Day 15: Ramsgate
Welcome
Yesterday was a sad day as we played our final show of the UK tour and bade farewell to our wonderful friends Oli, Callum, and Callum, from Hans Pucket.
I took the first driving shift and made a strong start on the A41 before getting bogged down in the endless miles of average-speed checks on the M6 and M1. We had a rest-stop breakfast and I ordered an 'All Day Breakfast Roll' from Starbucks which I embellished with a sachet of mayonnaise I had been saving in my bag.
Soon after we came to a halt on the M25 due to a police incident at the Dartmouth crossing. We were stuck in gridlocked traffic for an hour fretting about whether we would make it to Ramsgate. Luckily this gave me plenty of time to gaze in awe at the structure that I am proud to name as my bridge of the day.
Completed in 1991 the 'Queen Elizabeth II Bridge' was built in order to help the Dartmouth tunnels cope with an increase in traffic from the new M25 motorway. With a total length of 2.8km and a longest span of 450m the QEII was the largest cable-stayed bridge at the time of opening. Despite having only a 2.1 star rating on Google reviews and and having been described as 'the most stressful section of the M25', the QEII's four Southbound lanes often do a fine job of carrying 130,000 vehicles per day across the Thames and onwards to their destinations.
My photo
📸 The Daily Telegraph
We managed to get to Ramsgate only an hour later than planned and did a quick soundcheck before heading to the fantastic local chippy 'Shaky Shaky' for dinner.
Thanks for capturing this lovely moment Tristan.
📸 Tristan Deck
I was able to snatch a quick walk down to the waterfront and was greeted with a serene marina scene, masts, mud, and breakwaters posing gracefully in front of the grey haze of the English Channel.
Our show was at the Ramsgate Music Hall, an intimate venue which manages to cram 120 keen audience members into a tiny performance space. It was a refreshing change playing in such a tight room and we had an extremely hot and enjoyable gig.
Today's Beth of the day is a very special one. It has been an absolutely incredible two weeks touring the UK with our friends Oli Devlin, Callum Devlin, and Callum Passells. They have inspired us every night with creative and energetic performances and provided us with wonderful company and a beautiful positive energy.
Congratulations Hans Pucket on winning Beth of the day. We will miss you dearly.