UK Travel

Friday 12th June 2026 – a lovely walk along the White Cliffs of Dover….

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Still a bit damp this morning but soon drying up and the clouds gradually thinning as the day wore on and we are keen to get out and about again.

Today we are heading for Dover, well more specifically the White Cliffs and headed for the National Trust car park up above the Port and Dover. The small motorhome specific car park (only taking 8 vans and certainly nothing over 7.5m in length) had just the two spaces left – lo and behold either side of an identical van (me on the right)….

We set off on a rather windy walk along the tops of the White Cliffs with views of Dover castle behind us and the white cliffs ahead (west)….

We were soon looking down on the black sands of Langdon Beach (accessible through a tunnel and steep metal steps – so not for us) and out at the cloud shadows and glimpses of sun out across the English Channel unfortunately it is definitely not clear enough to catch any glimpses of France….

We reached South Foreland Lighthouse and decided to continue along to the next village of St Margaret’s at Cliffe visible along the cliffs in the distance….

A steep climb down onto the beach at the bottom where we took a while recharging our batteries before making the climb back up….

Our return route was slightly more inland and away from the worst of the wind through lush green meadows with glimpses back along the cliffs….

Rejoining the cliff path for a look at the busy Port and down onto Dover and it’s beach in the distance….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 41
  • Miles walked – 9
  • O/N – £9.50

Thursday 11th June 2026 – a thoroughly miserable day….

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Well yesterday afternoon and evening’s lovely sunshine did not last and this morning we have woken to grey skies and rather than intermittent showers, pretty heavy rainfall lasting for hours at a time with only sporadic breaks in between.

A grey day in Canterbury….

So we have stuff to do, laundry and admin things like catching up on photo organisation and these blogs so we decided to stay put and use the day catching up and binge watching YouTube to get ideas for our next adventures.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 2
  • Laundry – £8.50
  • O/N – £9.50

Wednesday 10th June 2026 – a walk from Birchington to Margate….

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Still some heavy showers around through the morning but the day improved with age. Today we drove to the seafront and free parking at Birchington the next village along (east) of Herne Bay and waited out a particularly heavy downpour before venturing down onto Minni’s Bay, a long stretch of low tide mostly sandy bay….

From here we followed the concrete promenade below the low chalk Birchington Cliffs to the not so sandy Grenham Bay….

Shortly arriving at the lovely sandy West Bay at Westgate-on-Sea….

Around the next headland to the stunning St Mildred’s Bay with it’s seawater paddling pool….

A little further along the path and around the next headland to Westbrook Bay as we arrive into Margate-on-Sea….

And lastly Margate Bay with another tidal pool….

At Margate Bay I had to be a little careful when taking photos because there were several groups of young school children enjoying out of the classroom activities on the beach.

At this point we decided to turn about and make our way back the way we had come – a very enjoyable and totally dry walk.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 41
  • Miles walked – 7
  • Beaches – 6
  • O/N – £9.50

Tuesday 9th June 2026 – Herne Bay and then a walk from Tankerton to Whitstable….

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Wet overnight and several hefty showers during the day but fortunately we managed to dodge the worst and have a good day.

After sitting out an heavy rain shower, we started our day with a walk along the promenade at Herne Bay, the beach here is shingle with some low tide sand just becoming visible so we were glad to be walking along the promenade….

The pier was a delight with lots of little artisan cabins (many of them still closed or probably just opening at weekends) selling lots of crafty bits, speciality coffees and homemade cakes with a small funfair at the end – not an amusement arcade to be seen which is quite refreshing and offering lovely views along the beach….

At the far end (east) of the town a pretty clocktower and just visible on the horizon out at sea the 6 remaining Maunsell Forts (one of the original seven was destroyed when hit by a ship in 1963), abandoned military anti-aircraft installations from WWII….

Retracing our steps and continuing further west we arrived in Hampton and enjoyed far reaching views of Hampton Beach where the sand was more exposed and more rain was on it’s way….

Moving a little further west we found parking along the sea front at Tankerton and after the shower had passed we made our way down onto the promenade above Tankerton beach….

From here we walked in a westerly direction to the small but lively village of Whitstable and it’s shingle working beach – oysters just about everywhere along the sea front being sold from cabins or in sheds – shucked or not, but with a pretty little high street running behind with lots of individual shops and cafes ….

Here the heavens really opened but fortunately we were able to take shelter under a shop awning until it had passed and strolled back to the van in brilliant sunshine!

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 43
  • Miles walked – 6
  • Beaches – 4
  • O/N – £9.50

Monday 11th May 2026 – and on to Murano and Burano (Venice Part 2)….

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We continue our visit to Venice with a trip to the Island of Murano – famous for Murano Glass and yes pretty much every shop was selling glassworks of some kind. Tp be honest a lot of it was touristy tat and easy to ignore but there were some outstanding pieces at a fairly outstanding price too….

Murano was like a smaller and much quieter version of Venice, without the gondolas and magnificent buildings but to my mind prettier and more authentic….

And we enjoyed a lovely stroll around the main and back streets until the weather took a nose dive and we decided to seek respite on a water taxi taking us to another island – Burano….

Still raining quite heavily when we arrived so we took shelter until the worst had passed over before wandering around the brightly painted streets and pretty canals….

What an absolute delight – I wonder who decides what colour the houses are painted?

A lovely way to round of our day in Venice and begin to make the longish journey back to site.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 9
  • Trip – £29.45
  • O/N – £15.38