'An Alliance Adventure' - part two

I’d been rushing about quite a lot for the first week and a half and so was looking forward to calming down for the second half of the trip with a slower timetable of events and plans.

The plan now was to stick to the coast towards Dartmoor and finish the bottom loop of the ‘8’ with a trip to the North Devon Coast before heading back to Bristol. I also knew that I had some work to do this week and so welcomed some campsite stays and reliable WIFI, alongside the swims, cycling, running, walking and ball-throwing that is essential to our days.

Charmouth, Beer and Seaton came accompanied by friends Nat, Kim and Jen, and then Katy and Ed – all coming to visit and play with Wanda and I at various points along the coast, usually finishing the day with fish and chips.

At the start of the third week, on Dartmoor – perhaps predictably for the area at the end of October – the weather started to take a turn, signalling the end of summer. Wanda and I spent more time drying off after walks and swims and keeping warm in the comfort of David /Dafyyd – the name I gave to the motorhome – with either work (I’m a digital nomad) or a good book and the prerequisite cup of tea. We (ok, I) also cooked up a couple of cracking meals on the hob which were almost insta-worthy if I do say so myself.

I was planning on staying a couple of nights in Croyde, however the joy of #moho life meant that I could be flexible and when we were there, I promptly changed plan and headed for Ilfracombe instead. As beautiful as Croyde is, I felt that I wanted to be slightly more sheltered from the battering wind and driving rain – the thunderstorms that we’d had on Dartmoor at night were also freaking Wanda out so searching for some home comforts, we headed for Hele Bay and a lovely sheltered campsite.

This then meant that I had a couple of miles to backtrack (along some really quite narrow country lanes… luckily David’s very easy to handle and back up!) to Woolacombe as I’d wanted to do the Woolacombe Dunes Parkrun since hearing about it from my friend Katy – a Parkrun connoisseur! For those that haven’t heard of Parkrun, it’s a free 5km timed run, set up and run by volunteers, that takes place in over a thousand locations worldwide at 9am every Saturday, and they’re always great.

Woolacombe Parkrun was as good as I’d been promised, the weather had improved and the sun even came out. I then took Wanda out for a second loop and dip in the sea. By now pretty hungry and thirsty, on went the kettle and some eggs for an impromptu egg sandwich in the warmth of the van with a beautiful view of the sea before heading back along some great country roads (with the sun out again) towards Bristol and the end of our trip.

#VanLife is a thing for me, #Moholife and the adventures that it enables is also ‘DEFINITELY A THING’. I had a great time and was luckily with the weather for the most part ,but also I was very lucky with, and grateful for, the motorhome. It’s a great alternative to camper vans after (and during) adventures because of the extra comfort, space and facilities that it offers over a campervan. I also love the inclusivity that the ‘van life’ gave me! I was welcomed into other Homies’ lives with a big old friendly wave from the cab – I may also have been slightly overenthusiastic here – a chat by the side of a road and even a lovely large glass of wine thanks to Terry and June in Salcombe Regis.

‘An Alliance Adventure’ was incredible, and I was living in #moholuxury – deciding things day by day, here’s to the next adventure in David/Dafyyd, or maybe one of his MoBros!