Back In Blighty - Harwich

After my overnight ferry from Hoek Van Holland, I arrived back on UK soil this morning.  We docked in at Harwich at about 0430 but disembarkation time was 0630 so we were not allowed off before that time. The crossing was surprisingly both smooth and quiet, so I had a good night's sleep. But the last thing I wanted to do was deal with the inevitable rush hour traffic on the M25, so I decided to have a look around Harwich before driving home. I had presumed I'd spend an hour or two but I found enough to interest me so I spent several hours and had to pull myself away so I wouldn't hit the late afternoon rush hour!  That would have just been silly!  

I started by having breakfast on the old pier - 'Ha'penny Pier' - where I could see the docks and watch all sorts of boats, new and old - from big container ships, to a museum boat, to the little ferry that goes across the bay at Harwich. I stuck around long enough to watch my Stena Britannica ferry head out on its way back to Holland. (See Extra photo collage, which includes one of the lorry deck which I took while still on board.)

After breakfast I walked along the waterfront with more views of the docks, beach huts, and the two old lighthouses. The High and Low Lighthouses are 150 yards apart and were built in 1818. Seen from the sea, one was positioned over the other and by aligning them, vessels entering the harbour were assured of being on the correct course. Eventually the shipping channel changed course and they became redundant and were replaced in 1863 by lighthouses in another location. The Low Lighthouse is now the local Maritime museum.

There is, of course, a lot of Maritime history in Harwich. The Mayflower was built here and later sailed from Plymouth for America. There is currently a project to rebuild the Mayflower so I must return soon to see that, as I didn't take the time today.

My final stop, however, was to see the Harwich Redoubt Fort. Again, I thought this would be a quick in-and-out visit, but I found it fascinating. I had a hard time finding it as it is almost invisible from the sea, which,of course, was the whole point! The fort was built between 1808-1810 as a defence against invasion by Napoleon's armies. There is a 20 ft dry moat with a drawbridge and the fort is about 180 ft in diameter with 3ft thick walls. The central courtyard is 90 feet in diameter and was the parade ground for a garrison of 130 soldiers. There were 10 cannons and 18 rooms for the troops, their stores and ammunition. With a well in the centre of the parade to provide drinking water, up to 300 soldiers could be sustained in siege conditions.  

In the 1920s the whole area was bought by the town council in order to build houses on the surrounding land, and the Redoubt was left to decay. It was again used for minor purposes during WW2 but was later neglected once again, and became overgrown and forgotten. Then in 1968 the Redoubt was declared an Ancient Monument and a volunteer group formed - The Harwich Society - and they began the enormous task of restoration work. This work continues decades later.

I finally got back on the road for the final part of my journey home and about 3 hours later pulled into my driveway. 40 days of travelling. 2652 miles (4267 km). 7 countries - England, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. The return of course was bittersweet without my Dolly. I missed seeing her run into the house and explore and check out every corner. She always loved the homecoming although she also loved our travel adventures!  But I have so much to be thankful for, especially having done so many miles with no incidents on the roads and in a vehicle that caused no problems at all. It's been an amazing summer, especially the fun month with Alice and Elisabet, our blipfriends in Sweden. I was able to relax as well as enjoy so many adventures there, and more again on the journey back. I am truly blessed!