After yesterday’s long paddle I decided to take it easy today and to stay an extra night in the very civilised camping in Norman bay.

I was yearning for a nice cooked breakfast and the reception recommended the bakery in Pevensey bay, about a 20 minutes’ walk along the shingle beach. It felt good to walk and slowly my tight muscles loosened up again.
The bakery was full when I came in; there was only one table free. I ordered the biggest breakfast on the menu and plugged my phone and tablet in the plug behind me.

Not long after a couple came in. With no other tables free I invited them to share the table. Of course we ended up chatting. About my kayak trip, Nordic walking and a motorcycle trip to Scotland Stephen had once undertaken. They left before I did and when I said goodbye to Stephen and Beverly they told me they had settled my bill! The kindness of strangers on my way keeps suprising me.

Pleasantly full I decided to walk to Pevensey castle. I follow a path along a river through meadows, full of wildflowers. The Sussex landscape reminds me of Holland.

The castle is now mostly a ruin, but it has been an important location through the history. First the Romans built a fort here to protect themselves against the Saxons. It is hard to believe that at that time, the fort was built on a peninsula sticking out into the sea. The town of Pevensey, the grassland I had just crossed, at that time, it was all sea. And even when William of Normandy landed here with his troops, it was still a fort by the sea.

It was William who built the castle after winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It was the first stone castle in England. It soon became one of the most important castles of the country.

In my tent, looking forward to get back on the water tomorrow!

Hugs to all of you