God bless bank holidays,....and god bless the sea side. It's years since I've been to Hastings but me and BLBW had excellent time at the Jack in the Green festival this May Day.
And yes we even enjoyed the Morris teams, not so much the traditional white hanky teams but the covered in weirdness scary face paint mad drumming ones! The traditonal ones still seemed a little repressed and full of people who needed a lot help getting into their groove. The other wilder teams (often tellingly with female dancers) just seemed to be having a better time.
In a mass with giant dancing sculptures, a weird dancing bushes (jack himself) and the crowd dressed up and draped in greenery it was excellent spectical, even in the chilly breeze.
It was much more fun than the parallel Bikers convention that was also going on, which seemed a little staid (curiously), lots of people in their leathers wandering round eating chips and looking at strangely uniform bikes. Where the hanky morris teams had a strong hint of accoutancy about them the bikers had a whiff of the free lance IT consultant, even the mulleted rotund bikers on home-made trikes seemed to be strangely conservative (such careful stitching on their rebel patches) .
I'm, always surprised how bland Harley Davidson's look even with their chrome and fringed saddle bags they always seem a little smooth and corporate, thankfully the Modernist Brotherhood (79 vintage?) made a small showing later in the day even if the had just called the AA :(.
We had such a good time we didn't even manage a round of mini golf!
So which is the next seaside town we should visit and why?
6 comments:
Shame on you both. In Britain's 'Home of MInigolf' with 4 excellent courses and you didn't even pick up a putter. Disgraceful.
Gertcha'self down to Old Leigh BL - just 40 minutes from Fenchurch St ( to Leigh On Sea Stn.)An authentic bustling old fishing village, which still has a busy boating,shrimping and shellfish industry..
You've got a ton of photo opp's available and a pub/chip shop combo in The Mayflower.
If you want tack 'n' tat Southend's only two stops down the line..
PS - when you're next in Hastings head east towards Rye and watch out for Winchelsea Beach 5 miles of beachy wilderness
I recommend Frinton and Walton on the Naize on the Essex coast. They are two extremes of English seaside cliches (in a good way!)
But if you want English traditions surely you should stay in Deptford? You've got your own Jack there.
http://www.deptford-jack.org.uk/
R: I know I full of shame looked a good course though.
PM: leigh looks agood idea , I think becuse of the trek to hastings staying overnight and doing some beach would just right.
CM. hmm Deptford jack seems to hang out in southwark!
BL may be worth waiting until the end of June for the Annual Leigh Folk Festival - I went for the first time last year and regretted that I'd never been before. Sunday is usually live music all along the wharfs and riveside pubs - and only a five minute walk from Leigh Station
http://www.leighfolkfestival.co.uk/
southend really is a top trip. and margate. and broadstairs. my list still has clacton, frinton, bognor and hell all that seaside i've not had a go on
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