Today we are taking an excursion to the “Jurassic Coast”, to the town, “Lyme Regis”, known as the “Pearl of Dorset”. It is called the “Jurassic Coast” because it is famous for some significant fossils that have been found here. There are large cliffs formed in the Jurassic on the coast that expose fossils as the shoreline cliffs erode. Also, it is a very picturesque town. The bus trip was interesting, many small villages reminding me of British mysteries I have seen at home. The roads are not wide enough for traffic in both directions in many places. There must be some kind of code as to who backs up when vehicles encounter one another on a particularly narrow section of road. Probably the biggest vehicle dictates who backs up. Also, bikes have the right of way. Bikers can slow traffic for miles.
It was a lot of fun taking a double decker bus to Lyme Regis. I also appreciated the fact that none of us had to drive. We didn’t have to figure out driving on the wrong side of the road and deal with the mystery as to who has to stop and back up on the narrow roads. We met James’ parents in Lyme Regis and spent a great few hours with them and had a great “al fresco” lunch. This is the town where “The French Lieutenants Woman” was filmed. There is a protected harbor with a large sea wall. Lyme Regis is larger than Sidmouth more crowded with tourists and a more “touristy” atmosphere.
We made it back to Sidmouth without incident. It is interesting to me that the shops and restaurants have such limited hours. The earliest coffee shop opens at 8:00 am and at 9:00 pm all the restaurants are closed. The shops are open until 5:00 pm at the latest. I suspect that some of this is due to Covid. The service industry here is having a hard time finding help as is the situation in US. Funny thing, the shop I go to in the morning to pick up coffee (Café Americano they don’t do filter coffee here) is a space converted from a place called “Trump”, he’s everywhere.
One somewhat surprising issue are the Seagulls. I realize that this is a coastal area and that this is their habitat. However, what is with the nocturnal racket. All night long there is a continuous riot among the Seagulls.
Backpacking Bill 