Travel Diary : HASTINGS 2014
with Mrs. Fischer and Mrs. Reysset, Mr Dudzus and Mr Boese
( 1 ) Monday, May 12, 2014
Monday morning : departure at DFG at 4.30 am; drive to Calais; passport check at Calais terminal; 11.45 ferry to Dover;
1 pm – visit of Dover Castle in groups : Great Tower; Admirality Outlook; Ancient Church & Roman Pharo; Fusiliers’ Museum; 3.30 pm – drive to Hastings;
5 pm – arrival at Astral Lodge Hotel ; room allocation and dinner; evening walk along the Hastings seafront into the Old Town;
( 2 ) Tuesday, May 13, 2014
10 am drive to Battle near Hastings; visit of 1066 battlefield grounds including an audioshow on the Battle of Hastings & walk around Battle Abbey;
12 pm return to Hastings; Old Town Walk in three groups along historic streets with picnic on the Rock O’Nore beach; 2 pm – walk through the Old Town to the West Hill and West Hill climb to the rocks near Hastings Castle; time to enjoy the view from the hill;
3 pm – walk back down to Hastings New Town : free time in groups at Priory Meadow Shopping Centre to explore the shopping facilities of the New Town;
6 pm – dinner and from 8 pm to 10 pm the Hastings Ghost Walk with some funny appearances of famous ghosts.
( 3 ) Wednesday, May 14, 2014
7 am – leave hotel for London; 10.30 – meet guide for a Blue Badge Coach Tour “From Westminster to the City” ; walk through St James Park and Horseguards to Trafalgar Square with rest on Trafalgar Square; drive to Tower Hill;
1 pm – visit to the Tower of London in four groups : White Tower – Jewel House & Crown Jewels – Chapel – Royal Beasts – Tower Ravens – Medieval Palace – Tower Green
3.30 pm – leave Tower and walk to Tower Bridge; climb to the Tower Bridge Exhibition; visit to the Engine Rooms ; return to Hastings; evening activities on the hotel beach;
( 4 ) Thursday, May 15, 2014
8 am – leave hotel for Brighton; drop on Marina Parade and walk to Royal Pavillion;
10 am – Tour Royal Pavillion with audio guides; walk through Brighton Lanes back to Brighton Pier; free time in small groups on the Pier ( 12 – 13.30 ); drive along the seafront to Birling Gap; 3 pm – Beachy Head Walk ( about 8 miles ) from Birling Gap Hotel via Beachy Head to Eastbourne;
6.30 pm – return to Hastings and dinner; evening walk on seafront to St. Leonards;
( 5 ) Friday, May 16, 2014
10 am – meet guides at the Fishermen’s Museum on the Stade in Hastings : tour of the Fishermen’s Museum and the Shipwreck Museum and Guided Walk on the Stade with Mick, an old fisherman, to see the returning fishing fleet, the Lifeboat Centre Hastings and the fish market; picnic on the Stade;
1.30 pm – East Hill climb with England’s steepest and oldest lift: Saxon Shore Country Park Walk with football and sunbathing on the East Hill; return back to the Old Town; exploring the Old Town or shopping in groups; return to hotel; dinner; packing and room check;
( 6 ) Saturday / Sunday, May 17 & 18, 2014
6.30 am – loading coach and breakfast; leave Astral Lodge for London;
9.30 am – drop at Hyde Park Corner; walk along Wellington Monument to Hyde Park toilets; Walking Westminster : Buckingham Palace – St James Palace and St James Park – Horseguards – Whitehall and Downing Street – Westminster Abbey – Houses of Parliament & Big Ben – Westminster Bridge – London Eye Pier;
12.45 – Thames Clippers Boat to Bankside Pier ; Bankside : Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre; watch historic bicycle parade; Millenium Footbridge to St Paul’s Cathedral;
2 pm – Visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral in groups : the Nave & Quire; the Crypt and climb to the Dome; Whispering Gallery, Stone Gallery, Golden Gallery; film “Oculus” ;
5 pm – Thames Clippers Boat to Greenwich Pier : Greenwich Walk : Greenwich Palace – Royal Naval Hospital – Queens House – National Maritime Museum – Cutty Sark; Time for rest on the Greenwich Hill near the Royal Observatory; time for individual dinner and souvenir shop;
7.45 pm – walk up Greenwich Park to the Royal Observatory to meet coach and drive to Dover; arrival at Dover Docks at 10.30 pm; 11.45pm – ferry Dover to Calais; easy drive home; leave driver at Schengen / Luxembourg; arrival DFG Sunday morning at 9.30 am.
What a Great Trip !!!