Lizzie has been a long time fan of the English TV programme The Darling Buds of May - based on the stories by H.E. Bates.
(Above photo - Ma and Pa Larkin and some of the cast at Tenterden train station - the Darling Buds of May)
It was mostly filmed in the villages of Pluckley and Tenterden and in one episode the family went to the seaside and rode on the Leas Lift at Folkestone. Ah, so that's why we're here.
Using Airbnb, we made Folkestone our base for the next three days and went exploring.
Folkestone is very walkable, despite being hilly.
Our accommodation was on top of a hill, so it meant a quick walk down to the harbour and then ten minutes along the seafront to find the Leas Lift.
The Leas Lift is a brilliant but simple bit of machinery. Basically you have 2 rail cars connected to one another by a wire rope looped around a pulley....one carriage at the top of the hill and one at the bottom.
They have water tanks built in underneath each carriage. So the one on top of the hill has its tank filled up with water, which makes it heavier than the one at the bottom of the hill. When the brake is released, the weight of the one full of water, forces it down the slope, lifting the lighter one to the top. When the heavy one reaches the bottom, water is released and pumped back to the top and the process is repeated. Simple but brilliant!
The cost of a one way ride is one pound and twenty pence. I've heard of people complaining about the excessive fee, but really what can you buy these days for that sort of money? Not a lot.
Personally if my one pound twenty helps to keep this marvelous bit of gear going for another hundred and thirty years, it's money well spent.
Once at the top of the slope you can either carry on along the clifftops, past the band stand, towards the lawns and gardens leading to the Grand Hotel, or head away from the water and toward the lanes and alleyways of the old town.
(Photo above - The Grand Hotel - looking very regal - up on the clifftop at Folkestone)
After a quick look at the Grand we headed for the old part of town to look for somewhere to have lunch.
It didn't take long to find a nice pub near the church. The Pullman on Church Street has a varied menu and a nice selection of beers.
We got a table by the window and did a bit of people watching until our drinks and then our food arrived. We both had the Kentish meat pie ( actually more like a shepherds pie with mince and mashed potato served in a small cast iron saucepan on a board, with a side dish of veg) Unusual presentation but very tasty. I had a locally brewed ale and Lizzie had a glass of cold cider.
(Photo above - Lizzie about to enjoy her glass of Kent Cider).
The prices were about mid range for the food and for the drink. Quirky old pub and attentive staff. A nice touch was rows of hops hanging from the beams drying.
We also found a nice café on the old high street - it's a fairly narrow and quite a steep street - so no wonder its called Steep Street Coffee House. I really love this café. Not just because it serves great coffee and tasty eats, but also because it's full of books. Book cases everywhere absolutely chocker block with books. Definitely my sort of place. A great space to sip coffee and read all day.
We also found a nice café on the old high street - it's a fairly narrow and quite a steep street - so no wonder its called Steep Street Coffee House. I really love this café. Not just because it serves great coffee and tasty eats, but also because it's full of books. Book cases everywhere absolutely chocker block with books. Definitely my sort of place. A great space to sip coffee and read all day.
(Photo above - Steep Street Coffee House, Old High Street, Folkestone.)
Steep Street Coffee House is a literary coffee shop inspired by the famous book cafés of Paris. Interesting and arty books line the walls – poetry and local literature, classics and coffee table hardbacks.
Our next stop was the village of Pluckley. This was where the pub was in the series, plus the church where Charlie and Mariette got married and the homes of the Brigadier (called the General by Pop) and Mrs Pilchester.Steep Street Coffee House is a literary coffee shop inspired by the famous book cafés of Paris. Interesting and arty books line the walls – poetry and local literature, classics and coffee table hardbacks.
I had prepared a 7 page print out detailing where to locate these buildings......and promptly forgot to bring it with us......so there was a bit of guess work.
Found the pub (surprise, surprise - me finding a pub - well I never!)
In the Darling Buds of May it was known as the Hare and Hounds and was filmed from the back of the pub. The actual name is the Black Horse.
(photo above - view of the Black Horse pub from the front / carpark)
(photo above - interior of the Black Horse showing bar area and Lizzie knocking back a cider)
Suitably refreshed we had a short walk around this tiny village to see what we could find.
(Photo above - Pluckley Village from the steps of the Black Horse pub. The church where Charlie and Mariette married is in far left of picture, Mrs Pilchester's house is next to it and the Brigadiers house opposite - butchers shop and post office centre and right of the photo.)
(Photo above - Pluckley church where Charlie and Mariette married in the series)
Next stop was Tenterden - mainly for the railway station - where Charlie first arrived to seek out Pop and query his tax returns.....or lack of tax returns I should say. There was a few comings and goings during the 3 series of Darling Buds of May through this railway station.
(Photo above - Lizzie under the Tenterden sign with a Pullman carriage behind her - on Tenterden station platform.)
This is a light railway which runs for 10 1/2 miles between Tenterden and Bodiam. Full details and prices can be found at http://www.tenterdentown.co.uk/index.php/what-s-on/steam-railway-events/
(Above 2 photos - another couple of shots of Tenterden Railway Station.)
Platform only tickets are 1 GB Pound which gives you a chance to have a look at the station and a couple of carriages. There are also some engines further across the tracks, but these are in "Staff Only" areas so you can't get a close up look at them. There is a museum next door which may offer a closer look at the trains themselves - we didn't go in so I am only guessing.
If you buy anything in the station tearooms your platform ticket money is refunded.
More photos of this part of our journey will be posted on my facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/malcfrost
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