Supporter of the ‘underdog’ and fair play, freedom of the individual balanced with responsibility to the community. Supporter of our heritage and countryside. Environmental campaigner for action on climate change, sustainable farming, transport and economy
The General Election in the UK on 4th July presents a crucial opportunity to restore hope for the nation.
The General Election in the UK on 4th July presents a crucial opportunity to restore hope for the nation. This election is a pivotal moment for the country to address pressing issues and make decisions that can shape a brighter, more positive future for all its citizens. By participating in the democratic process, voters have the power to influence policies that tackle economic challenges, improve public services, and enhance the overall quality of life. This election is a chance to bring about meaningful change, promote unity, and build a future filled with optimism and opportunities for everyone in the UK.
Traffic Calming on the Kingston Road Lewes and at the Swan Inn is not likely to happen anytime soon because of the ESCC ‘sitting on their hands’ and the Lewes Town Council being caught up in ‘administrative’ processes!
A report by Vic Ient
9th April 2024
As some in Lewes may know, I have been corresponding with East Sussex County Council (ESCC) about my concerns for safety along the Kingston Road and at the Swan Inn junction, Lewes. I have also been in touch with the Lewes Town Council to gain their support as, so far, ESCC are finding all sorts of excuses to do nothing. ESCC are not willing to change their stance until there is a death or serious injury. Also, despite my appeal, I fear the Lewes Town Council, will not take a lead on this issue and put together a funding plan in the near future. It all adds up to delay, delay, delay!
It would be helpful if others take up the issue in order to show there is public support for action.
A 2 week touring holiday in northern Spain, visiting 3 historic and beautiful cities with our EV car. 600 miles and zero global warming emissions. A fantastic visit to three beautiful ancient cities
A two-week touring holiday in northern Spain:visiting 3 historic and beautiful cities with our EV car
Just over 950 km (600 miles) -Three time the distance between London and Manchester. One charge en route an 2 short charges at hotels (one free!). Zero CO2 emitted and zero global warming emissions from our car!
April 2023
By Ferry from Portsmouth to Santander
For some time we had wanted to visit the wonderful historic cities of Salamanca, Segovia and Ávila in western Spain and in 2023 we decided to make it happen by travelling first by ferry to Santander in northern Spain. We decided to check out Brittany Ferries new low emissions ship, Santoña (fuelled by LNG instead of dirty old marine diesel oil). It certainly was a much more pleasant experience as when on deck you didn’t get that smelly smoke in the downdraft depending on which way the wind was blowing. We then had the question of shall we take the car or shall we go by train to these cities?
Travelling in Spain by electric car or train?
It is certainly possible to travel by train, on the often new, electrified service. However I wanted to experiment in taking my electric car abroad. It’s a Kia Niro with a 64.8 kWh battery with a range of about 285 miles. Over the three years that I’ve had this car I’ve found that the manufacturer’s range prediction to be pretty accurate.
Having done some research on recharging stations, I was confident that we could make the journey despite the fact that the distances on the rural sections of our trip were sparsely populated with charging stations. My confidence was boosted by the relatively good range of our Kia Niro EV car as it was clear that whilst we may not find a charging station out in the countryside or going through the Picos de Europa mountains we would certainly find stations in the bigger towns. For day one of our journey in Spain I was fairly safe in the knowledge that we could call into the large city of Burgos to refuel before going on to Salamanca. The total distance between Santander where the ferry arrived and Salamanca is 265 Miles (426 km). I realised the range of my car would not cover this distance in one hop.
Charging your car abroad
The other question which arises is how do you charge your car abroad? It was clear one had to get a charging card from one or other suppliers. I didn’t want to get tied down to a supplier for only one country as this would be limiting on future visits to other European countries. After some brief research I found that taking up membership with Chargemap would give us access to a wide range of charging stations across Europe no matter who the local supplier was. You have to sign up for their card which costs €19.90 for a one-off purchase. Their app also provides you with a map of all compatible stations in the country you are driving through. I decided that it was worthwhile getting this card rather than relying upon the possibility of just using a credit card or using my European Shell Recharge card. Shell had lots of EV recharge stations in Europe but didn’t have any in Spain. On the other hand the Chargemap service seemed to have loads of stations on their map. This turned out to be correct as the main Spanish petrol and diesel fuel supplier, Iberdrola, also provided most of the intercity and motorway charging stations. It was clear that the Chargemap service was compatible with the Iberdrola stations.
At Portsmouth we recharged at the Instavolt fast charging station which is within the ferry port area. This was hugely convenient as we didn’t have to stop on the way to Portsmouth and we would be ready to go immediately on arrival in Spain.
Santander to Salamanca
After a very pleasant crossing we arrived at 8 am. We set off on the old main road south towards Salamanca. It was a lovely journey through the Picos de Europa and the road was relatively quiet as most of the traffic uses the autopista (motorway). Once though the mountain range we entered the high plains of the Castile and Leon province. We called into Burgos to recharge the car. We had looked for charging stations on the road down to Burgos but the few we saw were still in construction. It was a bit confusing in Burgos because my onboard map system didn’t make it clear where the charging stations were. I believe it was out of date, So we used the Chargemap map on my smartphone. This made things a little difficult because I was the driver and couldn’t look at the app and drive at the same time. After a number of stops we eventually found an Iberdrola co located with a fuel station.
We were pleasantly surprised when we got to our hotel in Salamanca (the NH hotel Palacio de Castellanos ) as it had two charging stations in the garage. The concierge helped me load down their own app so we were able to charge up ready for when we left Salamanca.
Salamanca is a beautiful ancient university city and is well worth a visit. The central part of the city is a UNESCO world heritage site because of its important historical and architectural heritage. It has many stunning buildings, pedestrianised streets and great restaurants.
Our next stop was the ancient fortified town of Ávila. It was only just over 100 km away, well within the 400 + km range of our car. Again, we were pleasantly surprised when we got to our hotel, the Parador de Ávila, as this also had charging stations in the garage and this time they were free! Avila is absolutely worth visiting for its remarkably well-preserved mediaeval walls and historic architecture.
Our next stop was just 65 km east to Segovia. Our hotel was in the central plaza mayor and they operated valet parking so we were unable to charge. However we weren’t worried about this as we had over 350 km range remaining. Segovia is another world heritage city; a must see is the massive Aqueduct of Segovia. It is the defining historical feature of the city. It was built by the Romans in the first century AD to channel water from springs in the mountains 17 kilometres away. Another must see is the Alcázar (palace). It may have had Roman origins but certainly by being called ‘alcázar’ it was probably a Moorish palace prior to the ‘reconquista’. It has been much modified over the centuries and now resembles a German castle more suited to the banks of the Rhine in Bavaria with its tall towers overlooking the surrounding plains and countryside on the edge of the city. It was one of the favoured residences of the kings of Castile.
After a fantastic visit to these three beautiful ancient cities it was time for us to journey back to Santander to get the ferry home. The distance to Santander is just over 360 km (226 miles)so we didn’t need to charge on the way back to Santander.
Conclusion
Since the trip to Spain my car has been in for a service and the onboard map has been updated. I should have made sure it was updated at the previous service. However the Chargemap app was very good and using their mapping tool was accurate. You just have to plan things a bit more carefully to avoid having to keep on stopping to look at the app.
I was very impressed with two of the hotels we stayed at who had their own charging points. This made life a lot easier. As far as charging on the motorways are concerned I expect that those we saw under construction are now working and that should also make life a lot easier as driving around a city trying to find a charging point in a country you don’t know very well isn’t easy.
Map of our Journey: red is the outward journey and blue the return
Cycling part of the Camino de Santiago in Spain starting from Bayonne in SW France and the final part through the Picos Europa. A 400 miles cycle ride with over 26,000 ft (7958 m) of ascent (phew!). A great adventure and some major challenges! Both the journey through the Pyrenees and the journey through the Picos de Europa. were fantastic!
Cycling the Camino de Santiago through the Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja, Castilla y Leon and Cantabria
Vic Ient’s diary blog – October 2023 Photo collection click HERE
I have recently returned from cycling part of the Camino de Santiago in Spain starting from Bayonne in SW France and the final part through the Picos Europa. A 400 miles cycle ride with over 26,000 ft (7958 m) of ascent (phew!). Great adventure and some major challenges!
2025 Update! – Cycling UK, the UK’s national cycling charity, in its Feb/Mar 2025 edition published a 4 page spread about the trip. Click the image above to read the article and see the photos of the trip.
Update! My cycling companion, Jonathan has made a short video of the trip:
In 2019, my friend Jonathan and I cycled about 300 miles of the Camino Francaise from, Frómista, just west of Burgos to Santiago de Compostella. This year, 2023, was the first time after COVID we had the opportunity of completing the first section of the Camino de Santiago, from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Frómista, where our 2019 journey started. This time we were joined by our friend John Clark.
A welcome stop for lunch in a town on the Camino de Santiago
During our cycle ride along the Camino de Santiago we were lucky on two occasions, one at Logroño, and the other in Reinosa, to have arrived during major fiestas. They were both associated with the week-long fiesta of San Mateo (St Matthew).
In Rioja and Cantabria
Travel notes by Vic Ient – September 2023
To read more and see photos about our amazing cycle ride CLICK HERE
During our cycle ride along the Camino de Santiago we were lucky on two occasions, one at Logroño, and the other inReinosa, to have arrived during major fiestas. They were both associated with the week-long fiesta of San Mateo (St Matthew).
I’ve always wanted to travel around the Highlands of Scotland by train and this year I was able to fulfil this ambition. It was a fantastic visit. The weather was marvellous and so was the scenery. My wife I travelled up to Scotland on the intercity train from London to Edinburgh and then crossed to Glasgow, where our journey started. as you will see from our itinerary below, we travelled up the West Coast.
From Glasgow we travelled up the West Coast Highland line to Oban. A fascinating train journey! We stayed a few days at Oban. We had an absolutely fantastic visit to the Island of Mull, the Isle of Staffa where Fingal’s Cave is situated and Iona, which is where St. Columba is reputed to have begun his pilgrimage having travelled from Ireland. We also visited Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. Our train journey continued up the West Coast to Mallaig and over the over the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct and on with a brief visit to the Isle of Skye. We continued our railway journey from Kyle of Lochalsh railway station through Ross and Cromarty (north of the Caledonian canal) in superb weather. The train journey then took us down through the Spey Valley, through Aviemore, and through the Cairngorms which was equally scenic. We made a final stop off in the Highlands at Pitlochry to visit the hydroelectric dam which started generating clean energy in 1951! What a feat of engineering! The good weather continued for our final part of our journey to Edinburgh which is always a pleasure to visit. The icing of on the cake at Edinburgh was meeting up with my cousin and her husband before we returned south.
Liberal Democrat policies and beliefs – check out this collection of links to web sites providing further information
Here is a collection of links to web sites providing further information. A good starting point is Sir Ed Davey’s speech to the 2023 spring conference of the Liberal Democrats: Ed Davey’s speech to Spring Conference (52 mins) This link also gives the text of his speech (very useful)
The Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors (ALDC), also have policy and information to support campaigners with advice, resources and training ☎️: 0161 302 7532 📧: info@aldc.org Twitter: @ALDC https://www.aldc.org/ You may find this helpful:
The UK needs an ‘Operation Nightingale’ for Ukrainian refugees – Over 100,000 UK families are offering rooms in their homes but staging post accommodation is needed now!
The British people have demonstrated this week that they are very willing to help the Ukrainian refugees with over 100,000 families offering accommodation in their homes. This is great news and again shows to the Government we are a humanitarian nation.
However, the process of getting people to these homes could be long and drawn out so why not stage an “Operation Nightingale’’ for the refugees? We did it in Covid so why not now?
The Ukrainian refugee crisis is an emergency, and it requires emergency action. The UK needs an ‘Operation Nightingale’ approach to helping these victims of Mr Putin’s aggression. The UK Government should use its emergency powers to commandeer empty buildings which could be used to house refugees whilst better accommodation is being sought. Here in Lewes District, there are examples of empty buildings such as the former NHS building in Friars Walk, Lewes (feature photo above) and the UTC building in Newhaven. Such buildings already have toilet facilities, and it wouldn’t take much to kit them out with temporary shower units and kitchens.
There is a big role also for the Lewes District Council and the East Sussex County Council. We already know that the District Council are intending to rehouse themselves at the County Hall building taking up already vacant office space at County Hall. The District Council could delay the leasing of their building to Charleston House Trust and turn over their officies for emergency accommodation.
This approach could be repeated across the UK. In England alone, there are 333 district, county and borough councils. Each of these should be asked to review publicly owned property with a view to setting up a ‘Ukrainian Refugees Operation Nightingale’
This should be linked with one important, but simple step, the British Government needs to bring down the barriers and allow Ukrainian refugees to come to the UK visa free. The rest of Europe has taken such a measure so why not the UK?
My teenage 1960s hitch-hike to Weymouth – a magical journey to a magical place!
I hope you enjoy this look back to the 1960s in this short blog which is also available as this podcast on YouTube:
This is the audio version of this blog – ready by my son James
Weymouth to me, back in the 1960s when I was a teenager was a magical place. I was in love with it and the people and especially everything about the Wyke House Hotel! My elder brother George met June, his wife to be, in the September of 1960 in Aldershot which was our family home whilst he was convalescing following a vehicle accident whilst in the Army. Even though George was not to leave the Army until December 1961 Wyke House Hotel became the centre of June and George’s world from 1961 onward. They were were married in February 1962 at Wyke parish church which was next to the hotel. Very soon after George’s move to Weymouth I began my visits there meeting June’s family and getting to know them and their friends at this wonderful place!
One day George said come down and help with at the hotel. I decided to hitch hike. Dad insisted on taking me to the A30. I think it was Hartley Wintney. In those days, the A30 ran straight through the village. There were no motorways, and I don’t remember any bypasses or dual carriageways. The A30 would take me to Salisbury and then via another A road, high up across over Salisbury Plain and Cranborne Chase – offering wonderful vistas across the rolling countryside. I could then get to Dorchester with a short hop to Weymouth. I hitched a lift to just before Winchester, where the A33 used to divide off to Winchester and Southampton. I was heading westward towards Stockbridge and Salisbury. It was just a fork in the road in those times. No motorways in those days.
Sitting on a bank overlooking the fork in the road on a lovely sunny day, I hadn’t even started hitching when a car pulled up. More than a car – this was a Ford Mustang!
An image of a 1960s Ford Mustang from Pinrest
An open top car and the engine was throbbing way! An exceedingly rare car in those days in England. It was straight out of a Hollywood movie, red, a beautiful looking car. The guy shouted to me, “do you want a lift”? “Yes please” I yelled and scrambled down the grassy bank. As I got in, I almost stepped on a massive, great dog sitting in the footwell of the passenger seat. It was a red setter or something similar and luckily it paid no heed to me.
So off we went – and did we go! The guy took off at a rate of knots, accelerating. I watched the speedometer needle rise rapidly until we were going at over 70 mph at times. I had never been in a car at that speed before! He sped along the A30. For much of the time it was dead straight. We were on an old Roman road as I found out later.
Extract from a 1948 map of Wiltshire showing the A30 – originally the roman road from Winchester to Old Sarum (near Salisbury)
At each crest of the hill the wheels left the ground! I had my heart in my mouth. We eventually got to Salisbury where I was dropped off. I was grateful for his lift, but also grateful to get out of the car!
Hants & Dorset single decker at Salisbury Bus Station Click HERE for source
I found myself by the bus station. I think part of the open area was also a cattle market. To one side was a brick built rather plain building and it served as a cafe and a pub. I went in and got myself a cup of tea and a very plain sandwich, – the only type available! very typical of cafes in those days. Just a choice of ham or cheese. I had cheese. Soon after I boarded a bus to Blandford Forum. I’d always liked trips on buses especially on those old-fashioned buses with their very comfortable seats. It was a Wilts and Dorset district bus painted red.
Some of the original Dorset red ‘finger posts’ road signs are now protected
It seemed to match the fingerpost road signs they had in those days throughout Dorset which were painted red. They were distinctive but, sadly, there aren’t many left today. It was a relaxing and very pleasant journey looking out the window onto the gently rolling green hills of the Wiltshire and Dorset countryside. I drifted off into dreamy thoughts without a care in the world.
At Blandford Forum I thought, well, I’ll have another go at hitching. And literally just then a hay lorry came along, a low-backed lorry, partly loaded. As instructed, I climbed up on the back of the lorry. It was a slow, old vehicle which trudged along towards Dorchester, and I thought I was never going to get there! I felt I had gone back in time. However, it was a pleasant afternoon so no worries – the last stage of the journey was a Morris Minor. As you come into Weymouth from the Dorchester direction you get to a hilltop and a gap in the hills when you look over the whole of Weymouth and towards Portland.
I always remember the first time I saw that view, – it’s still in my mind today, you see for miles across the curving edge of Weymouth Bay and over toward the island of Portland rising out of the sea connected via a narrow ismuth to the mainland alongside Weymouth Harbour.
After being dropped off on the bustling seafront in Weymouth I walked up to the Wyke House Hotel. A white Georgian manor house set in its own grounds surrounded by a high wall next to Wyke church.
Wyke Church
You couldn’t see the house from the road as not only was there a wall but also there were evergreen bushes like rhododendrons which gave it that secluded feeling. Entering the gateway, you are in another world away from this modern world. There were large ancient trees in the grounds. I recall a Lebanon cedar tree to the left other trees with the outbuildings to the right. In the centre was this white Georgian building comfortably standing in its own grounds. The central portico had columns to either side with the house extended on both sides. It wasn’t a large building but nevertheless an impressive two-storey with the large Georgian windows and a fine grey slate roof.
I’d arrived at one of my favourite places in the world!
Wyke House Hotel – 1960sLocation of Wyke House Hotel on a 1960 Bartholomew’s Map of DorsetMy route to Weymouth
Vic Ient 