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

Sunday 18th October 2026 – off to Port Selvaggio and Punta Proscuitto….

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

Today we have decided to head a little north in the van, on the recommend of some fellow campers, to get a nice walk away from the roadside and deep into a pine forest to visit the small bay of Port Selvaggio. From the large car park, roadside, we were soon wandering through the forest down a wide avenue….

With lots of footpaths leading off on either side we opted to stay on the main route for a mile or so down to the popular swim spot….

Tempting though it was, I had not come prepared for a swim, but we sat a while enjoying the view and warm sunshine and being overlooked by one of the 379 fortified towers built all around the coastline during the 1500’s as a form of deterrent and early warning system for the Kingdom of Naples. Each tower was within eyeshot of its neighbour enabling signals of smoke during the days and fires at night to carry warnings back to the kingdom. This is Torre Uluzzo….

After a while we ventured back via a less direct route just enjoying the peaceful walk in the cool shade.

Carrying on a little further north we arrived at Punta Proscuitto, famed for it’s beautiful white sandy beach….

With hindsight, I’m not sure why I didn’t swim here but there wasn’t really anywhere safe to leave Tilly, so I contented myself with a paddle in the lovely clear waters….

After a while we wandered around the point and onto the quieter Spiaggia di Palude del Conte. An equally sandy beach, though not as pretty as the sand was quite weedy and covered in debris from the neighbouring marshes and nature reserve behind. Still good for a nice walk and some off lead time for Tilly to round off the afternoon before heading back to site….

And what a treat with a pretty spectacular sunset for us tonight….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 55
  • Miles walked – 6
  • Beaches – 3
  • O/N – £16.00

Saturday 17th October 2026 – a sunny afternoon in Gallipoli Old Town…

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

A beautiful day, temperatures are much more bearable around 23 degrees and the winds of the past couple of days have dropped as we take advantage of the shuttle bus from site to the Old Town of Gallipoli…

Dating back some 3000 years the city was built on an island by the Greeks with the connecting bridge being built during the 17th C and officially joining Italy in 1861. The city sits within fortified walls and probably only took about 20 minutes to walk at a leisurely pace around the outside. A stunning yellow sandy beach occupies the seaward side of the island, popular on this warm afternoon with incredible clear turquoise waters….

Around the city a number of bars and restaurants have seating along the perimeter wall making the most of the incredible views with some pretty novel bars….

We wandered into the narrow streets of Gallipoli enjoying the the cool shade and a break from the sun. With just one main street and only a few shops and bars dotted about elsewhere the rest of the streets were mostly empty for us to mooch at our own pace….

One shop that did look rather out of place though was this Christmas shop!…

We then wandered back onto the perimeter wall and made our way around in the opposite direction….

And eventually left the island and walked back into the the newer part of Gallipoli as it spreads down along the rocky coastline….

Taking a last look back towards the castle and island before catching our shuttle back to site….

A pretty Old Town but it won’t take you long to look around, we managed a couple of hours and enjoyed it, but that was pushing it, though we didn’t stop and have a drink or anything to eat.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 6
  • Beaches – 1
  • Shuttle Bus – £2.54
  • O/N – £16.00

Friday 16th October 2026 – a stroll along the sea front to Gallipoli…

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

Another sunny but windy day and this time we head in the direction of Gallipoli. The sea is looking stunning captured behind the cacti planted opposite the entrance to the site….

After the first couple of hundred metres the footpath (which appears to be under construction) is cordoned off and we are left to walk along the roadside as we enter the outskirts of Gallipoli, which doesn’t make for very pleasant walking until we arrive into the built up area with pavements.

Apart from passing the small marina and taking a peek inside a small church the rest of the more modern part of Gallipoli was totally uninspiring and actually rather grubby so my camera pretty much had the day off….

Even the coastline on the other side of town didn’t inspire me, though the sight of Gallipoli Old Town in the distance across the bay looks a little more promising but we are saving that until tomorrow….

We have walked a few miles and been totally underwhelmed we decided to about turn and head back to site. You win some you loose some.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 5
  • O/N – £16.00

Thursday 15th October 2026 – back to the coast near Gallipoli…

/ freedombird / Leave a comment

After yesterdays full on afternoon / evening it was tempting to stay put, however as we are heading back to the coast, I always think there is a greater chance of a decent pitch if we don’t arrive at the weekend and so we press on.

As the crow flies the distance isn’t that great but the shorter route is still very much a construction site and not recommended on either Apple Maps (which we use) or Google Maps and so we take their advice and cross cross the ‘heel’ of Italy via Brindisi and Lecce to arrive at our destination a campsite just north of Gallipoli…..

Another mostly shady tree covered site with reasonably sized pitches with plenty of space. Once settled we leave the site to explore the coastline to the north.

The coastline is craggy rocks along here with the odd pine covered sandy inlet as we walk along the half completed footpath to Torre Sabea….

Following the footpath inland slightly as a couple of closed campsites take beach side position, Tilly performs a silly dance with her back legs to avoid the pine needle strewn pathway until we can access the sea again….

The area is still covered in pine needles but they don’t seem to bother Tilly here as we make our way along the sea front….

Arriving at Spiaggia Di Rivabella we wander briefly into the resort to realise that it is largely holiday apartments or maybe weekend homes and that nearly all are closed up for the season including the few bars and restaurants so we return to the beach for Tilly to have a bit of a runaround before we head back to site….

From the site entrance we have Distant views across the bay of Gallipoli to the south and Nardo to the north…

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 129
  • Miles walked – 5
  • Beaches – 2
  • Groceries – £46.68
  • O/N – £16.00

Wednesday 14th October 2026 – moving across country to Matera….

/ freedombird / 1 Comment

Leaving the coast again, this time we are heading inland to the unusual city of Matera. The journey is uneventful but noticeably the landscape changed from lush tree filled hilly terrain about two thirds of the way to arid hilly scrubland with hilltop villages scattered in the distance as indeed is Matera.

We parked up in Camper Matera, an Aire rather than a campsite but with probably the warmest welcome we have received anywhere in Italy and were presented with a fresh loaf of locally made sourdough bread – Pani di Matera. The outer crust was like a brick and with the cost of dentistry I didn’t risk it but the fleshy inner was delicious and satisfied an itch. The overnight cost also included a return shuttle to the centre of Matera and I booked us onto the next available trip later in the afternoon.

The short journey was somewhat entertaining as the driver (I assumed to be the owners father) didn’t speak a word of English but proceeded to chat to me (the only passenger) the whole journey, at one point we were pulled over by the local police for what I gathered to be some vehicle issue but my driver seemed to think it was something and nothing and appeared to be quite dismissive of the very serious policeman’s issues. Arriving in one piece the driver waved me roughly in the direction of the centre and disappeared back into the traffic! Hopefully to be seen again at the agreed pick up time.

Only a few minutes walk took us into the centre of the more modern part of town, with its beautiful ornate buildings and narrow pedestrianised bar and shop lined streets….

Just beyond these honey toned streets lie the main attraction the Sassi area of rock carved cave dwellings dating back to Palaeolithic times (9000 years ago) and considered to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world. It almost didn’t survive the 1950’s when poverty, malaria and lack of electricity or running water caused the Italian government to call it the ‘shame of Italy’ and rehouse it’s population by extending the city beyond the above historic area. However revitalisation started to improve the area and it was given UNESCO World Heritage status in 1993 and is now a major attraction with many properties being lived in or serving as bars / restaurants and shops….

The city is carved into the side of La Gravine gorge with many natural and man made caves and shelters visible on the other side of the gorge in the untamed Parco Della Murgia Materano….

Unlike the 150 rock cut cave churches that are dotted around the Sassi including Santa Maria de Idris carved into Monterrone the tallest limestone spur topped by the Crucifix the main Cathedral Basilica Di Matera was constructed as a focal point of the city in the 1200’s and appears to almost glow in the warm sunshine, long after the rest of the city is shrouded in shade….

We enjoyed the golden hour up by the Cathedral along with many others, finding our own little carved ledge to sit upon and bask, serenaded by a well played acoustic guitar, hoping for a spectacular sunset, instead we were treated to a soothing golden glow….

There were several other bronze ‘Tree of Life’ sculptures by Andrea Roggi that we had spotted around the new ‘Old Town’….

As the light faded and turned from dusk to night, the Sassi continued to shine – 9000 years old and proud….

As we returned to our meeting point and needed to kill a bit of time we wandered into one of the many little vending machine alcoves that are dotted around cities in Italy and were rather surprised to see gelatos for sale – how random….

A fabulous afternoon and what an interesting find.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 119
  • Miles walked – 7
  • O/N – £16.90