managed, the staff are engaging, it’s efficient and the environment is clean. It’s expensive, but that’s hardly going to surprise anyone. Liam and I had already enjoyed an extensive breakfast of a packet of crisps and a beer, so we didn’t need to have a fine dining meal. I’m sure (well, I’m not, I’m not always very observant) that they’ve extended the Windmill again, as we were seated in a wing that I hadn’t even noticed before. Incidentally, I remember the previous Wetherspoon outlet at Stansted which had around 18 tables, whereas they must now have over 100 tables across the two floors.

I like high seating and I was enjoying watching whether people coming in would go for high or low seating, and the majority went for higher seating. That’s how I spend my time now, with riveting polling such as that. I definitely need to get out more.

I went to the bar to order as they were playing a rather mean prank on customers and pretending on the app that they only had Greene King beers. I was momentarily excited to see that they had Theakstons Old Peculier, but the helpful staff member said that it had sold out within two hours and it had surprised them. I mean, I can hardly wonder why that beer sold out when the delights of Greene King IPA was on….. Anyway, they had Gold from Exmoor Ales and so I had half of that, it was a not unagreeable creamy, smooth and light beer. It also went well with the five decaff coffees that I had, such are the joys of unlimited coffee.

There are other food and beverage options at the airport which aren’t really any more expensive than Wetherspoons, but their beer and coffee options are more extensive and better value. I might try the Camden Bar and Kitchen at some point which has a few craft beer options and although isn’t linked to the Camden Brewery, as it’s operated by SSP, it does sell their beers.

May 1, 2024
Carcassonne Day One : Leave Liquids and Devices in the Bag

I remembered that I had a full bottle of water before going through security and that led to the slight issue of where I was going to pour it. There didn’t seem to be any receptacles for liquids at the security area and so we had to traipse all the way back outside whilst I poured the water on the floor near to a bus and likely got noticed by six security cameras thinking that it was some nefarious attack on the building. I perhaps over-think these things if I’m being honest. It also made me wonder why I keep thinking I’ll drink all this water, but I’m not sure that anyone else (even my two loyal readers) would be overly engaged at that thought process.

Anyway, this wasn’t the reason for this post and I’ve become distracted already. After entering the security line, we got directed off to a new extension to the terminal building and I was delighted to see that we were part of a trial. Often this isn’t good, but on this occasion it was the new technology that meant liquids and laptops could stay inside of the bag whilst it went through security. I wouldn’t say that this is life-changing, but it is certainly preferable.

I’m not sure that they had it working quite right as twenty bags in a row went off to secondary screening and then that promptly blocked the entire security line. The staff remained polite and calm, other than one stressed guy who frankly looked panicked by the whole arrangement, but he was my favourite staff member as he was creating a bit of drama for passengers to watch. The owner of the twentieth bag seemed more stressed as the individual bag checks were going to take some time, they might have been less excited by the whole trial. As a positive, Liam and I sailed through, getting through by a whisker (around three hours) before the flight departed. Liam rejected my suggestion that this was cutting it fine, but he’s very reckless and is the only one of us who has actually missed a flight.

May 1, 2024
Carcassonne Day One : Breakfast of Champions

Stansted Airport long ago gave up with any attempt of having seating in their main departures section of the terminal, unless sitting on the floor is in the management’s action plan for customers. However, a short walk to the airport’s bus station terminal leads to a positive smorgasbord of seating options, so we rushed there positively giddy with excitement for the trip. I accept that a breakfast, or perhaps brunch is more appropriate, of King Queen Knave and Adnams Ghostship crisps might not feel premium, but adventures that start with a Pressure Drop beer at least have a positive beginning. Also, the prices in the terminal were far too indulgent for Liam and I, so this was a much more practical thrifty option. Also sitting in the bus station lets me dream of travel, seeing such glorious destinations on the departing coaches which included Braintree, Harlow and Luton. Does travel get any more decadent than that? I don’t think so.

May 1, 2024
Carcassonne Day One : Getting to Stansted Airport

I don’t get much chance to get away at the moment, so there will be a small deluge of excited posts about a weekend away which can surprise and delight my two loyal blog readers. Thanks to Susanne for driving Liam and I to Stansted Airport for the adventure, with the added excitement for me of being a passenger in a left-hand drive car so I could pretend momentarily that I was driving. As I mentioned, I don’t get out much and this is all I can muster for this blog to liven up the drive to the airport. One thing about living nearer to Stansted Airport is that it feels much more convenient, although less so for Liam who had driven all the way from Norwich already.

Stansted Airport doesn’t allow for free drop-off any more as they can excitedly collect money from drivers who want convenience, but it does allow you to park for up to an hour in the medium stay car park without charge and then get a free shuttle to the terminal. As usual, I couldn’t risk being late at the airport, so we arrived nearly four hours before the flight, which to me is cutting it fine. Anyway, I digress. Hopefully I’ll be able to write this weekend up before getting distracted and taking nine months to complete it.

May 1, 2024
Colchester – Colchester Castle and Cellar/Rooftop Tour

I’ve been to Colchester many times before, but I’ve never quite managed to visit the castle. I’ve had a trial National Art Pass which gave free entry, meaning this was a perfect time to visit before it expired. The usual adult entry cost for the castle is £12.50 and being honest, this felt a little too steep given that the tour is an extra charge.

The Norman doorway. As a brief history of the castle, it is built on the site of a Roman temple which had fallen into a state of disrepair during the Dark Ages. King William I ordered the construction of the castle in 1074 to help protect his new kingdom and it lasted in that state until it was purchased by John Wheely in 1683 who had a plan to pull it down. He took down the top floor, but felt that the whole project was too much and he abandoned it, so the castle was saved. It then became used as prison but was purchased by the town in 1920 and then turned into a museum. There’s plenty of evidence in the structure of its Roman foundations as much of the material was reused in the castle’s construction.

The well and I was fortunate to have a child demanding coins from his parents to throw into it which meant that I could see how deep the water was. Behind the well are the steps down the cellars which I went down later on during a tour.

When I entered the staff member offered a comprehensive introduction to the castle which all seemed suitably welcoming. She mentioned that I could indeed have free entry with my National Art Pass but asked if I would like to go on a paid tour of the cellars and the rooftop. As this was £3.85 I thought I’d go for that. The museum itself took around 50 minutes to look around, which worked perfectly for my tour which started an hour after I entered.

A model of how it is thought that the castle looked in May 1157, when King Henry II stayed for a week.

Different types of stone that were used in the castle’s construction.

The Sheepen Cauldron which was buried as a religious act at Sheepen, near to Colchester, in around 1275-1140BC. The sign at the museum notes that this is the earliest known bronze cauldron in England and is also the first known example of sheet metal being used to create a working object as opposed to a decorative item.

These are coin moulds from Cunobelin’s mint at Sheepen.

This is the tombstone of Longinus who was born in what is now Bulgaria and at the age of 25 he joined the First Thracian Cavalry regiment. He was sent to fight in Colchester and he died at the age of around 40 in the town in 55AD. As was the Roman tradition, he was buried by the side of the road leading to London and this tombstone was established by his family.

A 2010 Colchester Beer Festival glass was on display as it had imagery of Boudicca on, the woman who ransacked Colchester.

I’m fascinated by exhibits such as this as their survival always feels slightly remarkable. It’s a representation of a Green Man, ancient symbols of growth and fertility. This is from a building which stood on the site of the current Town Hall.

The exhibitions at the castle contained plenty about the local history. This is a decorated floor tile of the town’s Borough Arms dating to the fifteenth century and found at St. Gile’s Church.

I then meandered down to the former cells which felt slightly eerie as I was the only person down there.

Some of the former cells.

After walking around the museum, it was then time for the tour, which consisted of the guide, myself and a family of three. The guide warned us that tall people would have to bend quite a lot as the passages were quite low. Often guides say this and there really isn’t any issue, but at 6’0″ I have to say it was quite stretch to get down there with a backpack. Now I’m no longer 23 and as supple as I was. The guide was engaging and knowledgeable, she seemed to really enjoy taking visitors around and was keen to answer questions.

As some background, these cellars were once filled with sand. This was removed and it later caused structural issues. The white wall is newer and from the 1930s, these are ensuring that the castle doesn’t fall down as that would be seen as sub-optimal.

The castle is built on a former Roman temple and the difference is visible in the cellars where the castle boundaries were slightly different.

The crack is visible which is why the engineers in the 1930s were worried about the whole thing falling down.

Some medieval graffiti.

We then went up a different set of steps to visit the castle’s roof.

Views of Colchester and also what they think is the only tree growing on top of a castle. This isn’t random foliage, they’ve repotted it to ensure that it doesn’t damage the structure of the building.

Views of the roof. There was once another floor, but it was taken down to sell the stone as building materials.

Looking back along the walkway.

And with that, we made our way back down after the end of the 45 minute tour. I very much enjoyed my just under two hour visit to the castle, there was plenty of information about the history and I was pleased how cheap the tour was. It’s not a cheap castle to visit, so I was pleased to have my National Art Pass, but I’m not sure I would have felt I received value for the £12.50 admission charge if I hadn’t got free entry. For those who do visit, I’d positively recommend going on the tour as it gave much more context to the history of the building.

October 3, 2023
Gdansk Group Trip – Day 1 (The Ryanair Flight to Gdansk)

All this telling me to relax is very stressful. I just want to know when and where the aircraft is going from, I like being in a state of heightened tension before a flight and certainly not relaxing. Things have moved about since I was last at Stansted a few years ago and my favourite seating area has gone, but I found a quiet seating area a level below the main terminal which was rather peaceful and delightful. Or as much as these things can be anyway.

Safely at gate 49 and I have to comment positively that Ryanair are incredibly efficient when things go right. The signage is clear, it’s obvious where to stand, the process is managed well and they do this better than British Airways which often is either organised chaos or not organised at all.

The big long queue to board, but the wait was for only five minutes or so.

At least with no airbridge I can take a photo of the aircraft. The aircraft is SP-RNA which was brought into use in 2008 and has a few weeks ago been transferred to Buzz, which are a division of Ryanair. What I find fascinating is that this aircraft will be used for seven flights today, from Stansted to Gdansk to Prague to Gdansk to Oslo to Gdansk to Dublin and back to Gdansk. They get their money’s worth out of these Boeing 737s.

The flight was nearly full and I cannot fault Ryanair for the service today. The cabin crew were pro-active and polite, the pilots made clear announcements, the aircraft was clean and everything was organised and on time. This flight cost £25 and I have to note that I’ve been surprised and delighted by Ryanair. I was asleep for most of the flight, but I received exactly what I paid for which was simply a glorified bus journey and they don’t pretend that it’s anything more than that. I’ve never actually had any problems with Ryanair after over a decade travelling with them, but when things go wrong they do have a poor reputation of fixing the issues.

Safely at Gdansk Airport where three shuttle buses swept passengers away to the main terminal.

Where we had to wait of course because we’re not in Schengen and the border guard, who was very amenable, spent some time adding up the number of days that I’ve been in the European Union. But it’s good to be back in Poland and the weather is warm and frankly too hot. But I don’t complain.

May 10, 2023
Gdansk Group Trip – Day 1 (The Overnight Wait)

As it was now nearly 03:00 we thought that we’d locate from the quietness of Stansted coach station to the rather more busy terminal. This is my first Ryanair flight in years and I’m already pre-annoyed about it, but to be fair it might surpass my expectations.

The barriers were removed and a stampede of excited passengers surged towards the security lines unable to control their excitement at entering the airside area of the airport.

I’ve never noticed this interesting military history which is rather hidden away but contains a list of the units which have been stationed at Stansted when it was a military airport.

The anticipation…… The whole process was efficient and we were through to the airside area by 03:15 with only a brief wait in the queue for security. The staff were enthusiastic and helpful, full credit to them given the early time of the day and the inevitable many hours before their shift ended.

After spending what seemed to be half an hour meandering around the compulsory trudge through duty free we reached what was, for now at least, the tranquility of the airside area.

There were tens of these USB chargers in the seats and I couldn’t find any that worked. Very sub-optimal as I watched numerous people trying each one in turn in the hope of being able to charge their devices. Given how airlines encourage passengers to use boarding passes on their phone, the airport do perhaps need to provide more working charging units.

Here was our plan (which I suspect was mostly my plan that Ross went along with), I spent £3.25 for three hours worth of unlimited hot drinks at the Windmill, the JD Wetherspoon outlet at the airport. More importantly there was a power point so that I could charge my devices to my heart’s content. Everything fully charged for the flight, that’s my nerves settled.

The history of the pub’s name and I remember the old JD Wetherspoon outlet at the airport, it was tiny in comparison to the cavernous pub they have now.

The pub’s interior and it’s located over two floors, with a windmill design in the centre. The service was helpful, immediate and polite, it was all stress-free which is just as I like it.

As my friends know, I’m easily pleased, and I was very excited and delighted to see the cold milk option for the first time. That will save me countless minutes over the course of the year, perhaps as many as twenty, getting the milk jug refilled.

Several coffees later, I was suitably refreshed and recharged. Ross didn’t go for such coffee extravagance, he only likes slightly posh soft drinks. Ross also had to try and avoid the friendly team member at the entrance to the pub who was in danger of making conversation with him, but that crisis was averted by Ross’s sneaking in and out. There’s quite a lot of frivolity at this pub before 5am which I suppose is understandable as it’s a primarily leisure airport, but I’m naturally grumpy in the morning (and indeed throughout most of the day) and it’s all a bit exciting for my liking.

We are now ready to depart for the gate and it’s evident how bored I am by how I’m now writing up the most tangential of things. But, Poland is getting ever closer, it’s light outside and all we have to do now is not miss our flight.

May 10, 2023
Gdansk Group Trip – Day 1 (Stansted Shanty Town)

A couple of years ago the decision makers at Stansted Airport decided that they didn’t want people staying overnight in the terminal, but there appears to have been a compromise where a small section has been begrudgingly turned over to passengers. God forbid that the passengers that Stansted serves might have any chance of getting some crumbs of comfort. The airport has poor early morning public transport connections and limited affordable hotels, so it’s not clear what the management are actually expecting to happen here. Perhaps the whole Sleepless in Stansted arrangement is a complete surprise to them, bewildered that their lack of forward planning in enabling more accommodation options to be available has become part of the problem. But anyway, I mustn’t digress into such matters because I’m being very positive for this entire trip, I’ve decided.

They’ve cordoned their seating area off in case anyone might get comfortable. They’re trying to avoid people sleeping, but it also means that people use the seating areas at places such as Burger King, so customers of their fast food delights then can’t get a table.

The confined area is inevitably full of people, some trying to sleep and some just trying to find a wall to lean against. They’ll be lucky in this terminal to even find a pillar to lean on.

The main area of the terminal is closed off and there’s a sign saying that it’s open at 03:00.

Fortunately, most people don’t seem to know about the nearby coach terminal which is peaceful and quiet. I don’t travel from Stansted Airport very much, but this is always where I go as it’s calm and there’s relatively comfortable seating. The only slight issue for me is that the airport appears to turn its wi-fi off overnight, which is sub-optimal when I was trying to save my phone battery. Anyway, not long now before the terminal re-opens and the delights of Stansted airside will become available to me in all of their glory.

May 10, 2023
Harwich – Kindertransport Memorial

I’ve seen a few Kindertransport sculptures and memorials around Europe, not least in Gdansk and at London Liverpool Street railway station. This memorial in Harwich is titled Safe Haven and was sculpted by Ian Wolter (https://ianwolter.com/safe-haven/), having been unveiled at Harwich Quayside on 1 September 2022.

It’s located here as nearby on 2 December 1938 a ferry docked which included 200 mostly Jewish children from Germany, a Kindertransport designed to save their lives. Around 10,000 children, mostly from children’s homes, were brought to Britain as part of the process and many were sent to the nearby Dovercourt Bay Holiday Camp. The first transportation took place just days after Kristallnacht, the organised campaign of terror against Jewish communities across Germany.

It’s a beautiful and touching sculpture with an information board nearby to explain the concept of the Kindertransport. The imagery is powerful, these five scared children walking down a plank to a new world which would have no doubt been frightening to them, but it was likely a journey that saved their lives. I’ve noted before that every time I write about this subject, I feel the need to mention Sir Nicholas Winton, one of the greatest humanitarians of the twentieth century. Some politicians today might perhaps be better served, or at least the country would be, by being inspired by his politics of compassion rather than deciding to opt for hatred and scaremongering.

The memorial has its own web-site which has plenty more information about its history and what the children involved went through.

April 17, 2023
Harwich – Ha’Penny Pier

I love a nice pier, there’s something quite exotic about walking out over the sea whilst peering (no pun intended) through the holes in the wood at the waves crashing below. Harwich’s pier doesn’t quite have the water underneath which is being flung against the sand by the power of the moon, but it still allows for a little walk out.

The pier has a kink in the middle of it, towards the right is where the entrance is located and off to the left is where the landing area is for the ferry across to Felixstowe. There’s a little cafe located at the entrance to the pier, as well as small tourist information facility which is operated by the Harwich Society.

This is what the pier looked like at the end of the nineteenth century, but today the spur going off to the left is missing which is because it burnt down in July 1923. A fair number of sources give the date as 1927, but it was Friday 13th July 1923, perhaps there’s something in these omens. This section of the pier had been closed off during the First World War, although fishermen often jumped the barrier, but the planned repairs caused by a lack of maintenance were aborted when it caught fire.

There’s Felixstowe in the background.

The pier’s information sign and it mentions that it opened on 2 July 1853 and originally cost ha’penny to enter, hence the name.

Some of the artwork located, or perhaps temporarily dumped, on the bridge. It’s Esturiana and is a community artwork which is apparently a sign of local creativity. I can’t write that I’m particularly engaged by it as I’m struggling to understand the story it’s trying to tell, but everyone likes different things and at least they’ve put a sign up to explain to visitors who created it.

More recently, there was nearly another disaster when in August 2020 there was a fire which fortunately didn’t spread as the fire brigade were alerted promptly and they were able to quell the flames. There’s been some recent restoration work to stop bits of the pier falling down, so its future seems secure. These are really not ideal structures to have to look after, they are quickly damaged by the elements, but at least this pier has survived albeit not as much as there once was.

There’s more information about this rather charming little pier at https://www.harwich-society.co.uk/maritime-heritage-trail/hapenny-pier-visitors-centre/.

April 16, 2023