Muddy Marge

 Lyme Regis

This morning Marge decided to play up, taking three attempts to start. It looked like we might be in for another eventful day. All those thousands of miles spent travelling around France, Spain, Italy and Portugal with barely a murmur from Marge, then take her on a staycation, and well what can we say.

After checking the tide times for Poole harbour, and seeing it was a spring tide so it would be no good for us to go out kayaking this morning, we decided to set off further west. As we passed through Wareham, we decided to stop at Kombi Kampers as they specialise in V.W.'s. Yes, they could accommodate Marge for a few days and sort out her turbo, and also take a look at her bodywork and sort that out to. Age comes to us all Marge.

After crossing everything, we took Marge over the Dorset hills and all went well, until, Marge decided to pull her usual stunt. Luckily, we managed to get off to the side of the dual carriageway, turn the ignition on and straight back on, and resume our journey.

Our lunchtime stop was picturesque West Bay, where the television programme Broadchurch was filmed. 

We couldn't resist the enticing smell of Cornish pasties, buying a couple and sitting on the shingle beach in the spring sunshine to eat them whilst monitoring the circling seagulls.

Further down the beach a seal sunbathed, flicking its head up every time the sea water splashed its face. It was more than happy to lay there and be photographed, too happy in fact, not even the dogs barking and scampering nearby caused it any alarm. We wondered if it may have been unwell. At the entrance to the harbour a sailing boat had run aground on the sand bar. The three crew and their dog were all sat at the bow end, but their combined weight could not stop the stern from rising up and down hitting the sand bar with a worryingly loud bang. The skipper of the yacht consoled himself with a bottle of beer, all they could do was sit it out until the tide turned. 

West Bay is on the south west coast path. Angela is reading a book at the moment called 'The Salt Path' which is about this very path. She walked the section from Minehead to Croyde bay when she was nineteen, now at sixty-one she found the steep ascent from the beach a little challenging. However, she would not be beaten, and enjoyed the view back over the village and across the sea blue to the horizon.

The last leg of today's journey was going to be a test for Marge, but we're pleased to say she coped well and happily rested with her fellow vans whilst we took a walk down to the sea front, stopping by the old hotel that years ago John tried to save from being turned into apartments, sadly that is exactly what has happened.

Lyme Regis is known as the Pearl of Dorset. It forms part of the Jurassic coast and hosts a fantastic coastline as well as interesting architecture. 

Back at Marge, we wanted to check with our fellow nomads if they were staying overnight, as the car park sign stated parking was free for all vehicles, but overnight sleeping was not allowed. Knocking on the door of a nearby van, the woman who greeted Angela was a little nervy and suspicious. She made a point of saying the couple in the van next to her were friends. She's probably even more worried now we've moved Marge in right next to them! 

Tomorrow our adventure continues. A few days ago, we thought about knocking this trip on the head, but it is said that 'the greatest danger in life is not to take the adventure', so Devon here we come.