2021
New year, new home, more coastal trips...
Around Kessingland (10-15 May)
Well, it's not really our coastal tour as we've done this; we're just having a break - but it's great to be on the road again
We love these beautiful east coast beaches
....although coastal erosion is taking it's toll.
Thatched church at Pakefield; it used to be divided to serve two parishes...
Aldeburgh: home to the famous man; hence its cultural flavour.
Aldeburgh: it's better than cannabis I guess
Moot Hall, now Aldeburgh museum
More infoWe take a trip to Wenhaston to see the church and, in particular the
Wenhaston Doom. History on a plank of wood. Worth a read.
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Portsmouth to Prinsted (7 - 12 June)
We make a short escape to fill in some of the coastal places that we haven't explored fully. Now we have a complete south coast!
We head to Southsea, the seaside Portsmouth, and see a flourishing, rather nice place. It's about fifteen years since we've been here and it's flourishing. We rather like it. Unfortunately we're a bit too late for the D-Day museum or, indeed, anything but a really nice walk along the promenade above the shingle beach.
Heading to Hayling island, we stop off at Langstone - an old harbour village just before crossing the Hayling bridge.
This Langstone private residence was once a dual wind and tide mill
A short walk away in the nearby village of
Warblington is the Church of St Thomas a Becket
Our first trip to Portmouth takes in the
Historic Dockyard, improved and updated since we last saw it. The Mary Rose is breathtaking - as is the Victory. But the Warrior, the biggest and first sail/steam hybrid powered battleship is truly exceptional.
Victory
The Mary Rose in its environmentally controlled housing.
Iconic
Warrior's steam engines
On a completely different tack, we head out to Prinsted to meet with friends and take a walk around Thorney Island. Part of the walk is on MOD property - but it's easy to call up and get the gates opened to complete the circular walk. Great walk - but hay fever sufferers (like me) beware!!
Chichester Harbour from Thorney Island.
On the way back we take in Emsworth, with its dual tide mill pools, although the tide mills are long gone.
We take a quick trip to Hamble point for a view of the container ships plying to and fro from Southampton Docks. There's an iron age fort here and what remains of a WW2 anti-aircraft battery.
Before we finish the trip, we head back to Portsmouth to take a final look at Gunwharf Keys and Old Portsmouth where Sir Walter Raleigh landed with England's first supplies of Potatoes (Good) and Tobacco (Bad!) in 1585. The 15th century Round Tower still guards the harbour, part of which is still a working dockyard.
The Old Harbour Dockyard
We finish with a great meal next to the Old Dockyard at the
Abarbistro as recommended in the Lonely Planet: never fails.
Repleat, it's back to the faithful 'van before the trip back home up the A3.
Frinton to The Naze, Walton (2nd August)
As the Touareg has been off the road for a month now, we're resorting to trips in the little DS3 to cover nearby parts of the coast that we have yet to 'do' from the magic book. We both know this area (Sue from frequent family trips as a child/teenager and me from my student days) but it's always fascinating to look at a known area from the past through our 'coastal touring eyes'.
After a journey of 90 minutes or so, we park on the esplanade of the rather up-market Frinton, have a stroll around the well-kept little town and head off with the aim of walking to Walton-on-the-Naze and then, time permitting, an exploration of the Naze.
Ahhh, bless! Our little DS3 undertaking different duties...
We walk around 10 miles exploring this bit of coast..
There are beach huts along the beautiful beach for around two miles between Frinton and Walton. This is the Walton on the Naze beach hut 'village'.
On the Naze looking south, the Naze tower to the right.
The Grade II listed tower was built by Trinity House in 1720 then renovated in 2004; it's now an art gallery, tea rooms and museum.
We take a well deserved cup of tea here before the walk back to Frinton and the car. Great Day.
Battle, Hastings & Rye
22 - 26 August
We've got the Touareg back! So we set off to Battle with the 'van; unfortunately, it dumps water over Sue's feet when we have the aircon on so it's back to Beadles VW, Southend when we get back. 😖
Anyway, we have a great break down here visiting the 1066 battle field, seeing wonderful Rye and sampling the seaside atmosphere of Hastings. We meet up with motor-homing friends for a day, too, walking at Rye harbour.
Caravan & Motorhome Club Site, Normanshurst Court, at Battle.
Bodiam Castle
The 1066 battle field looking up towards King Harold's position from the attacking Normans
A nice B&B in Rye!
Rye again
... and again, from the church tower
Scarborough to Whitby
5 - 12 September
Well, here we are at the Camping and Caravanning Club's large site in Scarborough, complete with a sorted Touareg. The weather doesn't look too bad so let's see how this goes: looking forward to it - we've got the magic coastal tour book out again.
Waking up to warm weather (really!) we walk into Scarborough along the cliffs, joining the Cleveland Way from the campsite, which is really easy. We walk past North Beach, Scarborough, which is a really nice place to be with it's multi-coloured beautifully maintained beach huts.
Heading into town, we pass the harbour and some tasty looking eating places, recommended in Lonely Planet, our touring go-to advice centre. Not today, though, as we took lunch at the van before setting off.
Hungry looking seagull at the working harbour...
We take in the range of shops in the town and think Scarborough's doing rather well.. then head back to base, a walk of some 12km or so which loosens up the creaking joints quite well. After a nice meal of lamb chops with assorted fresh accompaniments cooked on the magic cooking machine outside the 'van we relax with a spot of TV before bed.
The next day we head off to Robin Hood's Bay which promises to be a real treat according to our magic book but we are foiled by the number of cars attempting to park. Undaunted we move on to Boggle Hole, which sounds a bit odd but has a really nice beach café as part of the YHA centre in a converted mill. Gluten-free carrot cake and coffee.
Boggle Hole is a small cove with uniquely curved-out hollows, worn away by the action of the sea and lies at the foot of a wooded valley. The curious name derives from boggle, or goblin, which legend states are said to haunt the slopes.
Luckily we escape the notorious Boggle by walking along the beach for a couple of km back to Robin Hood's Bay, which is well worth the visit. We head back along part of the Cleveland Way and collapse into the car and 'home' after a quick call to the local Tesco for essential supplies.
Steak & red wine on the magic machine.
Heading towards Robin Hood's Bay from Boggle Hole
On the Cleveland Way
RHB from the Cleveland Way
Onto the next day.. and an uplifting one. Waking up to warm and sunny weather, we head to Cloughton Wyke and walk along the Cleveland way to the Long Nab Bird Observatory. Beautiful views. We might return before we go to do a 6.5km circular walk here, part of it along a disused railway line
After a sandwich on the clifftops, we head to Hayburn Wyke in the Treg, park near the Hayburn Wyke Inn and descend the cliffs on the Cleveland Way to a rocky bay where a waterfall cascades over boulders.
It's a steep climb back to the car but, undaunted, we head off to Ravenscar which is built around the imposing 1774 Ravenscar Hotel, which once hosted George III. It's now used for wedding receptions amongst other things; we know this because we chatted to a couple who were due to attend two weddings there... The platform of the old railway station marks the start of the 'cinder track' which forms part of the many circular walks around here.
Rowan trees are laden with berries
Our final visit is to
Stoupe Beck Sands, reached by driving down a 33% steep, single track winding road along which we met two large tractors pulling trailers. What great fun that was!
Stoupe Beck Sands.... the Boggle lives just around the nearest headland...
A day out in Whitby!
With the old Abbey moodily gazing down on the historic town, this is a wonderful place, with the narrow cobbled streets full of shops selling not only the usual tourist fare but also locally made jade and amber jewellery, reflecting past activities. The link says more than I can.
The (well preserved and unrestored) remains of a jade workshop
St Mary's church and graveyard with the Abbey in the background
The Abbey itself, now under the care of English Heritage - which means, as members, we get in 'free'
Can't think why Bam Stoker thought that this would be a good setting for his quite well known tome, DRACULA!
From the mouth of the harbour
There are 199 steps up to the Abbey - but that's where we leave the car so we are forced to eat the famous fish and chips (mine gluten free, of course) at the Quayside restaurant (praised in Lonely Planet) to give us the energy to get back.
There's a monument and museum in memory of Captain Cook, the famous British explorer who was based here and an archway formed from the jawbones of a whale, remembering the whaling history of the town in past (and ecologically different) times.
Anyway it's time to head off home with fond memories of this place.
It's Friday.... and rain is promised later so we head off to explore the coast just north of Whitby.
First stop, Sandsend with some rather beautiful beaches which stretch back towards Whitby and, most importantly, a really nice coffee shop overlooking the beach. Mine's a flat white and a gluten free brownie while Sue settles for a walnut slice thingy.
Next stop is Kettleness, or where the village used to be, at any rate, as it disappeared into the sea in 1829; there's a farm and a few cottages there now. It's accessed down a winding single track road.
That was where Kettleness disappeared in 1829, I guess.
I reckon that there's time to walk the Cleveland Way to nearby Runswick Bay before the impending rain although Sue's not so sure.
Runswick Bay from the Cleveland Way
After walking to the bay itself we decide to leave the village of the same name for the start of our next coastal adventure as the tide is getting close to cutting off the path for a couple of hours. So we head back up the steps (well over 200) to Sandsend and the car. On the way back Sue was proven to be absolutely correct about the rain.
Still, we're dry now.... safely tucked up in the 'van. Last day tomorrow, so we'll probably just explore around the site and relax before a Zoom with Nerja friends in the evening. Its over five hours on the road with stops on Sunday.
Hythe and Folkstone
18 - 22 October
We managed three plus days of revisiting this interesting area; it's written in the past tense because we aborted our trip early as our youngest was taken into hospital to be induced. After a torrid time for her and her partner, we now have a wonderful granddaughter.
A Comment: The NHS, despite having many dedicated and skilled professionals isn't working. Systems that don't work and serious holes in processes put lives at risk, period. Add to that Covid stresses and understaffing and we have a big problem.
No personal pics on this blog - so here are few travelling images:
Hythe beach
The Lazy Lobster - a restaurant in the old lifeboat station, Fisherman's Landing Beach, Hythe ; jolly nice it is, too
Fisherman's Landing Beach - for landing fish?
A trip to Canterbury..
Well, this looks like the last of our trips for 2021. The 'van will go to WKD at Marks Tey to have it's panoramic window replaced under warranty before we wrap it up in its cover for the winter
Damn! Forgot to iron it 😖
See you in 2022, all being well.
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