A week backwards - part one

The Cobb, Lyme Regis

Last week, when my Kalk Bay Friend was here, we made the most of every moment, not least because we're not sure where or when we will see each other next. When she lived in England in the 1990s, she had never managed to visit Lyme Regis, so we though this might be a fitting end to her stay. As it happens, M at Random Distractions hadn't visited Lyme Regis either, so she joined us and, braving torrential rain, we set off across the county to West Dorset. Needless to say, the sun was shining when we arrived. I think my village must have a monsoon-prone microclimate.

Lyme Regis and its famous Cobb have associations in abundance with Jane Austen, which M has written about here. And if we had possessed a cloak between us, we might have been tempted to do a Meryl Streep at the end of the Cobb. Yes, this is also John Fowles and French Lieutenant's Woman territory. However, this landmark is deceptive; even when the sun is beating down, the Cobb can be windy and wet and slippery from the sea spray and it looked - and felt - as if someone from props was chucking buckets of sea water over us, for the atmosphere, you understand. We didn't fancy our chances on the top level, although I have, when I was young and foolish, run along the precariously sloping top level to the very end - and not turned a hair.

Of necessity, it had to be a whistlestop tour but we wandered up and down some of the steep and narrow lanes, where I waxed lyrical about this Art Nouveau letterbox:

There was just time to have a quick lunch on the open verandah at By the Bay, with views of the Jurassic Coast - a World Heritage site - in one direction:

and the harbour in the other:

We spotted some small boats with Arthur Ransome-type names:

and wondered what the story was behind this:

Then there were some fine examples of traditional three-dimensional seaside art like this:

and this:

which reminded us that there was something that we had to make when we got home . . .

Comments

[Liz]

Lovely photographs. Took me a while to realise the blue stuff in some of them is actually sky! I remember going through a John Fowles period when I devoured everything he'd written and, yes, I did go to see the film version of The FLW.

[Juliet]

Lovely pics. Had been hoping to visit Lyme with the family myself this year, but didn't manage to fit it into the school hols. These help make up for it - but also remind me why I wanted to go there again! Glad you had such a lovely day and that you saw some blue sky!

[Jay]

Beautiful photos! I've never been to the Cobb, either - I'd like to, but I only want to visit it on a bright, calm, sunny day! The harbour looks so much warmer than the other direction...

I think I can help you out on the boat name. It simply means that it's the 'tender' or 'dinghy' belonging to the boat named 'Gibson's Choice'. It's the little diddly boat they use to get from the jetty to the stonking great big boat they can't bring in close enough! LOL!

[60 Going On 16]

Liz - that bit of blue sky was over Dorset; it's is a rare as hen's teeth down here in Devon.

J - every time I go to Lyme, I fall in love with it all over again. And wonder why I don't go there more often - it's only an hour or so from home.

Thanks for explaining the boat name, Jay! Always helpful to have a few experienced hands on board to help out with the nautical terms.