Another hot one but it is time to say good bye to Normans Bay and move a bit further down the coast to Bognor Regis and even though it is very hot we decide to detour to Birling Gap….

Parking in the spacious though busy National Trust car park, which is unfortunately in full sun we make our way to the beach viewing point and are not disappointed…

With far reaching views to the west along the chalky cliffs of the Seven Sisters this mostly pebble beach is quite stunning. Access to the sea is a little tricky for the most part as you have to scramble over some slippery chalk beds and weed covered rocks but there is a small section of sandy access in the middle. Still we are not here to swim but make our way down onto the beach (several flights of wooden stairs) and decided to walk along the chalk seam running along the beach which is nice and cool under paw and a lot easier to walk along than the flint rounded pebbles of the beach…

Heading eastwards in an attempt to see Beachy Head around every small headland the beach eventually ran out before we had any success….

It is way too hot to even consider the 4 mile walk to beach head along the cliff tops, so we shall have to leave that for another day and mindful of the full sun we wander back along the beach and to the slight breeze and shade provided by the van….

Instead of continuing on our journey we try and sit out the worst of the midday heat before cranking on the cab AirCon and make our way to our home for the next week on the outskirts of Bognor Regis in West Sussex at the Caravan and Motorhome Club Site.

Fortunately the site has a good number of trees to provide a bit of shade as the next few days are set to see scorching temperatures.

Today’s stats:

• Miles driven – 59
• Miles walked – 4
• Beaches – 1
• Fuel – £82.89
• Groceries – £7.25
• O/N – £19.50 (Grass with Electric)

After being awoken by a rather dramatic thunderstorm at 5am, it was a releif to see that by morning (a sensible hour of 7.30am) the rain had passed through leaving a rather cloudy morning sky and I did consider changing our planned site day (based on the forecast for a hot one) to head into Brighton after all, however by the time we were ready to go, the sky had cleared and hot it was becoming.

Back to plan A and instead we made the most of the low tide and sea breeze to take a nice walk along the shore passing Pevensey Beach….

And on to the start of Sovereign Harbour Beach….

With Eastbourne on the skyline we decided to sit and chill for a while…

Before heading back the way we came and spending the afternoon enjoying a bit of shade and the lovely sea breeze.

Today’s stats:

• Miles walked – 6
• Beaches – 2
• O/N – £11.10

A stunning day, warm from the outset and as I had noticed that several of the neighbouring towns had events on today, I decided that we would stay put and not attempt to get around Eastbourne or Hastings and risk getting caught up in traffic in the heat.

Instead we contented our selves with several walks along the beach, making the most of the low tide sand and coastal breeze to keep cool….

I also took the opportunity to de-sand the van, having no immediate neighbours I was able to take all the carpets and mats out for a good shake, wash the windows, hoover and wash the floors and experiment with putting the awning out for the first time.

Looking at the forecast for the next couple of days we might be in for more of the same but actually a break from sightseeing is quite welcome at times though I might try an early dart to Camber? Decisions…

I do miss the turquoise seas….

Today’s stats:

• Miles walked – 3
• O/N – £11.10