03 Sep Take me to the Beach

Last summer I took a solo trip to Tenby. I spent three glorious days not talking to anyone other than people in shops. I woke up to silence, everything I ate I did not have to share with my kids I listened to songs with swears in it loud, it was tremendous.

Do not get me wrong my children are my world. I love them more than I thought I would ever love anything in my life but I also love me and me sometimes needs a break. I was also having a real shit time and needed to have nothing but me and my thoughts and time.

I fell in love with solo holidaying. I had not even been on a proper girls’ holiday let alone a solo holiday. I was either with my parents or my husband and then our kids. I couldn’t recall a time I had even 48 hours by myself so I chucked some shit into my car and drove listening to 90’s grunge all the way there and set up camp.

Man, did I do me some thinking. I had stuff come to the forefront of my brain I did not even realise was a problem. I wrote for hours and hours. I got the guy in the donut stall to make me just one hot, sugary donut. I drank a lot of Pimm’s, sat in the garden reading my book, sat on the beach reading my book and I felt lighter than I had in months.

I made a promise that I would solo adventure at least once a year. It is so important to remember who you are – Mufusa told us so in the Lion King. I love being a mum but I also love being Nicki and I can be both of those people.

After covid hit and I realised I could not even take a trip to Barry Island for months let alone anywhere else I yearned for more adventures. I googled road trips, surf holidays, yoga breaks, doing an “Eat.Pray. Love” escape bloody anything. Then I took a breath and thought where do I feel most at peace? The answer is always on the beach. That is when the idea to road trip around to different beaches hit me. I wish I could include Scotland and Ireland but right now I have £27 in my bank until 25^th September so I have to kind of scale it down and I put them in clumps so I can hit a few beaches in one trip.

Here is where I am going

A – Aberfforest, Newport Wales

B – Blackpool Sands, Dartmouth

C -Caswell Bay, Gower Peninsular

D – Durdle Door, Dorset

E – Elberry Cove, Devon

F – Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire

G – Goodrington Beach, Devon

H – Housel Bay, Lizard Peninsular Cornwall

I – Ilfracombe, Devon

J – Jersey Marine East, Swansea

K – Kynance Cove, Lizard Cornwall

L – Llanddona, Anglesey

M – Mwnt, Ceredigion

N – Newborough Beach, Anglesey

O – Oxwich Bay, Gower Peninsular

P – Polly Joke Beach, Newquay

Q – New Quay, North Beach, Ceredigion (Closest I could get to a Q)

R – Rhossili Bay, Gower Peninsular

S – Saunton Sands, Devon

T – Three cliffs Bay, Gower Peninsula

U – Upton Towans Beach, St. Ives

V – Vault Beach, Cornwall

W – West Bay, Dorset

X – Westward Ho! Devon (X beaches do not exist so I chose this as it has an exclamation mark in its name)

Y – Ynyslas, Ceredigion

Z – Zennor Head, Cornwall

I have until December 31^st, 2021 to complete this so plenty of time. I cannot wait to see new places. Drink gins with the locals, rate the chips and ice creams but mostly I am just really looking forward to hanging out with me. I am the best company I will ever need.

Adventure is out there, go and find it.