Featured

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

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

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

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….

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

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

Monday 26th October 2026 – a walk to Alessia Bay….

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

A mostly sunny, if a little breezy day today so after a lazy start we headed out around 11 with our sights set on walking along the rocky coastline southwards towards Otranto.

Baia dei Turchi was looking absolutely stunning, though with few takers as the wind was blowing straight down the beach…

Somehow we ended up losing the coastal path as we approached the large seemingly private and closed Holiday Park of Villagio Club Med with all access points closed and ended up walking for several miles along a very quiet lane with olive groves on either side. It was quite a pleasant albeit not very interesting walk as it was pretty flat and with no passing traffic, in fact it almost felt like we were the only people about! Eventually using a combination of Apple Maps and Ordnance Survey we walked across a couple of fields (according to OS a footpath) until we could get no closer to the sea….

Quite frustrating but the edges did look a little precarious and again any access continuing south was blocked by another closed holiday park. However as we have been walking for well over an hour, I decided that we would abandon any plans to continue further south as access to the coastline didn’t seem to be possible. Instead we continued to walk along the edge of the field, that could or could not have been a diversion for the closed coastal path and managed to catch a couple of glimpses of Alessia Bay (one of the bays we had been trying to reach) – how stunning….

We did somehow end up inside the Club Med Holiday Village, which was very definitely closed for the season but fortunately the gate buzzer was still functional, allowing us to get out rather than retrace our steps! From here it was a case of retracing our steps along the lane and back into the open pine forest to pick up the warren of footpaths from Caletta Totaiello….

Back to a still windy and now mostly in the shade, Baia dei Turchi….

A little frustrating but actually quite enjoyable 8 mile round trip.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 9
  • Beaches – 3
  • O/N – £15.00

Sunday 25th October 2026 – a walk to Lake Alimini….

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

The forecast for today was not good but by late morning the grey clouds had come to nothing so we set out northwards through the pine forest and along Spiaggia Azzurro….

The beach ends at what would appear to be the overflow from Lake Alimini….

Here we had to join the road to cross the inlet and had planned to perhaps walk around the lake a bit but with no obvious access we contented ourselves with this view from the bridge….

To be fair it didn’t look to be the most interesting lake so we crossed back over the road and joined Spiaggia Alimini to continue our walk instead….

We walked on until the beach literally ran out, sat for a while watching a lone windsurfer and trying to work out what the wreckage in front of us was (a Greek Cargo Ship that ran aground in 1978)….

At this point the rain (only light rain) that was promised did catch up with us and kindly accompanied us most of the way back though the sun reappeared as we were nearing the end of Spiaggia Azzurro and thanks to the chasing wind we were fully dry by the time we got back to the van, though I rather think that a swim is off the cards today!….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked –
  • Beaches – 2
  • O/N – £15

Saturday 24th October 2026 – another beautiful day at Baia dei Turchis….

/ freedombird / 1 Comment

This weather is just perfect so we are going to stay and enjoy the peace and tranquility of this location. It is ideal not having to walk out onto or along any roads with seemingly miles of pine forest and coastline to explore from our doorstep. Today we make our way to the beautiful Baia dei Turchis….

This time heading south we mix between walking along the beach and along a path, leading us through bamboo tunnels and hedgerows….

Across rock beds with natural arches and stunning aquamarine pools….

Along to the hidden sandy inlet – Spiaggia dei Porticeddhri….

And finally around a headland onto the moonlike plateaux Caletta Toraiello….

At this point we decide to turn back and return to site for lunch before returning to Baia dei Turchis to catch the last of the afternoon sun and for a swim….

What a perfect day.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 6
  • Beaches – 3
  • O/N – £15.00