Our England Coastal Tour

Having been keen caravanners for many years, we decided this year to take a longer than usual holiday in our tourer (a 2004 Bailey Pageant Auvergne, towed with a Vauxhall Vectra 2.2 Auto) and planned to travel around the coast and borders of England, taking in as many National Trust and English Heritage locations as we could, providing they did not take us too far from our coastal route. Initially, we only planned a week ahead to allow us some flexibility of campsites, routes and locations to visit, but we had a rough idea of the main places we wanted to see.

Accordingly, in June, after our van had had its annual full service, we set off from our home north of Manchester for our first destination, Carlisle, for a stay of 2 nights at the charmingly named Dandy Dinmont Caravan Park, spending some of our time exploring Carlisle Castle and walking the city walls.

Our second stop was Haltwhistle, reputedly the centre of the mainland of Britain (depending how you take your measurements), to give us the opportunity to see a good portion of Hadrian’s Wall and the remains of the Roman fort of Housesteads.

Next stop was Bamburgh and its magnificent castle – still home to the Armstrong family, with visits to Berwick-on-Tweed with its remarkable walls, and a truly lovely day spent on Lindisfarne (Holy Island). The surrounding area, with a wealth of castles and small villages hugging the coastline, are really spectacular, considering less than twenty years ago the beaches and coast were black with the spoil from local coal mines being tipped directly into the sea, to be washed backed onto the shore. These beaches, now great sweeping stretches of golden sand, are a tribute to the efforts of the many organisations and councils in returning the coast to its natural state.

 

Durham was our fourth campsite, and after visiting the city, with its grand cathedral, we decided to go back in time with a day at Beamish, a recreated Victorian village-cum-museum with trams rattling around the cobbled streets, and authentic houses and shops populated by well-informed men and women in traditional Victorian garb, eager to explain any item that the visitor happened to look at for more than a few seconds. The place is vast, and probably needs more than a day to explore fully, but our trip had to continue, and we set off for Scarborough on the 13^th day of our tour. Rievaulx Temple and the impressive ruins of the Abbey gave us an excellent photo opportunity, and Scarborough sea front did not disappoint.

 

Following the longest driven leg between Scarborough and the Wash, we had a two-night stop at Holbeach in Lincolnshire, on the way to Kessingland in Suffolk, for four days visiting the numerous broads and rivers, some of which we last saw around forty years earlier, together with all the seaside towns of the area. Then followed a departure from our coastal route to stop at Brentwood, and give us the chance to meet up with our eldest son, who came out from London to see us, and we were also able to visit some friends near Canvey Island.

 

The fourth week of our trip saw us at Canterbury, with a wealth of historic sites to explore in the ancient city and around the Kent coast; and then Bognor Regis, to visit friends and family in that area, with day trips to Brighton and Portsmouth for shopping and ships respectively.

 

Day 31 brought us to Charmouth in Dorset, to visit the famous Jurassic Coast – no fossil finds for us unfortunately, but a day at Weymouth, the Isle of Portland and Chesil Beach brought its own rewards. Dartmouth in Devon was our next stop, giving us the chance to explore the towns of Kingsbridge and Salcombe, a favourite for our boating enthusiasts, with many yachts here from France, Holland and Spain.

 

By the middle of week six we had another change of county to arrive in Looe, Cornwall, with visits to the charming fishing harbours of Looe and Polperro (the trek uphill in Polperro to the bus stop made easier by the use of the little converted milk float/electric shuttle).

A two-night stop at Truro allowed us to enjoy the delights of Falmouth, with its narrow streets and castles either side of the busy harbour – the third deepest natural harbour in the world. Our guide was the extremely friendly driver of the free shuttle bus around the town – ably assisted by the other  passengers, all local residents  with, apparently, plenty of time on their hands - suggesting many interesting places to see and establishments to visit for refreshments - too numerous to call into all of them, however!

 

 

On to our most southerly stop at Hayle, Cornwall, near St. Ives, to enable us to see the multitude of artists and galleries that are drawn to this part of the country, and to explore the outstanding coastline, including the magical St. Michael’s Mount, reached by a causeway at low tide – or by using one of the small fleet of ferry boats. Land’s End proved a disappointment, being over-commercialised, and we preferred the nearby Sennen Cove, with its low-key simplicity, and olde-worlde charm. Other places of note were Mousehole, St. Leonards, Portreath and Gwithian, with its long beach and remarkable cliffs.

 

Leaving the Cornish peninsula on day 45, we turn northwards for Barnstaple, to permit us to see the unusual village of Clovelly, clinging to the steep north Devon Coast, and then a pilgrimage to Port Isaac, the location of the fictional village of Portwenn of “Doc Martin” TV fame. Weston-super-Mare on day 47 becomes our base to visit Cheddar Gorge and Wells, with its imposing cathedral. Leaving the coast for the final cross-country leg of our journey brings us to Bridgnorth, Shropshire, at the start of our eighth week, and an opportunity to meet up with more caravanning friends, to see the historic Ironbridge Gorge, with its many attractions including the Ironbridge itself, and the reconstructed period village of Blist Hill.

 

Day 53 brought our final stop in Ellesmere, Shropshire, before we arrived home tired, but full of many wonderful memories of our 3,340 mile, 19 stop journey, proving beyond doubt that we live in the most remarkable, varied and beautiful country in the world; populated by the friendliest, most helpful people one could hope to meet.

 

We stayed at a variety of campsites, a mixture of privately owned and operated, and sites run by both the Clubs. All the sites were excellent, with friendly, helpful staff and well-maintained facilities.

 

Our future plans are now focussed on similar tours of the Scottish coast – which may prove even longer than the English one - and a combined Wales/Ireland tour. Wish us luck!