The stay at the New Forest was a great test of the van and we were lucky that we really didn’t need much doing to it in order to head off and live in it for 6 months. Two things that did need sorting out were the air conditioning and a way in which to transport our bikes. So it was back to Kelly and Ben’s to stay for a couple of days while we got those things sorted. Baby sitting duties were swapped for beds for the night and we all had a great time.
Our ferry was booked for four days time from Dover and we decided to meander our way across the south of England and stop in three different spots. The idea of doing one night stops is something that would have been a lot harder in the camper trailer but with the campervan the set up and pack up is so minimal that it seemed like a good idea to us.
First stop really wasn’t far away in East Meon where a farmer had put a simple toilet and shower set in a field and opened it up to camping. There was also a pizza restaurant/bar that operated on the weekend but as we were during the week it was just us and another group so we split the huge field down the middle and had a lovely amount of space.
We enjoyed a hike across the fields to the local town where there was, of course, a local pub serving delicious ales. We thought we deserved one half way through the hike. The town was very picturesque and we enjoyed our wander through.
The next day we set off for a longer drive and first stop was Brighton. It’s a pretty cool seaside city with a good music and arts scene and years (and years) ago I was quite taken by the place. It was nice to come back and see the buzz of the place was still there and we enjoyed some shopping in the lanes where Sarah found a couple of cool items she had been looking for for a while.
Our walk took us towards the seaside and the pier but by the time we got there the fog had set in and it really did look a little bleak yet we could still see all the bars and restaurants and could imagine the fun that could be had when the sun did come out.
A further drive down the coast and we found ourselves on top of the infamous white cliffs. We pulled over and after a quick lunch out of the back of the van we set off for a walk along the cliffs and while the fog hadn’t quite cleared it was still a beautiful walk and nice to stretch the legs.
By the time we set off in the van again it was getting a little late in the afternoon and when we arrived in our campsite we saw that the site was so sloping there was no way we were going to be able to stop there so decided to risk it and head off in search of somewhere else. It did take us a little while to find somewhere but eventually we did. It has to be said that we were finding so far that the campsites were pretty expensive for what they were. We were spending around £30 (or $60) and for that we weren’t getting much, often no electricity and not necessarily a flat site. On top of that we have also been charged to have a shower! Only 50p but you would have thought they could include that in the site price. Still it is early days in the trip and these things always take a little bit of time to work out and on a positive note we have certainly enjoyed a bit of space in our campsites!!
The next day we headed off for our first mountain biking experience with the “new” bikes. Just down the road we were told we would see a lay-by with lots of people parked in it and behind the lay-by was a back entrance to a mountain bike park. Well we followed the directions and had a great time riding through the forests although my biking fitness seems to have left me but hopefully we get to do a lot more riding and I will soon get it back.
That afternoon we drove to Canterbury to have a look at the cathedral and I have to say that both the town and the cathedral was well worth a look. The outside was being restored so unfortunately we couldn’t get so many great photos and inside did seem a little more of a tourist attraction than a cathedral (I don’t know if this happens because of entry charges or not?) but it was still a very impressive building and the intricacies of the architecture were evident in almost every area of the building.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to the outside
We felt we had crammed quite a lot into the last few days so headed down towards Dover to find a campsite and relax in the beautiful sunshine for our last evening before we caught the ferry over to France. It has been a great flying visit to the South Coast of England and it will be great to come back and explore a little more. T