Bumbling About in Brighton and South Downs *Ad Gifted

At the beginning of June, me, the husband and hound set off on another trip in an epic Bumble Campervan!

Having visited The Peak District, The Lake District and The New Forest on our previous bumble adventures, we thought it was time we head somewhere a little different so for this trip we ventured to Brighton and the South Downs!

As usual, we had hardly any packing to do as Bumble Campers provide everything you need for the perfect camping trip! On board we had:

- big plates, small plates, bowls, cups ad cutlery for two people

- kettle pan set, chopping board, knife, jug, tin, opener, spoon

- self-lighting camping stove and two gas canisters

- sofa/bed with storage, a table. rear kitchen with sink & tap

- powered coolbox, on-board power, inverter, USB/aux-in stereo

- campsite guide & discounted rates for 100's of campsites

- blackout blinds, camping chairs, safe for cash, passports/wifi

We found the perfect camping spot called Southdown Way Caravan & Camping which gave us the best of both worlds; being close to Brighton but also the South Downs scenery. 

One of the beauties of a Bumble camper is the fact you can drive to your destination and there's minimal unpacking to do. Say farewell to deciphering which tent pole goes where, instead Chris and I were wondering- shall we set the bed up now (which is super easy to do) or enjoy the van as a seating area for a while? 

We opted to set the bed up ASAP as it was lovely just laying and admiring the views. The bed itself comprises of the van table transforming into part of the base of the bed and the futon mattress unstraps and roles into place- simple! Chuck on some snuggly bedding and you're good to go!

Another thing to note is Bumble Campers are very much dog friendly, which means your four legged friend can also come camp with you! Harry pawsitively loves coming away with us, enjoying the different sights and smells and it's an adventure for him as well as us too!

So what next? On our first night it only seemed right to enjoy some beverages that had been nicely cooling on our journey down in the van's fridge, play cards and enjoy the gorgeous sunset.

And to finish off an already perfect evening, we snuggled down in to watch some good old Netflix in the comfort of the van. 

The following morning we woke up bright and early and thoroughly refreshed after a comfortable nights sleep in the van. The next thing to do was sort breakfast!

Equipped with a fridge teamed with bacon and eggs, I got to work making a breakfast of champions ahead of a day out in Brighton. Having a kitchen station at the back of the van is so handy and practical. There's no fishing around on the floor of the tent to find all your cooking equipment.

Once fed, we packed up the van and headed for a day of adventure, stopping off first at the Jack and Jill Windmills in Clayton. 

We'd seen the windmills in the distance from our campsite and were intrigued to go take a look. They were a lovely sight to see and if we'd not had Harry with us we'd have taken a look inside. It's also a great stop off point if you're walking to Devils Dyke- somewhere I'll mention later.

The views from the hill of the windmills was also spectacular. Here we could see the gorgeous landscape of the South Downs.

Next up we headed into Brighton for the day. One thing I will note is check where to park ahead of your visit if you're in a camper. There's plenty of parking but a lot of car parks had a height restriction which limited where we could go and meant we were driving around looking for a parking spot for longer than we'd have liked. Brighton was a cool place to visit and there's so much to do, so much so that I forgot to take photos!!! I'd recommend a trip down The Lanes and a visit on the Pier as just some of the things to do.

The next day we headed to Devils Dyke for a spot of walking and fresh air. It's a real beauty spot where you can admire the Sussex countryside on dedicated trails.

After admiring the stunning views and enjoying a lovely walk, we headed off to find the Ouse Valley Viaduct.

Located between Haywards Heath and Balcombe, Ouse Valley Viaduct offers quite the dramatic view. A structural marvel, the viaduct was originally built in 1838 to carry the London-Brighton line over the River Ouse.

It has been estimated that around 11 million bricks were used in construction. Once a treat known only to locals, it is now an Instagram hotspot! Visit early or later for a quieter experience and bring your camera!

So that was our trip to Brighton and South Downs in a Bumble Camper! It was lovely to explore some of the south of the UK and I'd love to head back that way for more walking in the future. The camper van experience was wonderful as ever and I can't rate Bumble Campers enough. If you haven't tried one yet, do it- you won't be disappointed, especially having used a Bumble Camper since 2017 myself!

Have you been to Brighton and South Downs? Let me know where I need to visit when I next go!

* I was very kindly asked to photograph of the Bumble Camper van in exchange for a gifted trip. I was not asked to write a blog post but I wanted to because I love this brand so much and think you guys will too!

Loving where I live: Cambridgeshire

I'm throwing it back to the old school in today's blog post with a tag! The gorgeous Nicole of Nicole Navigates wrote an awesome post on why she loves her home town of Towcester and has tagged me to do the same. In the meantime if you're ever looking for something to do within the Northamptonshire area, you should definitely check out Nicole's blog as she regularly posts updates on upcoming events as well as amazing reviews on places to go!

So onto where I live: Cambridgeshire...Technically I live in Lincolnshire but it's literally on the border and I spend all of my time in Cambridgeshire other than when I'm at home! I also live in a very remote area which has a shop and that's it so writing specifically about where I live would take all of about two minutes...

So instead I've decided that I'll take you on a whistle stop tour of some of my favourite places and reasons to love living in Cambridgeshire.

Food

There are an array of gorgeous eateries up and down the county of Cambridgeshire. Whether you're after fine dining in Michelin Star Restaurants such as The Chubby Castor, street food such as Steak & Honour or my personal favourite- The Brampton Mill in Brampton.

For me, The Brampton Mill is my favourite spot as it caters for all occasions. From birthdays, to Valentine's day or just a relaxing drink in the bar by the fire or outside next to the river, The Brampton Mill has it all. The food is always spot on and after recently being refurbished, the mill is even more inviting and gorgeous as ever. If you're ever in the Brampton/Huntingdon vicinity I'd highly recommend you pop in for some good food and gorgeous surroundings.

Local Businesses

There are so many amazing local businesses in Cambridgeshire and it's always great to support and shop local. The two main ones that really stand out to me are:

• Bumble Campers
• Wild Frost

I discovered Bumble Campers in 2017 and they are my go-to for fresh fun camper van holidays. I have had the sheer privilege of working with them and discovered so many amazing places through touring the UK in their camper vans.

Based in Peterborough, they have an array of awesome camper vans to choose from that sleep 2-4 people and dogs too! From discovering them I have been able to travel to places such as The Peak District , The New Forest and The Lake District for a wedding! So when I do fancy escaping Cambridgeshire as gorgeous as it is, I really rate doing it with Bumble Campers. Their service is second to none and they make camping even more enjoyable.

Wild Frost is another amazing local business that brings me such joy to visit! Owner Louise has brought her love of vintage cafes and beautiful blooms together to create the most amazing place to enjoy cakes, flowers and coffee in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire. The coffee is always great and I particularly love the bacon and brie panini when I'm there but if you have more of a sweet tooth, you'll definitely love the hot chocolates and sundaes! The bouquets and flower arrangements in the shop are also incredible and you can see the love that goes into them. Louise and her team provide bouquets for all occasions including weddings and they don't disappoint.

With beautiful fresh cakes and flowers, Wild Frost café is an incredibly inviting space both aesthetically and also atmospherically with their warm welcoming staff. Louise has recently converted her second flower shop in Somersham, Cambridgeshire into another café which I definitely plan on going to in the near future. The Somersham shop also hosts some amazing play dates for anyone with small children.

Cambridge

Cambridge city is possibly one of the dreamiest cities in the country and by far the best in the county. Can I do it justice in a paragraph? Absolutely not.

What I will say though is it is a must visit if you're in Cambridgeshire for a visit. From punting to the gorgeous colleges and architecture, food, festivals and more there is so much to do and see. There is always something exciting to do on any given day and having lived in the Cambridgeshire area for 23 years, I can safely say I will never get bored of this city, nor have I scratched the surface with what there is to do when you visit.

Landscape

Cambridgeshire is known for being flat. Flat flat flat flat and that gives for vast stretching fields and beautiful landscapes and stunning fields in the summer.

Being flat for miles and miles is one of the other things I love about the county. It  makes for great running routes if like me you hate hills!

So those are just some of the reasons why I love where I live. It's actually been lovely to think about what I appreciate ad enjoy in my area and I'd recommend everyone doing the same. We may not all live in idyllic looking areas or sought after places. For some people rural life would be their worst nightmare whereas city life could give another person the exact same feeling but it's what we make of our surroundings and what we do in our downtime to make us happy that counts.

Do you love where you live? Thank you Nicole for tagging me to do this post. I really enjoyed it!

Bringing in Autumn with the Bumble Biggie in The New Forest *Ad Gifted

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons. The leaves are turning, there's a chill in the air and it's still a great time to go camping. So when Bumble Campers asked me if I'd like to try out their "Bumble Biggie" I jumped at the chance.

I've worked with Bumble Campers on a gifting basis twice before, using their traditional Bumble Bus 2 sleepers to travel to The Peak District and to The Lake District for a wedding. Both trips were brilliant so I was keen to road test the Bumble Biggie and see how it compared.

It's safe to say this camper is more than comfortable for two people, having a large living area inside equipped with kitchen, area, sink, cupboard storage, shelving and a seating area converting into a full size double bed. You can also stand up fully in this van which is great for moving around and the built in lights are perfect for the darker autumn evenings.

So with the perfect place to call home for the weekend, we set off to The New Forest in search of autumn colours, wild ponies and tasty food.

I got the inspiration to visit The New Forest from travel blogger Jess who had said how beautiful it was and that she'd plan to go back again in autumn sometime. I'm so glad I took her up on her recommendation as the forest did not disappoint when it came to beautiful burnt oranges, red and yellows of the falling leaves and wild mushrooms growing everywhere.

There was also talk of wild ponies being about. Before travelling down I did wonder if we'd be lucky enough to see any roaming about but it turns out there are lots of them and they're dotted around all over. We came across plenty on our walks through the forest as well as driving to our destinations.

You're advised not to feed or go near the ponies but as you can see some of them are rather friendly and inquisitive!

Whilst in the New Forest we visited a lovely village known as Burley. This picturesque village in set in the heart of the new forest with ponies and cattle grazing and roaming freely and its stooped in history also, having a pub dating back to the 16th century which was used by smugglers and highwaymen. It's also where the famous white witch Sybil Leek lived and there's even a gift shop called "Coven of Witches". It's the perfect place to visit around Halloween. Whilst we were there they had lots of Halloween themed stalls, fancy dress competitions and more which definitely helped to get you in the Halloween mood.

We also ventured to another place on Jess' recommendation known as The Pig. This beautiful hotel and restaurant is tucked away in Brokenhurst and is the perfect place to relax, unwind and have impeccable food.

 The dining of The Pig is known as the "Conservatory Restaurant" full of beautiful rustic charm with herbs and plants growing throughout. All of the food is locally sourced, making the menu contemporary and ever changing with whats in season in the area. The Pig has it's own kitchen garden and greenhouse which make up the produce for the days menu and the food is just divine.

They also have a commitment to source their produce from within a 25 mile radius of the restaurant, meaning they support local suppliers and the ingredients are always what is in season at that time.

The food tasted absolutely gorgeous and incredibly fresh and it was well worth a visit.

We had a little wander around the grounds after lunch and I couldn't help but have a little look in the greenhouse! I'd definitely like to visit The Pig again and perhaps even stay. They have spa treatments, accommodation and lovely walks which would make for another lovely weekend away!

So that was our trip to The New Forest! I'm definitely going to hire the Bumble Biggie in future. It's my favourite camper van from Bumble Campers to date and made our camping trip comfortable and cosy for autumn getaway/ The New Forest was also a great place to visit and definitely got us in the autumn mood. I definitely want to return and explore more of the area as it's so lovely and I'd highly recommend it for this time of year!

Have you tried the Bumble Biggie or been to the New Forest?

* I was kindly gifted the use of Bumble Camper's Bumble Biggie for the weekend in exchange for social media coverage.