Steps at Lyme Regis

One of the unexpected joys of keeping this blog has been making new friendships. The comments box and email may have replaced the letter but the communication between total strangers, starting with the simple exchange of information and opinions and developing into genuine interest in the other person, is as real as that depicted in 84 Charing Cross Road. I have been very fortunate to have formed friendships with like-minded people whom I may never meet but who now play an important part in my everyday life.

A very special real-life friendship has developed with D of 60goingon16 and yesterday she invited me to join her on a trip to Lyme Regis. I mentioned the planned visit in an email to new-found 'virtual' friend Carolyn, who lives in America and she sent me a link to a 19th century article on Lyme Regis in the archives at Cornell University and that revealed information about Jane Austen that I hadn't known. I see now why the proper term for a blog is 'web log'. Here for Carolyn are some pictures of the steps on the Cobb at Lyme Regis. (Click on the pictures to enlarge)

We were rather disappointed when we saw this set of steps. We had been hoping for something a little more dramatic.

Then we realised that there were more. Could these be the steps featured in Persuasion?

Walking farther along the Cobb, we spied something more promising.

These fit the description from the article in the Cornell University archive much better: "By Lyme people this flight, which is merely a series of stones projecting from the wall, is called "the teeth" and it is down these steps that Louisa Musgrove fell."

If I knew more about photography, I could remove the unsightly modern litter bin!

Thank you, D, for including me in this lovely visit to Lyme and thank you, Carolyn, for helping us to identify the flight of steps with the Jane Austen connection. More pictures of the visit in a future post perhaps, or maybe D will share some of hers. (No pressure!)