beach

Friday through Sunday 18th-20th September 2026 – just too hot to wander far….

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As I said yesterday, be careful what you wish for as the following 3 days were just too hot to do anything. Unfortunately too the surrounding area was not very interesting being a fairly long strip of campsite after campsite with not a lot to see or do. Though to be fair the beach itself, Spiaggia Partaccia, was fine, nice and sandy….

A little futher south the sandy beach disappeared for a while, replaced by the more pebbly Spiaggia Angelo del Mare, enjoyed mostly by fishermen.

The mountains (Italian Pennines) running behind us, offering the only scenic feature but too far distant to be of any real use.

I had forgotten that many of the Italian beaches are sectioned off as private, being chargeable to the relevant beach bar / hotel / restaurant and here there wasn’t even a beachside promenade to walk along. So apart from necessary walks, quite often just taking advantage of the shade in parts of the campsite we stayed put.

Actually it did us some good I think, forcing us to slow down, catch up on writing this blog, read and just generally chill as it has been a hectic week or so since we arrived in Europe.

I also had time to consider our future plans as I hadn’t really thought through the possibility that the temperatures might be too hot for us!

Other factors going through my mind:

  • I don’t really want to venture into the big cities even if they offer incredible sites – I can do city breaks at some point in the future, without the worry of finding safe and secure parking.
  • I had hoped that the rest of the Italian coastline would be similar to that which we had enjoyed earlier in the year with every stop offering enjoyable and interesting walks

The only conclusion I have really arrived at is that I need to do some extensive research to make sure that I get to see the best bits (for me) and that I need to try and work with the temperatures and travel / walk early or late.

I also need to take the time to embrace both the weather and the journey and not put myself under the pressure of seeing and doing everything.

Stats:

  • Miles driven – 0
  • Miles walked – 11
  • Beaches – 2
  • Groceries – £9.30
  • O/N – £60.00 (3 nights)

Thursday 17th September 2026 – taking the toll roads down to Marra on the coast of Tuscany….

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Having looked at the choices for travel last night and taking into consideration that the weather forecast is for a hot weekend down on the coast we opted to bite the bullet and take the motorway (toll) cutting the journey from 7.5 to a manageable 3 hours to make it in one hit.

We got an early start and were soon heading south to sunnier climes. The journey itself was pain free albeit a bit monotonous and only worth noting that inspite of it being September the landscape is significantly more lush than back in the parched UK.

We left the ease of the toll roads a few short miles from our chosen campsite and were soon pitched up at Camping Partaccia a short stroll from the seafront. It was by now approaching 30 degrees (note to self – be careful what you wish for) and we had to leave exploring until quite a bit later and concentrate on trying to keep cool! Should I say – survive the heat!….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 186
  • Miles walked – 2
  • Beaches – 1
  • Tolls – £25.00
  • O/N – £22.62

Sunday 6th September 2026 – a stunnng day out to Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove….

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Heading a little further along the coast and a couple of nights spent at Moreton CCC we took advantage of the nearby railway station and causght the train one stop to Wool Station where we were able to pick up the Breezer bus to Durdle Door – oh my what a treat…

Firstly Man ‘O War Cove and then the stunning natural arch – Durdle Door and it’s beautiful sandy cove. Though the weather was pretty hot we decided to walk up and over to Lulworth Cove, stopping in a little shade at the top to admire Swyre Head and cool down a bit with a drink before pressing on….

Approaching Lulworth Cove we stopped awhile to watch some mad souls jumping off a smaller arch into the rather inviting turquoise blue sea….

Before heading down to the cove (most of the beach now lost to the tide) we walked over the headland for a better view of the cove….

We found a little patch of stony beach to sit and chill before making our way back to the bus and train and back to site. Would totally recommend this journey as the parking looked pretty frantic and the cheapest I saw was £9 for 3 hours.

Moreton Stats:

  • Miles driven – 106
  • Miles walked – 8
  • Beaches – 3
  • O/N – £27.47 (2 nights)
  • Groceries – £29.38
  • Bus & Train – £9.90

Another few days staying at Chichester and Canterbury getting pre-trip stuff done including getting Tilly’s Animal Health Certificate and we were ready for the off on the 10th September.

Stats:

  • Miles driven – 210
  • Miles walked – 9
  • O/N – £46.31 (3 nights)

1st – 4th September 2026 – on the road again visiting Torcross…

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Well the summer at home has just flown by, punctuating time spent with friends and family, time on the beach enjoying this glorious weather, with adminny type things such as van service, hab checks and MOT’s for me and Tilly – all is good! So, as planned we are off early on the 1st of September, having planned a few days to get ourselves ‘settled’ back into our home on wheels on the CCC site at Slapton Sands – the van is not just my ‘happy place’….

Enjoying the late afternoon sunshine we took a stroll down to the sea and a walk along Slapton Sands beach….

Passing the devastation caused by January 26 storms (Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra) affecting the sea defences and destroying part of the main road at Torcross as well as causing major damage to several properties and business’s….

We then enjoyed a glass of wine overlooking Torcross Beach in the last of the days sunshine….

The weather was pretty awful for the next few days, with us mostly being shrouded in mist – wet mist!. Though we did get out for a few walks along Strete Sands, around part of Slapton Ley and into nearby Stokenham….

A successful few days getting back into vanlife mode and preparing for our next adventure.

Stats for first few days…

  • Miles driven – 158
  • Miles walked – 19
  • Beaches – 3
  • O/N – £41.12 (4)
  • Food – £52.68