NIC WILLIAMS
NIC WILLIAMS
2011
At the end of week 2 I’d come back from the Essex coast a day early as I just couldn’t find a camp site that was open. The TomTom has a great feature to do a Google search and find local sites but it doesn’t tell you if they are open or not. I’d learned my lesson and was going to make sure of it for week 3.
Having lost my Mum last year and gone through the process of doing probate practically single handedly (my brother put in a day), I’m still getting loads of paperwork to fill in. This time it was a tax return for my Mum as well as the process of collecting money from all the people who had it. Another couple of days used to do it and I’m still going.
To break that up I headed back for the series of caches I chose to put off on Monday last week. It was advertised as a really nice walk and 9.3 miles long. The first half was lovely, the second half not so. It took me to some of the grim footpaths around Marks Tey, somewhere I can safely say I never want to live in my life. If you live there I’m sure it has it’s nice spots, I’m just not coming looking for them.
Helena jetted off to the US on Saturday and was allowed in again. If you didn’t know she was refused entry last year and sent back on the very next plane, we still have no idea why. I used this as an opportunity to take off in Vern to the East Sussex coast over the weekend. This time I was prepared with a campsite, Kloofs near Bexhill. Saturday I did a lovely series of caches and walked a further 7 miles including one cache where I had to walk out onto a disused railway bridge lacking a deck, then dangle down over a river to grab a cache. I felt a bit stupid but I got it. I celebrated with a pint as the next cache was by a lovely pub and the sunshine was out, that’ll be a Peroni then.
The TomTom took me to Kloof’s down possibly the most narrow road ever. I did wonder if I was even going to find a site. Eventually I did and it turned out to be a bit of an odd experience. I’m a camper at heart and truly hate caravans with a passion. Vern is OK as he’s metal and not white and a campervan. Motorhomes are a different story, they’re just caravans with a motor, as good as a plastic shed. Kloof’s was motorhome hell, loads of them interspersed with proper plastic sheds. Well I was here for a night but that was going to be it. I learned I like camp sites that are open, where you can sling up a tent where ever you want, not sites where every pitch is separated by a small hedge, a bit of fence and everything has an electric hookup, that’s certainly not camping in my book. Kloof’s therefore will never be revisited especially at £23 a night, what a rip off.
So I found a new site to move to before doing another long walk along the Bexhill seafront. I like Bexhill, a decent sort of british seaside town without all the tat.
Sunday night I moved to the Bay View Campsite on the outskirts of Eastbourne. The staff were really nice, there was even someone in a tent. I got to choose my pitch, I didn’t have to have an electric hookup, it was by the beach. Perfect. OK there were some motorhomes and a caravan or two but it just felt right.
The lovely lady on reception told me I could walk 10 mins down the coast to the marina, she even gave me a leaflet. I pottered down and was amazed to find Sovereign Harbour, the most huge harbour and property development site. I didn’t know we did this in the UK. Amazing. And there was even a couple of caches.
I cooked myself a lovely Spanish tortilla with BBQ minty lamb, drank too much and slept really well with the sound of lapping waves. Oh and I even watched Silent Witness on my laptop after getting my Freeview tuner working on my MacBook, brilliant.
Monday was more caching, this time along the Eastbourne waterfront. I started out in a thick sea mist but by the time I had reached the Beachy Head end of town it had burnt off. Another lovely walk, 6.6 miles, and some more caches taking me over the 1400 found mark. The sun was lovely and the walk seemed short.
I headed home knowing I had walked over 31 miles this week without my trip around the Harbour, not a bad week. The weather was really kind, I’m loving this time off.
Next week should be great, some prep, some more paperwork but then I’m off to the US to meet Helena and stay with my friend Brooke in Washington DC. Bring it on.
Week 3, East Sussex and Paperwork
21/03/2011
A week of caching in East Sussex in the sun and paperwork :-(