Sunday 18th September 2022

I am off on my travels again tomorrow, so the day will see time slip through my fingers.

Main item on the agenda was a visit to the excavated Wantstone Battery between St Maggies and Dover, the site of a large Naval gun installed to finre on and over the Channel.

We got up at half seven. It was light already and we had four hungry cats demanding food.

Before going out, we started to scarify the lawnmeadow, a backbreaking task, but one that lakes little over 90 minutes, so spread out over the day isn't so bad.

I checked in for my flight, then we could drive to the site, just the other side of that village down Reach Road.

The final open day of the year at the Wantstone Battery site between St Margaret's and Dover.

Two years into the project and one of the large battery sites has been rediscovered and uncovered,

In addition to this, four ack-ack sites were seen with the C and C in the middle.

Many other buildings, storehouses and magazines visited too.

During the war, St Margaret's was a very restricted area, with most of it out of bounds except to locals. Pretty much as it is now.

Ha ha.

Four large guns were installed, Winnie, Pooh, Jane and Clem. Jane has been rediscovered and uncovered. And this was the first chance we have had to visit the site.

Hard as it is to believe, from the 1950s, a series of clearances happened to remove wartime buildings, so called eyesore clearances, so there is only a fraction left to what there was built.

Much destroyed, much buried.

Jane and Clem were two warship guns, installed on land to fire on and across the Channel. Automation improved rate of fire and accuracy.

We were met by a guide, and he showed us round the site: one of the ack-ack sites, the control and command centre, the hardened accommodation and finally the installation for Jane.

Three years ago, there was little sign that this ever existed, but it was know these were here, so began scrub clearance, and then digging.

Lots of digging.

The site will be open more in 2023, and will in time have the main car park for the lighthouse and Fan Bay sites.

And then the five minute drive back home to have bacon butties, clear up and finish the leawnmeadow.

And to no one's surprise there was footy on the tellybox, so I watched that, though not very good games if truth be know But thinking about bad football is better than thinking of Brexit, COVID, the cost of the funeral, war in Europe or any of the other things challenging the country.

That done, I made chorizo hash, but using the butcher's firecracker banges instead of chorizo.

Was still good.

Then, there was a shower, pack and the rest of the tasks as the weekend faded away.