Van Trip & Rural Exploration - Part Two

My Van excursion heralded some great sights, too many to list here. However, my first location was surrounded by numerous Napoleonic and WW2 defensive structures - I couldn't resist a look! These particular ones are on the Eastern coast of England.

Stretching out on the rugged coastal sea defences, sits a Martello Tower.Although built in the early 1800's and to keep the French out, many are now privately owned. This particular one is not accessible to the public, but still stands proud and is a testament to the strength and engineering put into them.A couple of hundred yards, along the coast and you come across a more modern construction. This time, the defences were to keep the Germans Out. Built in the early 1940's, the Bawdsy defences housed a couple of light Guns and a handfull of men.Although a lot newer than the Martello tower, they sure were not built so well.In such a relative short space of time, history is slowly being forgotten. I cannot tell you without extensive research, what was in there.2ft r-enforced concrete walls.Probably where the gun was.The observation tower. This, no doubt served as an early warning lookout. Now rotting in the sea air.It still glows proudly in the early morning sun.Inside the tower, the youths have found reason to decorate the walls with graffitti (next post), expressing some form of discontent from society.These buildings are still open to the avid explorer.Now flooded by rainwater, the long corridors offer some nostalgic exploration.Now a beautiful and peaceful stretch of England.