On 25th June, various members of the Cantiaci Forum Friends – possibly including one or two who actually reside in the Cantiaci lands 😀 – will meet at 11am on the banks of the Medway to explore Upnor Castle, the Elizabethan fortress built to protect marine passage into Rochester, something it spectacularly failed to do when the Dutch attacked in 1667. Why, those sneaky Low Country pirates. They swiped Charles II’s favourite ship. Caused Mr Pepys a lot of paperwork, that did. After this, we will move on to Rochester itself, Durobrivae Cantiacorum, near the legendary location of the mighty Caratacus’s magnificent defeat over the Romans, and the location of the first ever Cantiaci meet. This has an olde worlde high street with much Dickensian name-dropping, a couple of museums, a cathedral and a great big Norman keep with nice views over the surrounding area. We don’t know where lunch will be, but it’ll probably be in a place with a name like Little Nell’s Internet Cafe, Bumble’s Bistro, Pip’s Pie Shop, Fagin’s Fish & Chips, etc. All are welcome, even Cantiaci dwellers_________________Sir Mark
