Where was I today, 29.04.24?

[whole diary]

[johnneyw]

Let's see how many seconds it takes for our learned members to identify this location.  Well it's sort of a railway.

[ChrisB]

Lynton/Lynmouth?

[bradshaw]

Southend Cliff Lift in the Cliff Gardens

[johnneyw]

Lynton/Lynmouth?

Sorry, rather further east.

[johnneyw]

Southend Cliff Lift in the Cliff Gardens

I knew our members were learned proper!
Yes, I went past it walking from Benfleet to "Sarfend" as part of my day trip exploration of the Thames Estuary, enabled by some very reasonably priced tickets from Bristol.....under £30 there and back.
I did the "Canvey Island Loop" and Shoeburyness to Southend last year and this bit fills the gap.
I thoroughly recommend the walk and enjoyed a nice spot of refreshment at Leigh on Sea old town.
Southend is particularly nostalgic to me as this is where my parents took me and my late brother for summer days out when we lived as kids in Barkingside back in the 1960s.

[johnneyw]

A few more shots of the Cliff Lift.  Sadly not open when I got there.....and there's quite a few steps!

[grahame]

"Canvey Island ...

always reminds me of http://www.passenger.chat/19455

from https://www.canveyisland.org/arts-2/literature/magazines/essex-countryside/the-first-essex-monorail

[johnneyw]

Canvey is an interesting place, an unusual mix of rural, industrial, residential and  (even now) holiday destination that has endured in a way that Severn Beach didn't.
The "loop" is a 13 mile yomp around what is principally the sea wall and takes in all the abovementioned facets of the island....and yes there are sand beaches....and a funfair plus all the other amusement arcades etc that you would associate with a UK^▸ (United Kingdom) resort.  There's also a large number of static caravan parks, some of which seem to be undergoing a major facelift.
Oh yes, it was also where all the members of one of the greatest bands to come out of this country all came from.

[chuffed]

Isn't that photograph (just in....foreground driving seat.) of a certain cloth capped and erudite member of his forum and his faithful Finn  ? Didn't know they'd upgraded to that form of transport in his latest relocation...

[Red Squirrel]

Oh yes, it was also where all the members of one of the greatest bands to come out of this country all came from.

One of my schoolmates went to see them at the Colston Hall as was. Apparently they never got as far as performing ‘Do anything you wanna do’ because the bouncers ejected the lead singer!

[johnneyw]

Oh yes, it was also where all the members of one of the greatest bands to come out of this country all came from.

One of my schoolmates went to see them at the Colston Hall as was. Apparently they never got as far as performing ‘Do anything you wanna do’ because the bouncers ejected the lead singer!

Ah, you are referring there to fellow Essex band "Eddie and the Hot Rods".  The Canvey Island band was Dr Feelgood.  Both bands plus "The Kursaal Flyers from Southend formed the core of the Thames Estuary "pub rock" scene in the mid 1970s.