Sunday, August 10, 2003 (Kenilworth – Warwickshire/England)
Stumbling into a living history event. The
weather turns but an enjoyable day with lots to see and do nevertheless. LPG
isn't so popular in England but we need to fill the tank anyway. If the campsite
is too expensive, just find somewhere to park.
Day 151. Since we’ve been following the
trail of English Heritage castles and ruins over the past week or so, it seemed
fitting that we should attend English Heritage’s biggest public event of
the year that was going on this weekend in nearby Kenilworth. This would also
take us closer to Coventry where we will be visiting relatives
tomorrow.
The drive up through the
country was one of the longest that we’ve done so far. The weather this
morning had finally turned and ushered in what may very well be the end of the
intense heat wave that we’ve been experiencing. Sunshine and oppressive
heat gave way this morning to overcast cloud cover and some rainfall. For the
first time since setting out a week or so ago, we started to experience the
‘real’ British summer weather for the first time. Accordingly, we
decided to make use of the motorway system to transport us to our destination
this morning. Up till now, we’ve been avoiding using the main motorways in
favour of the more scenic ‘A’ and ‘B’
roads.
Upon reaching the general
vicinity of the event, we followed the signs to one of the various huge car
parks where we parked the brick and walked towards the main gate. At first
sight, there didn’t seem to be very many people in attendance but we soon
stated to notice a huge volume of people as we made our way through the
event’s main gates and into a field full of wondrous sights. We saw
literally dozens of medieval style tents in all directions and people were
walking around in period costumes from right across the spectrum of history.
Nineteenth century soldiers mingled with fifteenth century peasants and twelfth
century lords and ladies. Knights strolled around in armour and battalions of
soldiers marched around to the beat of drums. It was quite a spectacle and there
was plenty to keep the senses on their toes. In and around the various tents
were all manor of displays of historic lifestyles, arts, crafts and customs
– a true historian’s dream. In addition to the several dozen acres
of land set aside for all the tents and paddocks, a large field and a smaller
one were dedicated to an ongoing rotation of various displays such as jousting,
hawk hunting, artillery demonstrations, battle re-enactments and so
on.
After enjoying the various field
events for a while, we strolled around the various crafts tents and learnt much
about how people used to live throughout the ages. Soon hereafter the heavens
opened up and we were subjected to the full force of the characteristic
unpredictability of the British summer. We found refuge under one of the tents
where a group of fifteenth century inhabitants were awaiting their turn in the
smaller field for a battle re-enactment with a rival group across the other side
of the field. We spent well over an hour trapped with them under the confined
space of the tent (with no sides) and I found the whole group to be tremendously
enthusiastic about their hobby despite the downfall. That the whole group could
maintain a healthy sense of humour throughout the demoralising downfall is
testament to their dedication, passion and love for medieval period
re-enactments.
By the time the rain
had subsided, it was near the end of the day and the historic program of events
was drawing to a close. One of the last field events we saw was an absolutely
astonishing display of hawk hunting. With the high winds of the recent passing
storm still in full force, these hawks were reaching speeds well in excess of a
hundred miles per hour and were swooping well within striking distances of
people heads standing around the area as they circled the crowds, swooping into
the middle of the area trying to catch the prey being swung around on a piece of
string by the bird handler. It was a truly impressive show that was an absolute
thrill.
The last event that we saw
before departing was of a battle re-enactment in the main field. There must have
been a hundred or more people in full battle uniform taking part with canons and
artillery exploding at either end of the field. The display was most impressive
and I really felt like I was emerged in
history.
After the excitement of the
afternoon was wearing off, we made our way towards a campsite that we were
intending on staying at for the night. Along the way, we tried several times to
stop at a filling station to top up our LPG gas tank. Alas, we could not find a
petrol station with LPG that had the correct fitting for our tank. This is
something I will have to resolve sooner or later since our LPG will eventually
run dry. Once that happens, we will not be able to cook, heat water or maintain
a cool temperature in the fridge.
We
ultimately reached the campsite was I was so taken aback with sticker shock at
the £15 that they wanted just so that we could park there for the night
(the previous place was just £6) that I decided we would not stay there
after all. Instead, we drove around for another forty-five minutes or so looking
for a suitable place to park for the night. There were no other campsites in
close range (we didn’t want to stray too far from Coventry) but we
eventually found a pub with a large enough car park that we could park at the
far end unobtrusively. Hopefully, nobody will disturb us for the night and we
have the added bonus of not having to pay anyone for the privilege of parking
here. Of course, this also means that we have no external electricity or water
hook-ups but we should be able to survive for at least a few days without these
on battery and existing tank
reserves.
Yet another castle ruin at
nearby Kenilworth awaits us tomorrow. We aren’t due at Aunty Tiny’s
house until after two in the afternoon so we should have plenty of time to take
things easy tomorrow morning.
Posted: Sun - August 10, 2003 at 01:10 PM