Fit for a king

For Easter weekend, Mr Zissou and I decided to get out of London. We took our bicycles on a train to East Sussex and pretended to be one of those sporty, outdoorsy couples.

We stayed in a gem of a B&B called King John's Lodge. It doesn't have much of an online presence, so just between you, me and the internet, here is a little sneaky-peek:

The 14th century house was where King John of France lived in exile so it has quite a history. And, as a bonus, the immaculately kept garden is said to have the ghost of a  late Victorian country gentleman who enters the corridor of hedges but doesn't emerge at the other end. 

We had the Tudor Room whose low beams made us feel like cosy hobbits. What more could you ask for in a country retreat?

We cycled all over the place and saw the rather impressive Bodiam Castle: a 14th century knight's abode:

It was once the height of castle technology, and has "murder holes" which allow you to drop murderous objects on people's heads through holes in the ceiling.

The rest of the trip was a blur of afternoon teas, pheasants, pub lunches, sheep, moss and mist. Seeing  a white dove (mental note: house of my dreams needs a dovecote) triggered a themed photo-essay: