We left Garsington mid morning for the Caravan and Motorhome club site (CAMC). It is located East of Brighton just a short walk away from Brighton Marina.
The journey was trouble free and traffic was light. Even the M25 was fairly light traffic although the road noise on the concrete sections was loud and annoying.
Two hours and fifteen minutes later we had checked in, filled up with fresh water and were parked up on pitch 21which is right opposite the facilities.
Our initial plan was to go down to the marina for a walk after setting up but the heavens had opened up and it began to rain very hard. Not looking like it was going to let up soon we decided to stay in. We were not too bothered as we were booked in for five nights and had plenty of time to explore.
28th Nov-Walk into Brighton
With sunshine and showers forecast today we put on our waterproofs and set off to have a walk into Brighton. We wanted to have mooch around the Lanes which are a famous part of Brighton & Hove. Nestled between the North Laine and the seafront, this quirky labyrinthian area is a joy to wander around with its narrow alleyways, hidden squares, exciting shops, legendary jewellers and plenty of places to eat, drink and watch the world go by.
Typical! Not long after setting off the rain stopped and the sun came out. Before getting too hot and bothered we decided to stop and remove our waterproofs.
To reach Brighton Palace Pier from the campsite along the sea front is about a 40 minute walk. We had a few bits of admin to do before our upcoming overseas trip so that was our first priority. Once done we had a stroll around before deciding it was time to get something to eat.
I remembered from our time here before that there was a nice place we ate that did vegan food so we set off in search of it.
The name is Neighbourhood Café it is situated in the North Laine (95 Gloucester Rd) and well worth a visit.
After our food and coffee we set off for one last walk around before heading back to the van. The lanes were very busy with tourists and workers having their lunch breaks in one of the many eateries available and there was a real positive vibe to the place.
Before we knew it we were in Jollifes coffee shop on Kensington Gardens drinking coffee and eating our first ever Sfogliatine, a light and delicious Italian cookie. Their name comes from the Italian word “sfoglia” meaning “sheets”, which describes the layering of the puff pastry dough. Made from an old world recipe, they are coated with an apricot glaze and baked to a crispy perfection.
We definitely went back to the van after this just in time for our tea!!!
29th Nov- Golf course walk (with cows)!
A chilly start to the day but this didn’t bother us as we were going out for a nice walk. Rucksacks packed with essential clothing, mince pies and a flask of mulled each wine we set off towards the East Brighton golf course. An area we had walked around before but this time I had altered it slightly in direction and distance.
We had just skirted around the edge of a couple of holes and tee’s on the golf course and we veered off heading towards a trig point near to Mount Pleasant. We had to step off the path and give way to a farmer in a tractor before continuing on our route. We saw a gathering of dog walkers uphill in the distance chatting and it was at this point we saw a herd of cows running downhill. I said to Angela that I didn’t think that they should be there as it looked like a crop field and that maybe the farmer we passed earlier had been to feed them and inadvertently left a gate open. As we were going in a different direction it didn’t affect us so we were not too bothered.
We got to the dog walkers, said hello as we passed and carried on towards the top. We looked back and saw the cows heading towards two of the dog walkers. Seeing this they turned and began retracing their steps. A 4×4 vehicle then arrived at the top of the hill and the driver was looking towards the cows and was on the phone. A local couple out walking their dog came towards us and I mentioned the cows possibly being in the wrong field. They told us that yesterday they were in a different field and hadn’t seen them here before. Asking them about the path we were on and where we were heading they mentioned other routes we could take to avoid the cows. Angela WILL NOT walk anywhere near a herd of cows. It’s not something I enjoy but would rather than do a detour.
I said we would be alright on our planned walk and we carried on along the top of the hill. From this point you were unable to see the bottom of the field and I said to Angela that we should carry on and if our path was blocked we would go a different way.
Sods law! We just crested the hill and looking along our planned route, smack bang in the middle was a herd of cows being managed by a farmer.
After a bit of a debate it was decided that we would not be continuing on this path and that the route via the local cemetery was the best option. In reality it was not that much further than our planned route but had an added bonus of a bench to sit on to have our mince pies and flask of steaming hot mulled wine.
Warmed up from our mulled wine we continued on our walk and back to the campsite crossing a section of the Brighton racecourse on our way back along the sheepcote valley.
Near the end of the walk we were passing through East Brighton Park when we stopped to watch a man train his dog in agility. It turned out to be his assistance dog as he was deaf and the woman I spoke to that was photographing him was his wife. She was doing a photography course and this was her work for it.
30th Nov-Walk to Rottingdean (10 miles).
This is a walk we have been looking forward to doing since we’ve been here. It was an area we wanted to walk the last time we came but ran out of time.
Bright and sunny with no rain forecast we set off for a days walk from the campsite heading straight down to the marina where the footpath can be reached.
Locally it is called the Undercliff walk and is part of the England Coast Path. We stopped in the marina first to look at the boats and to have a walk around the east arm of the marina but it was closed for repairs. Whilst leaning on the railing we got talking to a woman who saw my camera and asked what I was photographing. She said that a Kingfisher is often seen around the marina.
It turned out that this woman and her husband have a motorhome and she had us in stitches of laughter regaling some of their motorhome adventures and her view on unisex toilet facilities on the continent. They have a property in Spain which they are selling and bought a flat in the marina.
As time was getting we decided to head off on our walk. The lady told us that Rottingdean is worth a visit if we are going that far and that there was a nice bakery/cafe for a snack.
The walk is flat and easy and the only problem was that some sections had a lot of pebbles from the beach and chalky mud. I’m guessing thrown over the sea wall at hides. The path was busy with other walkers, joggers, cyclists and dog walkers. Some said hello and others didn’t!
We stopped a few times to look out at some of the birds around the rockpools. Oyster catchers, egrets and also a curlew which is always nice to see.
Eventually we got to Rottingdean and walked uphill into the village where we had a quick walk around. We found the Kipling gardens, once part of The Elms where Rudyard Kipling lived from 1897-1902. After sitting on a bench for a while watching a robin we both agreed that we should look for somewhere to eat before heading back.
The woman we met at the marina earlier mentioned a bakery. We found The Windmill bakery/café on the High Street and went in. It was nice and warm and had a friendly atmosphere. They were short of staff that day but when ordering our food they pointed this out to us and said there may be a slight delay which we thought was good of them. We both ordered a jacket potato topped with chilli con carne served with a side salad. It was very welcome and was washed down with a steaming hot mug of tea.
A couple came in and sat next to our table just as we had finished eating. I decided to change the lens on my camera before leaving and one of the guys said how organised my camera bag was. We mentioned how we have to be organised as we are n our motorhome. It turned out that they had owned one and that got us chatting again about our experiences whilst travelling. I think by the time we left the whole cafe knew our life stories!
As their food order arrived we said our goodbyes and left for the journey back the same way stopping off at Asda in the marina for a few provisions, mainly cheese, nibbles and wine for the evening.
Today was a good day.
1st December-Last day in Brighton
As it was our last day in Brighton we decided to have an easy day mooching around the Lanes so we set off along the sea front heading straight for a coffee shop first.
On the walk in I mentioned to Angela that It would be good to get a haircut and beard trim before we set off overseas. I also said that I would leave it until I returned from our travels to see how long my beard would grow. Anyway, we eventually got into the town center and passed near to Franco’s, a barbers. I have been to them before and was very pleased with the service. I popped my head in and asked if they had any availability and was told to come back at midday
Angela and I found a nearby coffee shop where we had a coffee and an almond croissant and chatted before I had to leave her to finish off and pay!
Angela went off shopping and we met up after I was finished at the barbers.
What was meant to be a relaxing day we still ended up walking six miles.
Tomorrow we are leaving for Folkestone ready for the Eurotunnel on Saturday.
