McGresty
as it happens
Wipeouts
You're on the road, with time on your side and it's a nice day. The destination is one that would seem to be good, so your expectations are high or near that. There may be possibilities of a pleasant surprise. Know what I mean? How many times have you done such and it has turned into a total wipeout?
The Essex was an American whaling ship from Nantucket, Massachusetts, and launched in 1799. On November 20, 1820, while in the southern region of the Pacific Ocean under the command of Captain George Pollard Jr., the ship was attacked and sunk by a huge Albino Sperm whale. I watched the movie about it where Herman Melville interviewed a survivor and later wrote the classic Moby Dick. All very similar to a wipeout and after four such trips in a row, I decided to turn those write ups into this article.
It all began with a trip to Wildwood Kent. Following that I had very much hoped to photograph some wild European Bison in a place named the Wilder Blean Project which also has some wild boar and other creatures. Disregarding the information on how to get there, via a very complicated and long journey (please can the English go in a straight line between two points), I found a much shorter one and headed out, arriving near it in about an hour.
The direction was right but after 2 1/2 miles I stopped and asked someone how much further. He said the Bison had been moved to another location and it was many miles more. I turned around, went back to the train station and left.
Due to me just wanting to get back from Wildwood, to where I live, I paid little attention to the village itself the first time. This time there were a few places worth the effort of tramping around it. It is a very large village and when the population exceeds 7500, it has to become a town, with a town hall etc. A village usually is there because of farming, many grew from hamlets. Most I have seen are much smaller. The center normally has: a church, pub, small store wiith everything in it and a green where they play cricket and hold village fayres and fetes.
As normal I stopped to sense the place. Usually this can take a few moments, here it was almost instant, "Watch out!". Three times that thought hit me hard, very unusual but not like Jerusalem. I had to learn the lesson the hard way, I should have simply gone to the other platform at the station and left on the next train.
A river is supposed to run through here, named the Stour. That was to be my first destination so asked and some guy sent me the total opposite direction. After a long walk, I asked another fellow who said he did not know, this is very rare. The middle class English have a bad reputation, when they do not know something instead of admitting so, they will tell you a lie.
I looked at the map I had printed out and realized that 90% of Sturry is new, that original old town was a lot smaller and the opposite direction from the train station, so I headed there. The first person said to go up there and turn left, nothing. The second pointed to another road and I ended up at the river, but in another village. The third had me head in a totally different way, strike three Sturry you're out, but I gave it one more chance and the fourth sent back to the place the second one had. I returned to the station and caught the next train out.
It's not entirely their fault, England is an island nation. All such places around the world (no matter where you are) have one thing in common, they are inbred. That means their IQ's are not very high and we have to relate to them as they are and be sensitive to that, but a lie is a lie and that is just plain wrong. Over the years, nearly everywhere in Kent County I have traveled has been a problem, so I decided not to bother with the area again and a couple of weeks later went to the opposite corner of the London area.
Treks in the countryside, hoping to see some wild animals, may lead me to a village (fair enough). There are some nice thick wooded areas in regions surrounding the London area so will check them out (except in Kent).
The Essex was an American whaling ship from Nantucket, Massachusetts, and launched in 1799. On November 20, 1820, while in the southern region of the Pacific Ocean under the command of Captain George Pollard Jr., the ship was attacked and sunk by a huge Albino Sperm whale. I watched the movie about it where Herman Melville interviewed a survivor and later wrote the classic Moby Dick. All very similar to a wipeout and after four such trips in a row, I decided to turn those write ups into this article.
It all began with a trip to Wildwood Kent. Following that I had very much hoped to photograph some wild European Bison in a place named the Wilder Blean Project which also has some wild boar and other creatures. Disregarding the information on how to get there, via a very complicated and long journey (please can the English go in a straight line between two points), I found a much shorter one and headed out, arriving near it in about an hour.
The direction was right but after 2 1/2 miles I stopped and asked someone how much further. He said the Bison had been moved to another location and it was many miles more. I turned around, went back to the train station and left.
Then there is Sturry
Villages in England are usually small places and many have long histories. They are run by Parish Councils. Sturry is larger, with a population of 6,820 in 2011. Some people think it is the worst place to live in the County of Kent. I had used the rail station there to return home from a messed up journey some time back, so set out on a nice summer's day to write it up.Due to me just wanting to get back from Wildwood, to where I live, I paid little attention to the village itself the first time. This time there were a few places worth the effort of tramping around it. It is a very large village and when the population exceeds 7500, it has to become a town, with a town hall etc. A village usually is there because of farming, many grew from hamlets. Most I have seen are much smaller. The center normally has: a church, pub, small store wiith everything in it and a green where they play cricket and hold village fayres and fetes.
As normal I stopped to sense the place. Usually this can take a few moments, here it was almost instant, "Watch out!". Three times that thought hit me hard, very unusual but not like Jerusalem. I had to learn the lesson the hard way, I should have simply gone to the other platform at the station and left on the next train.
A river is supposed to run through here, named the Stour. That was to be my first destination so asked and some guy sent me the total opposite direction. After a long walk, I asked another fellow who said he did not know, this is very rare. The middle class English have a bad reputation, when they do not know something instead of admitting so, they will tell you a lie.
I looked at the map I had printed out and realized that 90% of Sturry is new, that original old town was a lot smaller and the opposite direction from the train station, so I headed there. The first person said to go up there and turn left, nothing. The second pointed to another road and I ended up at the river, but in another village. The third had me head in a totally different way, strike three Sturry you're out, but I gave it one more chance and the fourth sent back to the place the second one had. I returned to the station and caught the next train out.
It's not entirely their fault, England is an island nation. All such places around the world (no matter where you are) have one thing in common, they are inbred. That means their IQ's are not very high and we have to relate to them as they are and be sensitive to that, but a lie is a lie and that is just plain wrong. Over the years, nearly everywhere in Kent County I have traveled has been a problem, so I decided not to bother with the area again and a couple of weeks later went to the opposite corner of the London area.
Little Chalfont
At least that's the name on the map. It was good weather and upon arrived did my sense check, getting "Be careful". Within 3 minutes peope were sending me in the wrong direction to leave the station. About a half mile walk later I was greeted with a huge amount of shops, massive housing estates and found that the population was more than Sturry, but less than 7000—they might as well drop the 'Little' off the name. Heading back to the station another sign for it was seen. I entered it and noticed that there was no exit signage, had I left that way I would have saved the long walk and only been there until the next train back to London. This was the fourth wipeout in a month. From now on, if I want to head for a village I will search for the population and if it is more than 2000, I will not waste my time or money.Treks in the countryside, hoping to see some wild animals, may lead me to a village (fair enough). There are some nice thick wooded areas in regions surrounding the London area so will check them out (except in Kent).
Live and learn, again...
Aug 11, 2025
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