Of the many viewpoints in and over Lyme, is this the best? There are, from the tiers of houses and hotels that have been built for this reason higher up the western hill, views that similarly comprehend the bay and the coast eastward; but the Bell Cliff adds the peopled foreground. You look out from here into several worlds: the town, the sea and sky, the distant cliffs, the gulls. And from this prow-like point you can also see around the corner.

Or at one of the tables you can combine these pleasures with coffee or lunch, if a place is free. (The thought occurs that the view would be more comprehensive, from the tables too, if it was not cut off on the right by the old salient that is William Pelly's gallery. But it screens the terrace from the usual south-west wind.)

There's space for only three tables—space, that is, between railing and cannon. Formerly there were tables on the cannon's other side, so more people could enjoy a repast while enjoying the view. But officials threatened to ban the tables altogether, on the ground that they obstructed access for persons of more than ten feet in girth. A petition, which could be summed up by one of its comments, the well-known "If it ain't broke don't fix it", resulted in the present compromise. Hurry to the Bell Cliff before officiousdom rears its next head. Still, England has come quite a long way in learning from southern Europe of the amenity of outdoor tables.

There are two sides to the argument, which took place before we were here. The terrace had been a kind of little meeting-place, with benches set around in a circle. When the previous owner of the restaurant removed them and put out tables, some people objected so strongly that they spray-painted them. There is uncertainty whether the terrace belonged to the town or was once a garden belonging to the building.

PICTURE: starling on hand]

The starlings will feed on your hand if you are patient. They massage your palm with a pattering dance, and pick crumbs out of the crevices between your fingers. They like bits of mushroom most, but will accept bread—don't offer pieces more than seed-size, which they would have to take away for work and would lose to the pigeons. The younger members of the starling family, who can be told by their light coloration and lack of spots, may not yet have learned confidence. I was shocked on returning to Britain after many years to hear that starlings have become almost rare—starlings, which used to cloud the skies, and sparrows!

Idling on the Bell Cliff you may find yourself meditating on its stones, or the sunlight on the wall, or may be interrupted by a sudden civic event.

Another distraction is the "Yoohoo" event: part of a family, up here at the railing, catches sight of another part of the family somewhere in the scene below and calls down: "Hey, Sidney! Yoohoo—come on up, we're having coffee! No, up here . . . "

At last reluctantly leaving this eyrie, you must go down the steps to the right. Or up leftward toward where the terrace narrows into a passage with a glimpse of the bustling street beyond.