It's Sunday 27th December and I'm heading back to the coast to meet up with more awesome vangirls... we are embarking on a 'F'Off 2020' road trip, chasing the surf and looking for local adventures.
It was quite late by the time I hit Aveton Gifford and the tide was in, so after attempting to drive the tidal road and realising there was no road, I parked up for the night in the village. A lovely peaceful spot, where all I could hear as I drifted off to sleep was the lapping water behind me as the estuary washed in and out with the tide. The wind picked up in the night, and the bushes tickled the van's backdoor, sounding like a wild cat scratching at the door, which did make me sit up with a start; never a good plan in a van with a lowish roof over your bed!
At 7am, after a quick leg stretch, the dogs and I bundled back in the van and attempted the tidal road again... More success this time, with just a quick stop to allow the swans to cross the road, and then off we headed to Bigbury-On-Sea.
I love Bigbury... there's nothing more to be said! Ok, there is lots to be said. It's an amazing place; the van's back doors overhang the cliff with views of a beautiful beach and fabulous coast line, not to mention the stunning presence of Burgh Island floating at the end of a sandy drawbridge, which lowers at low tide.
I arrived to find Char already parked up, and with the kettle on, and George turned up minutes later... yippee; let the adventures begin.
The surf report was looking mighty fine and after too much tea and cake, we struggled in to our wetsuits and headed in to the sea to enjoy great sets and lovely clean waves. After an hour or so of being battered by the sea, we fought our way out past the seaweed, grabbing some expensive chips from the cafe (which the dog stole whilst I had my back turned, along with a whole tray of posh biscuits!) and chilled by the wood burner chatting about adventures to come as the sun set over Burgh Island.
The next morning the surf was looking mighty fine, so George and I hopped on in leaving a sleeping Char snoring in her van. I've discovered I have no upper body strength anymore and need to do some exercise to address this issue... or just float around on the waves; which to be honest, suits me fine! After a lovely walk on the beach, with the dogs living their best lives rolling in the sand and paddling in the lapping water, we packed up to head to the North Cornwall coast, as apparently the weather was looking mighty fine there... 15minutes in to our drive, the heavens opened, the rain and sleet prevailed and we arrived in a VERY wet and windy Perranporth just before sunset. You've got to love the weather reports; clearly they just stick a finger in the air and make it up!
Despite the brewing storm, the park-up proved to be stunning; with views over the beach from our cliff top perch. I did wonder if we'd make it through the night, or be blown off the cliffs in the gales, but despite a bit of rocking we survived. The morning brought more wind and rain but it cleared to allow for a little doggy walk and the chance to explore some of the awesome caves on this coastline. We tried to encourage Char to climb up in to a little pixie hole in the cliff, but after getting stuck 3ft off the ground (I know... it was shocking!), we accepted defeat and returned to the vans for a cuppa and movie. I always feel that there's something really naughty about lying in your van watching a movie in the daytime; I have no idea why, but it always makes me chuckle about how naughty I'm being!!!
After some naughty movies (not those kind of movies!) George and I hit the sea for an early evening play in the waves on my new Hotsurf 69 belly board... how much fun are those bad boys?! No trying to stand up and getting pummeled by the sea... but still rather tricky to master as they're not buoyant like a body board.
Dinner time saw Kerry arrive and plans were made for the next stage of our road trip. After more tea, we decided this was such an awesome park-up we should just stay put! An early night was deemed appropriate by all, and after a lovely non rocking night, we awoke to a dry and crisp day, and headed out for a walk along the 3 mile long stretch of soft sand, exploring the caves along the way. The waves were looking big, so we decided to head back to the vans for a chill - I fell asleep to be rudely awoken by Char informing me we were moving out...Thank goodness I can go from deep sleep to alert and ready to rock and roll in minutes!
The drive across to our New Year's Eve park up was stunning as we bimbled along in convoy up and down the windy Cornish lanes, passing great surf beaches and quiet coves. After a slight detour (cough cough - George was navigating btw!), we arrived in Polzeath to a near deserted beach park-up, where only one other van was parked up. I can't believe I've never been here before; what a beautiful spot. You literally park on the beach... I know; it's awesome! After a little van Tetris, we assembled to admire the view and set up 'camp' for the night. The wood burner was removed from the van, chairs were dug out of van garages, music was selected, nibbles prepared and prosecco was popped. New Year celebrations were underway...
Stay tuned for 'Vangirl Adventures - Part 3... New Year Celebrations!' coming soon...
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