Afternoon on the ‘ness
It was a lovely sunny day and we had nothing else on, so we drove ourselves all the way out to Dungeness to buy some fish for dinner. It is a weird and wonderful place; I’ve written about it before. I asked Grok to tell me why it’s called the Fifth Quarter and him do say:
Dungeness, the shingle headland and nature reserve on the Kent coast of England, is often called “the fifth quarter of the globe” (or simply “the fifth quarter”) due to a longstanding local saying that humorously elevates the surrounding Romney Marsh area to the status of a fifth continent. This phrase originates from 19th-century literature and reflects the region’s unique, otherworldly landscape — described as a “shingle desert” – that feels isolated and unlike anywhere else in Britain.
It was first used in an 1837 book of poems called the Ingoldsby Legends. It also happens to be one of the closest points from here to France. From where I was standing looking out to sea to Cap Gris Nez is about 25 miles. This is where the bad guys come ashore, with or without the assistance of the RNLI.
I was staring at the sailing boats when my phone pinged. It was my mobile phone company cheerily wishing me a “Welcome to France!” Heh. Not quite.
Picture doesn’t capture it. Here it is big and in color. Doesn’t capture it, either.
Also, they didn’t have any plaice, which is what we drove out for. We’re going out tomorrow to our local fish counter instead. Adventure!
September 9, 2025 — 6:28 pm
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