UNITED KINGDOM - England

Location - Western Europe; Capital - England - London; Population - England - 50.5 million; Currency - Pound Sterling MORE UK - NORTHERN IRELAND

Plenty of odds 'n' ends from south east England, as well as Blenheim Palace, all places within easy reach from London. Plus the founder of 'independent nations', the Principality of Sealand - 2017/19.

20 Pounds Sterling

The Grain Tower, aka No 1 The Thames, is a 19th century gun tower at the mouth of the River Medway near Grain in Kent, south east England - Grain

It's on the market as a 5-bed house. Bring your own boat at high tide. No really! Grain

It was originally built to protect the Medway ports from French invasion in the 1850s. The top tower was added during the Second World War - Grain

The nearest city to Grain is Rochester, on the banks of the River Medway

It's a historic town with links to Charles Dickens. And it has its very own castle, built in the 11th century following the Norman conquest in 1066 - Rochester

A window on Rochester Cathedral from the top of the castle keep - Rochester

There's more vistas on the opposite side, overlooking the River Medway and the rather ramshackle town of Strood - Rochester

Rye and 'quaint' tend to go hand-in-hand when describing this historic town, only 75mins by train from London

Mermaid Street in particular is full of wood-timber framed buildings from the 15th century. And this one, The Mermaid Inn, is one where you can drink, dine and sleep in - Rye

Their website promises creaky floorboards and possibly a ghost or two - Rye

Mermaid Street has several quirky addresses - Rye

It's a cute town but the centre is very small, so while away the hours in pubs, tea rooms and bric-a-brac shops - Rye

A cannon stands outside Ypres Tower, a 13th century fort pointing towards the English Channel - Rye

Nestled beneath the castle is the Ypres Castle Inn - Rye

Ramsgate is one of several beach resorts on the north Kent coast, which stretches from Whitstable to Margate then on to Broadstairs and Ramsgate itself

The yacht marina is lined with stalls selling fishing trips & equipment alongside cafes and ice-cream parlours - Ramsgate

But I wanted to see the interesting War Tunnels, an extension of a disused Railway Tunnel protecting residents during World War II. Ramsgate was on the south coast's frontline, so the deep tunnels provided shelter for up to 60,000 people; at one point over 300 families were living permanently in the underground city where electricity, bunk beds, toilets and ventilation had been set up.

Also on the south east coast, between Ramsgate and Dover, is the ancient town of Sandwich

It's full of medieval buildings, cobbled streets and ancient monuments - Sandwich

No Name Street leads to the Guildhall and tourist information centre - Sandwich

The Salutation manor house is surrounded by the Secret Gardens, and also hosts a tearoom and small garden centre - Sandwich

The River Stour flows through Sandwich. In the Summer season seal-spotting boat trips are available

Boat trips also head a few kms north to the Roman fort of Richborough, site of the Roman invasion of Britain in 43AD - Sandwich

Quikry old buildings on the route to the White Mill - Sandwich

The White Mill's sails are folded away during the tourist low-season - Sandwich

Climb the steps of the 13th century St Peter's Church for views of Sandwich

Grab a higher view of the Guildhall and No Name Street - Sandwich

Looking southwards along St Peter's Street and King Street - Sandwich

A couple of kms east of town and flanked by golf courses, is the pebbly beach of Sandwich Bay - Sandwich

The seaside resort of Felixestowe is the largest container port in Britain

PRINCIPALITY OF SEALAND

The reason for a trip to Felixestowe was to get a look at this insignificant-looking platform on four legs, the eventful micronation that is the Principality of Sealand

A 1994 Sealand dollar. A limited edition coin celebrating 50 years of independence has recently been minted - check their website

Roughs Tower, its official name, is one of the disused Maunsell Forts, built as an anti-aircraft site in defence of the UK during World War II. In 1967 it was taken over by Paddy Roy Bates with the intention of broadcasting a pirate radio station outside British sovereign territory (Roughs Tower was beyond the three mile territorial water limit of the time). He then declared it an independent state complete with currency, passports, flag and national anthem - Sealand

In 1978 the fort was temporarily taken over by a German, taking Roy Bates' son hostage in the process. Bates retook the tower by helicopter, with negotiations between the German and British governments bolstering his claims to statehood.
Check out the official website - Sealand

About 30mins closer to London from Felixestowe is Ipswich

The liveliest part of the city is Neptune Marina. My tip is a visit to the sprawling 'Isaacs on the Quay', a quality bar on the waterfront - Ipswich

The white chalk cliffs of Folkestone, back on the south coast

A bit of a mushy marina when the tide's out - Folkestone

The pebbly beach at Greatstone, south west of Folkestone, on the east coast of a promontory with Dungeness at its tip

And these were the bizarre structures I was seeking out. They're concrete sound mirrors, constructed in the 1920s & 30s as early warning acoustic mirrors to listen for approaching enemy aircraft. On the left is the largest at 61m in length followed by the 6m and 9m dishes. With the invention of radar they became redundant - Greatstone

Along the coast between Greatstone and Folkestone are several 19th century defensive forts known as Martello Towers - Dymchurch

The world's most famous steam train the Flying Scotsman stops at Oxford Parkway on its way from London Paddington to Oxford

The Flying Scotsman went into service in 1923, travelling between London and Edinburgh - Oxford

The train still runs every so often so check the website - Oxford

From Oxford Parkway we took a short coach-ride to Woodstock, home of Blenheim Palace

Woodstock A small music festival was in full swing when we arrived, though nothing to do with the famous Woodstock Festival of 1969 (held in New York)

Entering the huge grounds of the 18th century Blenheim Palace - Woodstock

The Grand Bridge separates the Queen Pool from the Great Lake behind - Woodstock

Walking up to Blenheim Palace - Woodstock

The palace is home to the Dukes of Marlborough, however the most famous person to be born here is British wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill - Woodstock

Inside the palace is the Long Library, and you can also see Churchill's birth room - Woodstock

Through an archway to the palace - Woodstock

Behind the palace are cafe tables next to the fountains - Woodstock

Gladys Deacon, Duchess of Marlborough, who died in 1977, is represented as a winged sphinx. Kind of bizarre - Woodstock

Crosssing beautiful gardens near the waterfall and pump house - Woodstock

The Great Lake, in the grounds of Blenheim Palace - Woodstock

Website and content Copyright © 2008-2020 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.

LINKS

www.enjoyengland.com - England tourist board

www.visitbritain.com - Britain's official website

www.britainexpress.com

www.visitsoutheastengland.com - guide to south east England

www.thetrainline.com - train information across Britain

www.nationalexpress.com - National Express coaches cover Britain

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.