A day out

Bev's best friend, Jayne , has come down from Sheffield to spend a couple of days chillaxing before she returns to the classroom - she's a teacher funnily enough! Last time she was down we went to Dover Castle, where history was brought to life by the enthusiasm of the staff on site. Today, Bev, Jayne & myself, have enjoyed another fantastic day out. We'd planned, very badly, to start at the Cliff-top Café at Capel le Ferne, for breakfast before spending some time at The Battle of Britain Memorial just along the road. So we arrived at the café to discover it was closed, only opens Saturday to Monday? All very weird. We ended up driving into Folkestone and parking up near Copt Point before walking down to the harbour. A very happy accident, as we ended up at The Captain's Table where we all enjoyed a superb breakfast, served up by a nice group of friendly members of staff. Highly recommended is my verdict after the experience.

A slow stroll back along the sea wall was accompanied by the enthusiastic sounds of families enjoying the seaside and sunshine. It was nice just to be outside, the ambience was that of, feel good, laughter and lapping waves. On returning to the car, we then headed back to Capel le Ferne and the Battle of Britain Memorial. The weather was kind, the sun shining brightly through a light scattering of high clouds, although a moderate Northerly breeze ensured it wasn't too hot. The whole site is a magnificent tribute to those who partook in that historic period. Obviously "The Few" take centre stage, yet by spending time reading the various static display boards, a much bigger picture is available. It is quite an emotional experience to spend time standing by the wall, just reading through the list of fallen aircrew involved in this historical event. 

Jayne and I weren't leaving without "The Scramble Experience" and happily paid our money to see this superb, high tech, display. Bev went up to the, on site, balcony café whilst we enjoyed this exhibition, What a mind numbing collection of information and technology it provides. allowing individuals to recreate those times. Some of the audio visual stuff is incredibly powerful and made me realise how much my parents and, even more so, my grand-parents, had endured which had never been spoken about. A brilliant day out, seeing stuff that's right on our doorstep, yet ignored until someone comes to visit!