We slept on the ferry so it didn't take long at all, especially as we set our clocks back an hour upon arrival thus gaining an hour. After the initial mind boggling moments of driving once again on the 'wrong side' (although the correct side at home) of the road, Shyla recovered nicely. Oddly for the rest of the trip I struggled horribly and breathed a sigh of relief once back in France and on the right hand side of the road. Strange what become second nature so fast.
Although we were stuck in traffic and late to Surrey. Upon our arrival things only improved. We stayed the first night in Surrey with Shylas aunt Angela who was so lovely and generous, putting us up for free and being genuinely a welcoming and lovely person. As she was working when we arrived, she told us of a local abbey ruin we could go visit for free and we planned to meet up later for dinner.
The abbey was awesome as it was almost completed deserted, not cordoned off, and completely free and accessible to wander over and around. It was one of my favourite sites so far.
Our parking spot was right by a beautiful clump of mushrooms.
Lily pads and an old stone bridge on our way walking to the abbey.
The abbey itself was a very early one dating from the 1100s, it was raised to the ground by Henry VIII (Of course) which is pretty devastating from a historical point of view. Parts of the stone were blackened, and I wondered whether it was age discolouration or evidence of burning.
This was the best preserved part of the abbey and was used as dormitories by men seeking to join the order but had not yet been inducted, they did the hard labour for the monks and in return were fed and given beds as they worked towards their goal.
The surrounding walls were very ruined and there wasn't too much left.
Odd parts of wall or building rose from the ground in random pieces as if flung there carelessly by some giant.
Yet another one of those confusing Shyla taking a photo of me taking a photo of her taking a photo of me. Ouch that made my head hurt.
It was so peaceful if it hadn't been so late in the day we would have returned with a picnic.
There was also a perfectly preserved fireplace which I thought was awesome.
After meandering back to catch up with Angela, we found she had another amazing surprise for us. She was taking us out to Jamie Oliver's restaurant for dinner!!!! Not only exciting as we knew it'd be a nice and unpretentious place as is his cooking style, but mainly, we were going to get to try Jamie Oliver's food! In his restaurant! Jamie Oliver! So exciting.
Shyla and Angela with their fantastic pasta dishes.
We were then greeted by a glorious and private room each with ensuite shower and bathroom, all for free. We were so lucky!
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