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A life less complicated….

Featured / freedombird / 13 Comments

Having started an epic journey around the coast of Britain in October 2017 – with a four year gap including Covid and caring for my elderly father – Tilly (my Toy Poodle) and I (Clare a 60 something female with a severe case of Wanderlust) are continuing to travel in our Bailey Endeavour B62 campervan, predominantly within eyeshot of the sea around both the Uk and Europe.

Returning from an amazing journey through the heart of Western Europe we rounded off our trip with a sunny (and as it turned out – very warm) tour around the South East Coastline of Kent, West Sussex and little of East Sussex and the Isle of Wight and headed home to Cornwall to re-connect with friends and family for the month of August, now in September it is time to head off again….

We have now visited some 1555 beaches around the coast of Britain and 638 in Europe with still plenty more to see..

If you would like to see our earlier journeys around the UK, they have loosely been grouped together by location and you can find the links below.

NB some of the links below are not yet working properly as it is a work in progress….

Beach Guides:

To catch up with our earlier adventures in:

  1. North coast of Cornwall from 5th October 2017 to 11th February 2018 –   Freedombird in Cornwall
  2. Back in Cornwall at various times to complete the coastline – Freedombird back in Cornwall
  3. North coast of Devon from 11th February to 19th March 2018 – Freedombird in North Devon
  4. Somerset from 19th March to 29th April 2018 – Freedombird in Somerset
  5. South Wales coast from 29th April to 14th August 2018 – Freedombird in South Wales
  6. West and North Wales coast from 14th August to 21st October 2018 – Freedombird in West and North Wales
  7. North West England from 21st October to 26th November 2018 and 27th January to 4th February 2019 – Freedombird in North West England
  8. Cumbria from 27th January to 5th April 2019 – Freedombird in Cumbria
  9. South Coast of Scotland from 5th April to 25th May 2019 – Freedombird on the South Coast of Scotland
  10. West Coast of Southern Scotland from 26th May to 17th July 2019 – Freedombird on the West Coast of Southern Scotland
  11. Edinburgh and surrounding area from 18th July to 30th July 2019 – Freedombird in Edinburgh and surrounding beaches
  12. East Coast of Southern Scotland from 28th July to 15th September 2019 – Freedombird on the East Coast of Southern Scotland
  13. North East England from 12th September to 20th November 2019 – Freedombird in the North East of England
  14. Yorkshire from 14th January to 22nd February 2020 – Fredombird in Yorkshire
  15. Lincolnshire from 23rd February to 13th March 2020 – Freedombird in Lincolnshire
  16. Norfolk and Suffolk from 15th to 24th March 2020 and 28th June to 18th July 2025 – Freedombird in Norfolk and Suffolk
  17. Inland England on various dates travelling through – Freedombird in inland England
  18. West Coast of Northern Scotland Part 1 from 11th September to 14th October 2024 – Freedombird on the West Coast of Northern Scotland Part 1
  19. North Coast of Scotland and the Orkneys from 15th to 27th October 2024 – Freedombird on the North Coast of Scotland and the Orkneys
  20. East Coast of Northern Scotland Part 1 from 28th October to 15th November 2024 – Freedombird on the East Coast of Northern Scotland Part 1
  21. In the Highlands of Scotland from 15th to 26th November 2024 and 10th to 21st June 2025 – Freedombird in the Highlands
  22. West Coast of Northern Scotland Part 2 from 8th to 17th April and 31st May to 5th June 2025 – Freedombird on the West Coast of Northern Scotland Part 2
  23. Outer Hebrides Part 1 from 22nd April to 12th May 2025 – Freedombird in the Outer Hebrides Part 1
  24. Outer Hebrides Part 2 from 10th May to 30th May 2025 – Freedombird in the Outer Hebrides Part 2
  25. East Coast of Northern Scotland Part 2 from 15th to 18th June 2025 – Freedombird on the East Coast of Northern Scotland Part 2
  26. North and West Coast of France from 11th September to 7th December 2025 – Freedombird on the North and West Coast of France
  27. Travelling down through the heart of Western Europe from 4th March to 27th April – Freedombird in Europe Spring 2026 Part 1
  28. Continuing our journey through Europe from 28th April to 8th June 2026 – Freedombird in Europe Spring 2026 Part 2
  29. South East Coast of England from June 9th to July 8th 2026 – Freedombird in South East England

Thursday 10th September 2026 – Dover to Calais and then onto Ath in Belgium….

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An early start to our day paid off as we got to Dover in really good time and got put onto the 8.15 crossing ahead of the booked 9.45 one. Absolutely no delays going through customs at Dover and we drove straight off the ferry and straight onto the road network system without seeing a soul! So much so that we pulled up at a the first service area outside Calais to get our bearings, set the Sat Nav and change the van settings to Kilometres.

We made good headway using the toll free route via Dunkirk and Lille and after one aborted mission to access an Aire in Lessines, where the access road was being dug up with no obvious alternative route we bobbed a few miles back down the road to an Aire in Ath. It was an unusual Aire (CCP) having started life as a recycling plant, where you reversed into the slots that would have sited the skips but the concrete walls had all been painted with murals – sorry forgot to take a photo.

Once settled we wandered along the banks of La Dendre Canal and into the town of Ath….

A vibrant university town with a buzzing Grand Place, alive with people enjoying the afternoon sun and a drink or two….

Some weird sort of totems in a courtyard caught our eye but no clue as to what or why….

And of course a fine church – St Juliens and a medieval Tower – Burbant….

A pleasant walk after a longish day.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 139
  • Miles walked – 4
  • O/N – £11.18

Sunday 6th September 2026 – a stunnng day out to Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove….

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Heading a little further along the coast and a couple of nights spent at Moreton CCC we took advantage of the nearby railway station and causght the train one stop to Wool Station where we were able to pick up the Breezer bus to Durdle Door – oh my what a treat…

Firstly Man ‘O War Cove and then the stunning natural arch – Durdle Door and it’s beautiful sandy cove. Though the weather was pretty hot we decided to walk up and over to Lulworth Cove, stopping in a little shade at the top to admire Swyre Head and cool down a bit with a drink before pressing on….

Approaching Lulworth Cove we stopped awhile to watch some mad souls jumping off a smaller arch into the rather inviting turquoise blue sea….

Before heading down to the cove (most of the beach now lost to the tide) we walked over the headland for a better view of the cove….

We found a little patch of stony beach to sit and chill before making our way back to the bus and train and back to site. Would totally recommend this journey as the parking looked pretty frantic and the cheapest I saw was £9 for 3 hours.

Moreton Stats:

  • Miles driven – 106
  • Miles walked – 8
  • Beaches – 3
  • O/N – £27.47 (2 nights)
  • Groceries – £29.38
  • Bus & Train – £9.90

Another few days staying at Chichester and Canterbury getting pre-trip stuff done including getting Tilly’s Animal Health Certificate and we were ready for the off on the 10th September.

Stats:

  • Miles driven – 210
  • Miles walked – 9
  • O/N – £46.31 (3 nights)

1st – 4th September 2026 – on the road again visiting Torcross…

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Well the summer at home has just flown by, punctuating time spent with friends and family, time on the beach enjoying this glorious weather, with adminny type things such as van service, hab checks and MOT’s for me and Tilly – all is good! So, as planned we are off early on the 1st of September, having planned a few days to get ourselves ‘settled’ back into our home on wheels on the CCC site at Slapton Sands – the van is not just my ‘happy place’….

Enjoying the late afternoon sunshine we took a stroll down to the sea and a walk along Slapton Sands beach….

Passing the devastation caused by January 26 storms (Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra) affecting the sea defences and destroying part of the main road at Torcross as well as causing major damage to several properties and business’s….

We then enjoyed a glass of wine overlooking Torcross Beach in the last of the days sunshine….

The weather was pretty awful for the next few days, with us mostly being shrouded in mist – wet mist!. Though we did get out for a few walks along Strete Sands, around part of Slapton Ley and into nearby Stokenham….

A successful few days getting back into vanlife mode and preparing for our next adventure.

Stats for first few days…

  • Miles driven – 158
  • Miles walked – 19
  • Beaches – 3
  • O/N – £41.12 (4)
  • Food – £52.68