Over the last May Bank Holiday I think we had a bit of everything - sun, wind and rain but it really didn't matter what the weather was on our recent trip to Camber Sands and Rye.
Nothing like getting windswept on an empty beach to really appreciate the elements and switching off.
In other works - taking a break - taking advantage of the fact that we don't offer classes over the holiday period so we can spend time as a family.
It was lovely to have a change of scene as a family; just hanging out taking in somewhere new together. If nothing else - getting away, exploring somewhere new, means that we don't feel obliged to do any of the house hold chores that inevitably need to be done.
Camber Sands
Having not visited the area before there was an element of the unknown - despite online searches being able to tell you pretty much all you may think you need to know. I'm a believer that researching is good and certainly useful but I also like exploring and seeing where it takes us.
- Not setting the alarm and waking up naturally!
- Chucking the rugby ball around in the waves
- Exploring on E-bikes to find the Rye Fort and the Winchelsea Nature Reserve
- Getting lost in the sand dunes
- Ice cream
- Playing with Missy in the waves
- Artisan beers and coffee at Camber Lounge (great vibe to just hang out)
- Savouring the sunsets
- Exercising along the beach
- Training for our swimrun (the water wasn't very deep which made it a bit tricky)
- Visiting the lighthouse
If you are interested in learning how to kite surf then the long, and wide sandy beaches look ideal and there were plenty of people giving it a go.
One of the reasons we chose Camber Sands was that it had large areas of the beach, and sand dunes that were dog friendly. Over the years Missy has always enjoyed playing around in the sea. As she gets odler and less mobile, she seemed to enjoy playing about in the sea with Max and a rugby ball. (It's the simple things).
There are a selection of shops and cafes to get food and stuff on near the beach, as you'd expect at any seaside location in the UK.
Rye
Hiring the e-bikes meant we could easily get to Rye along the foot / cycle path and then onwards to Winchelsea.
Unsurprisingly this historic town has lots of boutique shops to explore and independent coffee shops to stop and watch the world go by. (Not meaning to be too cliched but that's what we did). Heading out of Rye towards the Quay and on to Winchelsea was gorgeous. Green fields with lambs and cows grazing lead us to Rye Fort before heading towards the coast.
This was where we stumbled across a group of Morris Dancers outside the William the Conqueror pub. It took me back to my primary school days when I did a bit of Morris Dancing myself!
We had planned to head towards Dungeness on the ebikes but were a little saddle sore so headed back to the beach at Camber Sands. Having driven there later in the day, the ride would have certainly been less scenic for us - so we probably made the right decision.
I'd like to think we try to practice what like to share with our Life Tonics; many of which were included over the weekend
- Having long lie ins - reaping the benefit of plenty of sleep
- Digital Detox - it's hard to be on the phone in water
- Spending 20 minutes outside every day
- Physical benefits of cold water
- Exercising for at least 20 minutes
- The benefits of savouring
- Mental health benefits of cold water
- Keep learning (or exploring) - one of the pillars of wellbeing
