Hastings & Mayfield - Sussex Road Trip - Americans Driving through England 

Nearly every school child in the SE area of England…. Greater London; bits of Surrey; most of Kent and probably all of Sussex has had the obligatory visit to Hastings as a “History trip” and had to walk around with a clipboard and answer questions etc about the invasion of England by Will de Conk and his crew 😄… well I did anyway 😉 and I can still see in my mind’s eye, hassled teachers and some of those parents who were bribed to attend in return for a free jolly to the Seaside, trying to command us pupils, intent on NOT answering the questions on the sheet but venturing on to the stony beach and heading towards what was always a “rough sea” and getting very wet😂 (the teacher’s response to that, was that as she hadn’t brought a towel to dry anyone off, those caught by a rogue wave would just have to stay wet and not complain about it! 😲😲😂😂) or just wandering aimlessly off the “teacher’s set questions area” and getting separated or lost…. 😂. I do think that Andrew Benedict might still be in Hastings, since 1971, wandering around looking for our History teacher 🤣🤣 But in essence - one of my best trips to the area was a celebration of the Battle of Britain. Seats and benches set into the hillside of forest area in Battle itself - we listened to typical “war time” music and rousing Melodie’s played by the Philharmonic Orchestra and hearing over the tannoy, Winston Churchill’s speeches and his “war cry”….and then, the highlight of the Show, was on hearing the instantly recognisable sound of Spitfires as two flew low over our heads…. It was one of those moments when you clutch your chest and you can feel your eyes getting damp and there is this huge lump in your throat, as you cheer and clap loudly as they fly over. It was okay to feel proud and fly the 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ….a lovely evening it was too. ☺️ The small town of Battle is really worth a visit too - after all, it’s where the major part of our “history” started 😊

The Battle of Hastings took place 6 miles northwest of Hastings in Battle, the name given to the area after the conflict.

I enjoyed your tour of Hastings, where I spent three years in the 1970s working as a visiting print journalist at F J Parsons publishers. All I can say is that the good burghers of Hastings have become much more creative with exterior colours on their homes. It always seemed to be gloomy or raining when I worked there! ☔ Thanks, too, for your narrative of Mayfield parish church, Ian: fascinating history.

They do have a San Francisco vibe about them! A magenta house.The Shovells house was very quaint. Hastings Castle had the perfect spot to defend the car park below. This Castle music has a very Black Adder feel to it! The roundabout figurine was a cool nod to the battle. The Mayfield Pub had impressive style and architecture, lovely looking portions and food too, spot on! Those old roofs and windows give me palpitations, who looks after them in the winter? Some amazing stained glass windows in the fire restored Church. Great aerial shots Ian. Shame about the windmill, you don’t want to mess with the laser sharks! ❤

Oh the history! I was captivated watching and as always learning. Ian you are such a good sport being married to a RU-vidr, loved your drone shots and narration! Outstanding video Dara thank you! ~Cara ❤

Thank you friends for sharing a video of a very beautiful place with beautiful buildings along the way

Good morning. Rain, Dara, you went out in the rain. Love the umbrella. The houses in Hastings look awesome. Then, my wee heart skipped a beat when you showed the old Austin car. Such a classic. I had a A40 Somerset. Oh the years have just flown by! Earned the money by selling Tupperware. Great spot for a castle. Can't have a castle without a toilet....🤪! The Sunday Roast is one of the yummiest meals out. Can't be late for Sunday Roast. Mayfair looks lovey. Loved the church and hearing about the history. Another gorgeous road trip. Oh dear, now that wasn't fair - no windmill pictures. Learnt a lot. Thanks for posting this so I had a great start to my day. 👌🇳🇱🙋‍♀🇳🇿🌺

Hi Dara & Ian, what a lovely trip to Hastings and Mayfield - despite the rainy weather. Nice brolly! ☔Cool castle and interesting narration. I loved the drone footage too! Yummy Sunday lunch - delish! 😋❤

Nice to see Mayfield again. I remember visiting my godparents who lived there in the 60's/70s - and seeing the windmill in the distance, on the hill. They later moved to live on Argos Hill not far from the windmill.

My Maternal Grandmother's family originated from Mayfield before moving to East Yorkshire so they gave her Mayfield as her first name. To the family she was simply known as May. She in turn passed her name down to Mum as a middle name, something that she was very proud of up until her passing in early 2020 at the age of 90. 🙂

We enjoyed seeing the beautiful town of Hastings and well placed castle, Dara and Ian. With a well placed toilet!

Hastings is gorgeous….it reminds me of Folkestone…

I love your umbrella! Hastings has been on my list of places to visit for quite a while as I really liked the TV series 'Foyle's War' which was set during WWII in Hastings and the surrounding area. It does look very pretty with all those coloured houses. Mayfield and its pub looks especially English picturebook perfect.

Hi Dara, I am sorry to hear about the weather which we all deal with when we have a planning ahead. I am gald you mentioned about architecture in this town, indeed a little unique charm comparing traditional towns in the UK wow I love the view the ragged cliff face behind elegant buildings remind me of The Beauty and Beast hahah 3:49 stunning view You are one of the maters who are able to pull off history, architect, art, nature, food and... I truly enjoy learning history as you walk through the ruin with bitte story. Walking tour at the churches are your masterpiece. My surprise is the ceiling as you mentioned it looked like a shop where most churches have vaulted ceiling. Haha so sorry about to hear a windmill Nobody knows until you get there... Not much food this time??? I look forward to the next episode I hope you enjoy our dolphins bring hot heat to you.

Milton abbas, Dorset is a perfect place to visit in summer if you guys havent done so already. The history behind it is very interesting too

My part of the world, and I love it. Alleyways between houses in Sussex are called Twittens, but they have different names in other counties. See if you can find some others!

Another great video. Hastings is an odd mix but, if you ever get back, you should try one the two funicular lifts that take you from the Old Town area up to the level of the castle. The town is famous for being the home of the World Crazy Golf Championship.

Very interesting. The Austin A40 looks almost as old as the house behind it, but the house is a few years older! The church ceiling looking like the inside of a boat, now that was thought-provoking, I've never heard of that before. Very enjoyable.

What a cool road trip! Thank you for the reminder...visited Hasings so many years ago that I don't remember that much anymore..but the Castle is the same beautiful LOL ...Take care ...

Born and raised in Hastings, but been in Dorset 44 years. Sir Cloudsley Shovell dies because of his own absolute arrogance. In the days when longitude was a matter of guesswork (before accurate clocks) it was difficult to know where you were. One humble seaman, but very experienced, reckoned they were running into danger because of the proximity of the Scillies, and went to Shovell to warn him. Navigation was the role of an officer and a gentleman, not a humble seaman, and Shovell had him hanged for his impudence - whereupon they all ran aground and dies exactly where the sailor said they would. The scene is shown graphically in the film "Longitude"

Your lunch looked wonderful at the pub. Fancy place! We're also going to feature such a fine establishment in our next video The one in Amarillo that gives you the 72 oz. steak with all the trimmings! 🤣🤣 St. Dunstan is a lovely church. Beautiful inside and out. The woodwork and stained glass stunning. Interesting to see the tombs, but sad about what the skulls represent. Wise to stay away of the Laser Sharks! We enjoyed the tour Dara and Ian. Thanks so much for bringing us along.

The A21 route down to Hastings from where I live on the outskirts of London is a great drive. Lots of lovely roads and a mixture of fast roads, town roads, countryside and urban. Been through Mayfield and most of Sussex and Kent before but not for a while.

There’s a lovely windmill in Hull amongst a 1920s ribbon development.. not far from the town centre..

That's an Austin Somerset. In the 1940s & 50s most of Austin's range was named after counties or county towns. There was a Devon, Dorset, Hereford, Cambridge, and one for the marketeer in you: they seriously considered calling the Mini the Austin Newmarket, because it was aimed at a "new market sector".

That's odd. It's always sunny when I go to Hastings. 🌞 Getting to Hastings by train from Sheppey is a long journey. Takes half the day to get there. I bought a bookmark in one of those gift shops. Not sure if I still have it. I think I walked a different route than you did. More hugging the shoreline. I liked the old town best. Didn't you stop off at the aquarium to look at the sharks swimming overhead? Very old car? The Austin A30 was the latest thing when I was a lad. 😁They're usually light green. Well, the ones I remember were. The wing mirrors were probably put on by the owner as I don't think they came new with the car. The roundabout at Battle might have been where the actual battle took place. I know it was near the top of a hill. Oh, and Harold didn't get an arrow in his eye. 🏹The Bayeux Tapestry has been much altered and investigation shows that the arrow is a much later alteration. The tapestry isn't even a tapestry. It's an embroidery.

In times gone by these 3 & 4 floor buildings were occupied b wealthy families. The upper floors would be occupied by paid hose keepers, cleaners and cooks staff. These days times have changed, these will converted into flats or apartments, helps with the housing shortages, very popular with new property owners and students, especially in the cities. The top floor rooms are often very warm and pokey.

The old car Dara is a 1953 Austin Devon .

Hastings, near my home along the coast

I was thinking the same about San Francisco as you, Dara. Watching now.

The indicators on the Austin would be a later addition too. The most they would have had when new was little lighted arms at the top of the door pillar that swung out to indicate when you were going to turn. 😁

I haven't been there for years. Like a lot of people from the South East of England I grew up going to Hastings for day trips. Great day's.

If I'd known you were going to Hastings, I'd have arranged for you to discover 'beach hut life' - friend of ours has a beach hut on the beach there and lives on the edge of the old town. Best fish n chips anywhere on the south coast in several chippies near The Stade.

2066 is fast approaching. I guess we should be making plans to attend the 1000th anniversary. Yeah, I'm may be being a tad optimistic. Travel insurance for centenarians may be a bit expensive. I googled Hastings to see exactly where it is and the first result was Hastings on the Mornington Peninsula about 1 and half hours from my place. I guess it ain't that one. 😁

Nice voice over Ian!

Fun Fact: all spiral stairways in castles turn to the right. this is so the invaders sword hand is behind the central pillar and the defenders sword hand is free to swing.

Paul McCartney from The Beetles has a windmill in East Sussex.

“ Do something good in the world today ? “ Hmm, I’d like a rematch with the ( extensive expletives deleted ) Normans. Bless you Harold. You wuz robbed. End of … ( Nice vid by the way. Pity you missed the funicular cliff-top lift.)

My ancestors came over with William

Did you see Foyle?

No St Leonards?

2:25 That's a 1953 Austin A40 Somerset.

All saints st u don't like it the posh st in Hastings did go double there only half way down

Did you go down to fishing beach (the Stade ) and see all the boats? Hastings is a real mixture isn’t it.

Surely Hastings came before San Fransico, ergo San Francisco copied Hastings

Well done in sounding so characteristically positive about Hastings! I find it depressing and poverty stricken and everyone i chat to when there seems to have been recently released from Lewes Nick. I was even going to move down there at one point (cheap property) to teach English, but thankfully decided not to.

And I thought Shovell was in M People 😂

Hasting is a dump. Anywhere east of dorset is horrid to me.