Moved at last

Finally did found her new home and moved in last week. I stayed for a while to help her get settled and find her way about. It's called a chalet bungalow and is on a lovely residential park.

There is a country park nearby for dog walking.

It's on the edge of town so peaceful but near a new retail park. It took over a year to find it but it was worth the wait.

Seems a bit strange without her and two huge dogs at home now but glad she's happy.

A walk to Treasure Holt

My last post from the Clacton holiday is a walk I did one evening. Earlier that day my SIL and I had a bit of time together. She wanted to go to a garden center called Treasure Holt. It wasn't far from our park home along the main road then quite a way through a housing estate until we were at the edge of town. It had a nice little tea room so I thought I would take DB there one day.

That evening I had a look at the map and realized there was a country route to the garden center so I set off to walk it along a lane through fields.  I was going to walk across the field but it meant jumping a ditch into a muddy area and I thought I might slip so just did the lane. I found Treasure Holt and checked their opening times. Then I walked across the field to the Pickers Ditch and intended to follow it back through the field as according to the little map I had there was a footpath alongside.  I went so far walking through a little hideout some kids had made with a rope swing but it became too overgrown so I went back and walked through the housing estate.  There were such lovely gardens though that it was enjoyable. Since I looked on the OS map I see it doesn't show a footpath on that bit of the ditch.

We did go back for our lunch the next day and it was delicious.

Coastal walk

During our Clacton holiday one day when DB was having a rest, I went by bus to Frinton on sea and walked back along the coast to Holland on sea.

Frinton is a real old fashioned place and if you live inside the "gates" you are posher than outside. The gates are the level crossing next to the railway station. Until recently there was no pub or fish and chip shop although I still don't think there is a proper chippy, just a restaurant. Frinton was known as a dry town but now has the Lock and Barrel pub with local real ales.

I walked along the sea defence  so quite easy with views one side across the sea and the other side down below me was a cycle route. I passed the golf course and a country park. Quite a few cyclists but hardly a soul walking.

This is the clock tower shelter on the greensward overlooking the beach.

This garden originally belonged to the keepers of the crossing gates. There is a museum here as well but it seems it and the garden are only open during their weekly coffee mornings on Tuesdays. So I must try to remember and visit on that day next time. I do like these old fashioned little towns as they seem so peaceful.

Brightlingsea

While we were at Clacton we had a drive into Brightlingsea, a lovely old fashioned little town on the mouth of the river Colne. It is a limb of Sandwich which is one of the cinq ports and the only one of the ports and limbs in Essex. I would have liked more time to explore and perhaps take a ferry trip across to Mersea Island.

We enjoyed what we did though. We sat in the Victoria tea rooms for coffee watching a large group of older ladies watering the flower beds and baskets.  We did wonder if they had entered the Britain in Bloom competition. We had a wander around the shops and I bought a lovely knitted hat in a charity shop. It looked new and I wondered if it was an unwanted gift.

We had a wander along the beach and enjoyed the peace.  There is a lido here but it was closed that day. I have wanted to swim in it for quite a while. It was opened in 1932 along with many others around the country. It became run down and then the Brightlingsea Lido Trust took over and with lots of volunteers got it back up and running.