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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

Friday 30th October 2026 – continuing our journey north up the east coast via Trani….

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Slightly cloudy but still reasonably warm as we juggle our way out of Bari through road closures and very confusing road junctions but once clear we make good time and are soon parked up oln the outskirts of Trani. As it turns out we are parked a short distance from the local refuse centre and there is a continuous stream of vehicles arriving to dump there household waste – proof that there is an alternative to dumping it in laybys! It wasn’t the most fragrant place to park but as we have no intention of spending anytime in the van it seems as safe a place as any to park.

We quickly pass by the tip and make our way through the by now usual myriad of grubby back streets until we turn a corner and are confronted with this beautifully preserved Castello di Trani on the sea front….

Across a building site as it appears that much work is going on to create a promenade along the sea front lies the again immaculate Cattedrale di Trani – these buildings are such a contrast to the neighbourhood we have just walked through….

The fort across the harbour appears also to have had a recent face lift with works ongoing at Sant Antonio Church….

Unlike many of the other towns we have wandered around the main hub of Trani seems to be around the busy fishing harbour with fishermen selling their ware literally off the boats….

Now I am not a fishy person so most of what they were selling is beyond me but there were several buckets of octopus which certainly didn’t make me want to try it!

Only a small town we did wander back through the back streets around the harbour which were certainly a lot more appealing than they way we had walked in….

We collected the van and did a little top up of groceries before leaving Trani, as the site we are headed for is a distance from any form of civilisation.

From Margherita di Savoia we drove along the thin strip of land, separating the sea from the salt basins and wetlands, where I was delighted to spot a flock of mulitcoloured flamingos grazing along the wetlands. Unfortunately there was nowhere safe to pullover and stop to watch them for a while.

Another 20 miles or so up the road we arrived at our campsite for the next few days as we are hoping to hide from the worst of the weather that seems to be stuck over the middle section of Italy at the moment – you could say that Autumn has arrived!….

The electrical system here looks a little sketchy….

But the beach at Lido Salpi just 50m from our pitch more than makes up for that….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 72
  • Miles walked – 5
  • Beaches – 1
  • Fuel – £85.70
  • Groceries – £18.48
  • O/N – £14.00

Thursday 29th October 2026 (Part 2) – and on to Bari….

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A full day for us today as we press on a bit further north to the city of Bari where we have found probably the least glamorous park up of the journey so far – a car wash! It is an authorised gated stopover and the welcome although in sign language was warm enough and we were parked with maybe a dozen other motorhomes side by side (very definitely less than a metre a part!), the yard was part car wash, part residential carpark, part vehicle recovery centre and part camper stopover but most importantly it felt safe to leave the van and sleep in it.

As the day is cracking on and I did not want to leave exploring until tomorrow, we headed straight back out and maybe a mile or so through the residential part of town until we reached the sea front.

On reaching the long wide promenade, we initially headed south a bit to where I could see a beach in the distance (can’t miss a beach) – Spiaggia di Bari – not the nicest but on a sunny day I’m sure it would do….

We then set our sites in the opposite direction heading for the main Old Town – greeted initially on the edge of the harbour by this rather grand (but not so old) waterfront Theatre….

Continuing along the harbour front and entering the walled part of town at one of the corner forts….

We were then treated to typical narrow paved streets lined with shops and bars, open plazas and beautiful buildings….

Also on our meanderings we passed the Cattedralle and Castello Mormanno-Svevo….

Before leaving we needed to hunt down Strada delle Orecchiette, where they famously make the typical Orecchiette pasta ‘ears’ in the street and of course sell it in every shade of colour by the kilo….

Interesting to watch but it really didn’t look overly hygienic and much as I love pasta, I wasn’t tempted.

On our return walk along the promenade the evening sunset gave us a lovely rosy glow on the east coast over the calm Adriatic sea….

A full but fruitful day – we are now ready to eat and veg for the rest of the evening.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 47
  • Miles walked – 11
  • Beaches – 5
  • O/N – £20.88

Thursday 29th October 2026 – a wander around the streets of Monopoli….

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On a somewhat cloudy day we leave the beautiful old town of Alberobello and drive back down to the coast to visit Monopoli. Having chosen a large carpark on the outskirts which is fortunately not very busy, we find that half the car park has been cordoned off for what appears to be a major litter pick by a large group of schoolchildren (teenagers), with all the services in attendance, as they clear sections of wasteland by the the sea. As I have stated before, a major issue I have had with this trip around Italy is the distressing levels of litter and rubbish everywhere (apart from the major tourist attractions which are kept clean) so this was a rather heartwarming sight – as the pickers where children, I didn’t think it appropriate to take photos but well done Monopoli!

Passing a couple of small not particularly attractive coves on the way in to the old town – Spiaggia Porta Verde and Porto Rosso….

The main town beach, Spiaggia Porta Vecchia is just really a slither of sand at the entrance to the old town which sits above the ancient defensive sea wall on a promontory….

We wandered around a series of narrow streets of (mostly) white washed houses, shops and bars….

Finding the ornate Cathedral of Monopoli in the centre we are unable to take a look in as most of the churches and cathedrals in Italy are either closed / charge an entrance fee and are supervised, meaning that with Tilly I generally can’t even just bob my head in for a quick look….

The town envelopes a pretty harbour with an impressive castle at the far end of the promontory….

Slowly we wend our way back through the Old Town….

To find the car park still partially closed and some pretty impressive piles of rubbish sacks as the children are all sitting guard whilst eating their well earned lunches.

For us it is time to move on to our next stop a little further up the coast – Polignano a Mare….

Here too a series of narrow alleyways this time peppered with potted greenery and colourful souvenir and ceramic shops are the flavour of the Old Town….

And of course the odd church or three….

But for me by far the most beautiful aspect was the stunning sea vistas….

Oh yes and who doesn’t love a twinkly light….

We returned to the van and as we had been unable to find anywhere suitable to stay the night we are pressing on a little further north to Bari which we shall cover under a separate blog.

Wednesday 28th October 2026 – heading north and inland to Lecce and Alberobello….

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A bit reluctant to leave this lovely little campsite but it is time, so we head north and inland to the town of Lecce. As is often the case, walking into the old town from the outskirts, I question whether it will be worthwhile as the streets are busy and dwarfed by grubby apartment blocks, cars parked every which way and very little in the way of green space and then we turn a corner….

And are greeted with clean pedestrianised streets lined with impressive, elaborate buildings and quaint archways and alleyways leading to more of the same….

Eventually leading us to the main Sant Oronzo Square, bathed in golden sunshine and alive with colour, the buzz of chatter and laughter and serenaded by music from a local guitarist….

The original 1739 wooden and copper sheathed statue of Sant Oronzo (the patron saint of Lecce) having been replaced in 2024 on the column by a bronze replica is now housed in a rather grand glass wrapped structure, which unfortunately was so reflective it was nigh on impossible to capture in this light but also quite engaging the way that is captured the crowds and buildings opposite….

Also in the Piazza is the original Roman Amphitheatre dating back to the 1st C and discovered in the early 1900’s when construction work began on the Bank of Italy. Only about a third of the amphitheatre has been recovered as the rest had already been built over….

Away from the main square we continued to wander around the relatively quiet streets….

Until we had completed a circuit of the old town, before making our way back to the Park and Ride on the outskirts where we had left the van.

Next stop beautiful Alberobello – featuring some 1500 Trulli houses (drystone circular huts with conical roofs built without mortar so that they could quickly be dismantled should the Kingdom of Naples Tax Inspectors come looking) dating back to the 15th & 16th C and what a magical place….

We wandered around for several hours as it was just so enchanting and becoming even more magical as the sun began to set….

We spent the night just a few steps away on very well organised motorhome aire / car park – all services including electricity and very safe – perfect.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 94
  • Miles walked – 6
  • O/N – £20.88

Tuesday 27th October 2026 – a blustery beach walk….

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A beautiful sunny day again today but a stiff and cold wind blowing down from the north. A perfect drying day today so we got a load of washing done and out on the line before heading out for a walk through the sheltered forest and then out onto the windy beach at Baia dei Turchi….

Not a great deal of shelter to be had on the beach and with the fine sand coming at you in waves we opted to return to the shelter of the trees and amble down to Spiaggia Azzurro to catch a bit of respite in the shelter provided by the closed up activity centre there.

I sat for a while just enjoying being and throwing a pine cone that Tilly had brought from the forest for such an activity….

Fortunately Tilly is very easily entertained and quite happy to walk for miles or not, as long as there is a bit of fun in her day, she is good.

It is fascinating to look at the shapes and forms created by the wind in this fine sand….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 5
  • Beaches – 2
  • Laundry – £3.50
  • O/N – £15.00