Wednesday 17th June 2026 – a walk along the front from Seaford to Newhaven….

June 20, 2026June 17, 2026 / freedombird / Leave a comment

A cloudy and grey day until about 4pm and then lovely and sunny, which was a little late for todays excursion as we headed west to Seaford. Over the South Downs there was a low mist swirling around as we drove down into Seaford and found free seafront parking at the eastern end of the beach.

We started our walk at the Seaford Head viewing jetty with Seaford Head dipping in and out of the swirling mist….

We didn’t linger as the tide is quite high and the waves were occasionally breaking over the top – Tilly’s worst nightmare crashing waves and instead clambered up to get a closer look…

Quite other worldly and offering a fair panoramic view down on Seaford and it’s beach….

Back on sea level we enjoyed the couple of miles walk along the promenade of Seaford Beach….

Passing the most westerly Martello Tower (small defensive Forts built along the east coast in the early 1800’s as protection from invasion by Napoleon) which now houses a museum….

The promenade continues beyond Seaford to Newhaven and it’s continuation of the deserted pebble beach….

Here we stopped for a while to watch a ferry coming in to Port dwarfing the small town….

Heading back the way we came and returning to site to enjoy the glorious late afternoon sunshine.

Today’s stats:

Miles driven – 40 (this included quite a Sat Nav mystery tour!)
Miles walked – 6
Beaches – 2
O/N – £11.10

Tuesday 16th June 2026 – a walk along the beach to Pevensey….

June 19, 2026June 17, 2026 / freedombird / Leave a comment

A cloudy start to our day as we cracked on with a bit of admin but as seems to be the way at the moment it got better and warmer as the day progressed.

We had planned a gentle day today which is probably just as well as it really was quite warm in the afternoon and we were thankful for the sea breeze as we walked along the top (where the pebbles are more compact) from our site at Normans Bay….

Only a mile or so to the west to the small village of Pevensey – from the start of th village the houses back onto the pebbles of the beach with many gardens extending over the beach a bit – not a bad back garden to enjoy your morning coffee in….

Extending on into Eastbourne in the distance to the west and looking back beyond Normans Bay to Hastings in the east….

A few of the beachfront properties are super new with loads of glass but most of them are almost shanty / chalet in style with many of them thankfully looking lived in.

We wandered back through the village, not the most attractive with way too many of the 50 / 60’s box style knock ’em up cheap and quick but a friendly, loved and lived in place.

Today’s stats:

Miles walked – 4
Beaches – 2
O/N – £11.10

Monday 15th June 2026 – moving into East Sussex after a stop off at Folkestone….

June 18, 2026June 16, 2026 / freedombird / Leave a comment

A bit more of a grey day today with some very half hearted attempts at rain first thing as we pack up and make ready to leave Canterbury and Kent behind.

First though we find parking on the seafront on the south side of Folkestone in Sandgate and walk along the promenade on Sandgate Beach heading northwards….

Passing Sandgate’s small castle….

Before rounding the headland onto Folkestone Beach, somewhat lost to the tide in places….

Folkestone Beach giving way to the deeper shingle Mermaid Beach which butts up to the Port….

The clouds here looked fairly dramatic but only produced a couple of spots of rain fortunately as we made our return to the van parked beyond Sandgate.

Moving on a couple of miles and stopping briefly on the seafront at Hythe to capture the beach….

Here the parking was chargeable so we decided to continue on our way to our next campsite another 40 or so miles along the coast in East Sussex at Normans Bay CCC and once we had arrived and were pitched, we crossed the road to explore our resident beach for the next week or so – Normans Bay Beach….

A nice bit of off lead time for Tilly and a nice bit of sea air to help us sleep!!

Today’s stats:

Miles driven – 65
Miles walked – 6
Beaches – 5
O/N – £11.10 no EHU

Sunday 14th June 2026 – a coastal walk along the beaches and castles of Deal….

June 17, 2026June 16, 2026 / freedombird / Leave a comment

Another fine walking day with the same gentle coastal breeze as yesterday. Today we continue our journey around the coast heading south and find seafront parking at the northern end of Deal by the site of the former Sandown Castle and at the start of the promenade.

Sandown shingle beach continues north for several miles to Pegwell Country Park just shy of Ramsgate backed by several golf courses along the way and southwards towards the coastal town of Deal….

Apart from the odd fisherman dotted along the shore, the beach is pretty deserted until we arrive near the centre of Deal where the beach becomes Deal Beach….

The town itself and the promenade are quite busy on this lovely Sunday afternoon as we continue our walk passing the Time Ball Tower a Victorian Maritime Signal Tower, now housing a museum – the time ball is mechanically programmed to rise up the mast at 5 to 1 and drops at 1pm every day (we are too late to see this) and a little further on is Deal Castle ….

Beyond the castle the beach is occupied by a few fishing boats and wild flowers and looking back on Kent’s last remaining fully intact pleasure pier….

Pressing on along the promenade we wander past the village of Walmer (now pretty much absorbed into Deal) to it’s castle….

And very deserted but prettily strewn with wild flowers, shingle beach which eventually leads to Kingsdown which is just a tad too far for us, as we make this our turning point and after a time on the beach, we head back to the van….

Another lovely long walk not exactly beach walking but promenade walking which has to be the second best type and easily preferable when the beach is shingle!

Today’s stats:

Miles driven – 36
Miles walked – 7
Beaches – 3
Fuel – £99.63
Groceries – £51.71
O/N – £9.50

Saturday 13th June 2026 – a lovely walk along the Botany Bay Walking Trail….

June 16, 2026June 16, 2026 / freedombird / 1 Comment

A perfect walking day for us today, a little cloud and breeze around making for comfortable walking conditions as we head back up to the coast just to the east of Margate and find free seafront parking in Cliftonville where we join the Botany Bay Walking Trail at Palm Bay Beach, a lovely sandy crescent shaped beach backed by white chalky cliffs….

The trail is actually along the tops of the cliffs but there is an undercliff walk for part of this trail, suitable for when the tide is out or at least when the seas are relatively calm and this was our choice today….

As the undercliff walk finished and we rejoined the upper cliff trail just before we reached the lovely wilder end of Botany Bay Beach….

Around a small headland the wider Bay of Botany Bay opened up….

Surprisingly quiet on this beautiful Saturday afternoon, we continued along the trail until Kingsgate Castle came into view….

Sitting high above the rather lovely Kingsgate Bay with it’s dramatic and perfectly formed chalk archway….

A little further along and the last bay on this section was Joss Bay, probably more popular because of it’s proximity to a car park – this was our turning point….

On returning to the van we drove a few short miles to Broadstairs where we opted for paid parking away from the seafront as it didn’t look like the seafront was as accessible and wandered down through the busy village to Stone Bay to the west and St Mary’s Bay still largely engulfed by the tide….

In the centre of. the town is Viking Bay, clearly the most popular….

Walking along the promenade to the east of town is the much quieter and equally sandy Louise Bay….

Our day is not done yet as we move further south and make a brief stop on the seafront in Ramsgate, choosing the north and quieter end of town to find free parking and walk from Winterstoke Gardens end along the top above Winterstoke Beach