Motorhoming in England | Discovering East Sussex / Kent’s Coastal Beauty
If you can catch Kent & East Sussex’s ‘mother nature’ in a kind mood, you’ll be provided with some of England’s most idyllic of scenery. From the open heathlands of the Ashdown Forest to the dunes at Camber Sands you’ll find plenty to explore… Just don’t forget a cream tea in one of it’s most picturesque villages at Mayfield…
For those that have never trodden a step inside this region… you’d be forgiven for thinking it was an area famous just for the Norman Conquest & Battle of Hastings…. but explore a little further into East Sussex and you’ll find it’s been the home of many a famous author (think Kipling, AA Milne and Arthur Conan Doyle). Alongside more than its fair share of fairytale castles and more which await you in and around East Sussex.
But creep a little further east and you’ll delve into Kent and its collection of castles, historic royal residences and famous cities/towns including Canterbury or Royal Tunbridge Wells.
So what did we find in East Sussex / Kent
Most regular readers will know just how much we love combining a coastal road trip with an opportunity to find a dog walk or two…. So with Kent & East Sussex’s ‘mother nature’ in a kind mood, we headed eastwards to Rye and it’s epic sand dune paradise at Camber Sands. Before returning westwards to our campsite near Eastbourne.
It really has been a few days of calm seas, blue sky and acres of East Sussex’s coastal cliffs, caves and coastal shores to explore with our young Labrador (Tizzy). Just perfect for young adventurers (both the two legged and four legged variety!)
And with over 200 seaside pitches… you could do far worse than base yourself in the ‘Camping and Caravanning Club’s‘ grassy campsite near Norman’s Bay. Quiet, but full of other families… it’s got a relaxed atmosphere that makes it the perfect place to return to after yet another seaside adventure with our four legged friend!
For those that will have seen our French BattleField History Trips, Glacial Geography lessons in Austria or even our outdoor adventure antics in Norway’s adventure capital at Voss…. you’ll know that we encourage our girls to embrace a little road schooling adventure.
In fact, we’ve even helped write an article for the ‘Wales Online’ newspaper about ‘RoadSchooling our Children across Europe’….(see here) …. but did you know that East Sussex and Kent lay claim to some of England’s finest road schooling opportunities?
There’s plenty for all ages to enjoy…. from kite surfing on Camber Sands to the high ropes adventures at Go Ape at Bedgebury Forest…. but for those that want to combine a little learning… you can tread in Winnie the Pooh’s footsteps when visiting the ‘Hundred Acre Wood’ in the Ashdown Forest… or recounter Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales inside the historic city walls… or even grab a geography lesson at Beachy Head like us.
Or even solve a murder mystery tour in Crowborough…. one Arthus Conan Doyle might struggle to solve (see here)…. Or explore a real ‘Tudor Palace’ near Tonbridge at Penshurst Palace (see here)
But it doesn’t have to cost a small fortune, if like us you a family to consider, here are ‘14 ideas for a free weekend‘ in and around Kent/ East Sussex (see here)
Look at those happy smiling faces, do you think we enjoyed it!!!
From the very moment we turned down the twisting narrow roads of the Ashdown Forest towards the south coast we were hooked…. Having enjoyed seeing the UK’s coastline from a surfboard, a climbing harness and by foot… we’ve really fallen in love with this laid back part of England’s spectacular coastline. Perhaps even more so now we’ve clambered along it’s beautiful cliffs, jumped off precipitous sand dunes or even got friendly with its local jellyfish!!
Fancy a different perspective?
Camber Sands is just one of a host of bays/coves that you can discover by taking one of the coastal footpaths in this area ( either the South Downs Coastal Path (see here) or the south eastern corner of the England Coast Route (see here)… For us, it more than matches the beauty you’ll find at Aberreidy or Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire.….But if you’re interested in hearing more about Pembrokeshire’s award winning beaches, then you might enjoy this blog article here.
For us as parents, our European Roadtrip has been about celebrating what’s available across Europe… Not just learning about it in a book but actually experiencing it at first hand… Just imagine the smell of sea salt in your nostrils as the sea kelp catches your leg as you stroll through some of England’s most glorious coastal gems.
Put simply, there’s no better way to see this special part of the UK than on foot. A coastal path stroll really offers a unique experience to discover the beautiful hidden coves and little islands around East Sussex and Kent’s rugged coastline. But if you’d rather the open heathland then you should look no further than a stroll out into the vast open spaces around ‘Black Boys’ in the forest… you might even manage a quick ice cream to take with you!
For us, it’s been a blissful few days to enjoy time together with the girl’s grandparents after a busy few weeks on the road.
If you’re looking for more, why not try one of these:-
- Brittany Coastline, France – click here
- Pembrokeshire Coastline, Wales – click here
- Syracuse, Sicily – click here
- Charente-Maritime Coastline, France – click here
- Argyll Coastline, Scotland – click here
- Algarve Coastline, Portugal – click here
- Northumberland Coastline, England – click here
- Korcula Island, Croatia – click here
Normans Bay
so where did we park the bus for the night?
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