Kickscoot The Coast: Capel-le-ferne - Littlestone

Capel-le-ferne to Littlestone

Whoever thought it could be so difficult to get from Capel-le-ferne to Folkstone seafront! I started by following the cycle route 2 sign which took me down a tiny road with stunning views but at the end of that road there were no more signs! 

It took the best part of an hour to find my way down to the harbour, I must find a good handlebar mount for my phone so I don't have to keep stopping to check the map.

Eventually I did make it back to the coast and had a blissful couple of miles of coastal path before having to negotiate roads again in Hythe. Again the cycle route signs failed me, but I knew that route 2 at this point was going to go inland and bypass Dymchurch which I didn't want to do anyway, so after a brief stint by the canal I braved the footpath on the main road to Dymchurch, it was quite overgrown and I got pretty battered!

Once I found an entrance up on to the coastal walk outside of Dymchurch it was bliss! Wide flat paths, no cars, buses or branches and gorgeous sea views! By this point I could see my battery was running low so I didn't stop to take many photos. My battery gave out towards the end of this lovely path in Littlestone.

I had a stunning view while I ate my lunch and could see the lighthouses and power station tantalisingly close, but the map said that was another 5 miles away and I didn't want to push myself too much trying to get there, so next time...

If you would like to you can sponsor me here.

Here are the links to the previous sections of this trek;
Whitstable - Broadstairs
Broadstairs - Walmer
Walmer - Capel-le-ferne

Minimalism with Children

I really appreciate the idea of minimalism. Less stuff to organise, clean, tidy, look after. I have spent the last few years trying to de clutter as best I can with minimal energy and a young family under foot. And I have found that the freer from stuff I have become the more relaxed and calmer I feel. A simple life truly is a better one. In fact this is my second post on this subject find the beginning of this journey here.

But minimalism with 2 small children and a husband who doesn't "get it" is tough. Just 3 weeks ago my girls each had a birthday and this year they had a massive party, 48 guests in total. And of course one of the things they were looking forward to most was all the "stuff" they would get from the party. I've read since about present less parties, which in hindsight would have been a good idea, though then would they have been disappointed? Actually I don't even need to ask that question, I know hands down they would have been seriously disappointed...

Anyway, so that was 3 weeks ago. My kids have never been good at keeping things tidy, have never gotten the hang of putting one thing away before getting the next thing out... So I feel like I have spent the last 3 weeks constantly tidying "stuff" and not being able to get on top of it. Result= one tired stressed very fed up and short fused mum.

So the answer? Well actually I haven't worked that out yet. I did get both girls to go trough their rooms and discard into a box anything they no longer wanted to keep, which worked surprisingly well, though a week after that and both rooms are a mess again with no sign of a tidy future.

We are currently in the process of having a new bathroom fitted and yesterday afternoon as the suite was being unboxed the kids (as usual) were right there begging for the boxes. They love playing with boxes and have been known to spend hours decorating playing and turning them into things. Personally I love this type of play, it involves so much imagination and working together and they are always so excited and so happy (their faces literally light up), I can genuinely say thy enjoy this more than any toy from a shop.

However they don't seem to realise this and every time I visit a shop with them they spend the entire time asking how much certain toys are (if they happen to have a few pennies with them), or the dreaded "can I?" not just once but over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. It reaches the point when I want to abandon the shopping trip and never take them to a shop again!

Yesterday evening over dinner I was talking about their love of boxes and flippantly suggested we replaced 90% of their toys with art/craft supplies and boxes, My youngest (6) looked terrified and genuinely upset, however my eldest (8) looked interested and has requested I provide her with more boxes next weekend so that she can get rid of all of her things. I will believe it when I see it. Generally she is unsure about making big decisions, or even small ones but we will tread gently and see how it goes.

In the past I have found the energy (and the end of my fuse) and packed up most of their toys and put them in the loft and every time this has gone down well, they've been thrilled with having tidy, clear, minimal bedrooms and actually haven't missed the items missing. Perhaps I should try that approach again and see how it goes?

Kickscoot the Coast: Walmer - Capel-le-ferne

Walmer to Capel-le-ferne.

Well as you may have noticed I didn't quite make it to Folkstone!

That was the most physically, mechanically and mentally challenging route so far. Very hilly. Not well signposted.

Coming out of Kingsdown I asked a local which way the cycle route went as there were no signs, he told me which way it went, then gave me a nicer route to take along the cliffs, which was great, completely off road and some nice coastal views.

Next step was getting into Dover which I had been worried about, but actually this proved fairly straight forward too, well signposted choice of cycle routes. However getting out of Dover again proved difficult. All the signage stopped, looking at the map was telling me where the path should go, but I couldn't find it.

I ended up on a national trust coastal path up over the cliffs out of Dover. Which gave fabulous views, but was unrideable. Also at the far end of this path where I found the cycle path again (hoorah), there was a swing gate. No way could the scooter get through. I stood for quite a while on this deserted path wondering how best to proceed. I couldn't bear the thought of going back the way I had just come so I decided to find some super strength and lift the scooter over the fence and back onto the cycle path!

Next followed lots of very bumpy off road path ways, and a few more hills for good measure.

By this point I was pretty knackered from all the walking up hills and bumpy path ways and the scooters battery was reading empty so sadly I had to stop with Folkstone in sight.

There were points on today's ride that made me wonder if I am completely crazy for undertaking this trek. But also some fabulous views amongst the mist which is ever present on this part of the coast.

It will be a few weeks before I can try the next section due to birthdays and new bathrooms. I haven't been completely put off today just a little disheartened.

If you would like to you can sponsor me here.

Here are the links to the previous sections of this trek;

Whitstable - Broadstairs
Broadstairs - Walmer

ME Awareness 2017

It is that time of year again, ME Awareness week. In previous years I have been a princess, a superhero, "gone blue", and donated various handmade items to auctions and raffles. This year I am not doing any specific fundraising, apart from my on going "Kickscoot the coast".

This year I would like to talk to you about hope and improvement.

I am a great believer that when there is hope there is a way and that it is so important for those suffering with ME and their carers to always have hope and never to give up.

If you or your loved one has ME you have to be in it for the long haul. There is no quick fix. It is tough. It is brutal. Basically it sucks big time. But it is also a journey filled with ups and downs, highs and lows. Sometimes the downs feel bottomless and the highs short lived, but you must never give up.

I am lucky to find myself in a fairly good patch at the moment. Recently I have been looking back over the last day or week thinking I couldn't have done that a year ago. Which is such a tremendous boost!
I know this is a high and unlikely to be maintainable but I shall enjoy it while it lasts (and be thoroughly miserable when it ends!).

But even through the regular highs and lows I can see an ongoing improvement. The lows aren't as low or don't last as long, the highs are higher and higher. I wouldn't go as far to say an end is in sight, but improvement is there all the same.

The specialist I saw when I was first diagnosed (some 16 years ago) used to ask me to measure my health in %, 0 being bed bound and 100 being fit and able to work full time. I would say at the beginning of this relapse (4years ago) I was down as low as 20%, now in this particular high I think I'm around 70%. Which, written down like that is huge improvement!

Kickscoot The Coast Broadstairs - Deal

After my fabulous first scoot out I thought right so next time I will easily get from Broadstairs to Folkstone, no problem. I am very glad I didn't set out today with that aim in mind!

I haven't been feeling great the last week and we went for a big family day out yesterday to Rochester sweeps festival, so I can safely say I am not on top form today but I wanted to make the most of the bank holiday weekend. So I decided to half my expectations, Broadstairs to Deal it is.

I am so glad I did as it turned out to be quite a trek. Parts of the journey were beautiful, but a lot of it felt far from the coast and involved a lot of roads or cycle paths next to large roads.

I covered just 16miles today, but it seemed to use just as much battery on the scooter. Lots of full power against the wind riding, far less coasting along the beach path. I can safely say that I am just as exhausted as after last time, though I was pretty knackered to start with!

I had made a few adjustments for this part of the journey. I had my fabulous hi vis vest, which I was very pleased to be wearing with the number of times I found myself on a road! I also had some foot supports as I suffered with very sore feet after last time, we'll see tomorrow if they helped.

No one spoke to me on this stretch. The closest to conversation I came was a small boy around 3years old asking his nan "Why is that man wearing a builders jacket?"... (I was waiting for him to finish climbing on a sculpture so I could photograph it).

I was quite disappointed riding into Sandwich seeing the signs for a food festival happening next weekend. However there did seem to be a festival happening as I went through (see photos).

Kickscoot the coast - Whitstable to Broadstairs

I have always thought how wonderful it would be to walk the coastline from my home county of Kent all the way to Cornwall.

But  as I suffer from M.E. and have a young family this isn't the easiest of tasks to undertake. So instead of walking I will be kickscooting and breaking it down into segments. 
This is my kick scooter.

Each segment will be around 25 miles or so. I cannot manage consecutive days of scooting as even though the scooter is electric it still takes quite a toll on the body. I plan to cover the Kent coast over a number of days out being dropped where I finished last time and picked up once I have travelled as far as I can manage. Once we get beyond being able to travel home I will have to arrange family trips to fit in with school holidays and my husband's work commitments, so do bear with me, this may take some time!

It will be an epic adventure, but I cannot wait to see every inch of that coastline!

All money raised will go to the ME Association, you can sponsor me here.


Whitstable to Broadstairs.

This was the first stint of my epic adventure and my first ride out to see what both me and my machine could manage! I had estimated that the scooter would probably get me to Margate but that I would be happy to get as far as Minnis Bay. So I am ecstatic to have made it all the way to Broadstairs!!!

26 miles in around 3 hours.

I followed the Viking coastal path, which I didn't even know was a thing until I got to Reculver (yes I know I really should have done my homework), it was very useful to have signs to follow for the most part, though there are a few missing along the way at rather crucial points.

I managed to scoot from Whitstable as far as the bandstand in Herne Bay before I put my feet on the floor at which point I nearly fell over as I hadn't realised my legs had gone numb! Also it was freezing and I was wishing I had opted for a coat and boots, but I decided to continue.

When I got to Reculver I thought it would be a good opportunity to use the toilets so I  I locked my scooter up then instantly put my hands to my pockets and realised I hadn't bought my keys! Thankfully a quick phone call to my husband and a 15min warm up with a hot cup of tea in the cafe and my keys were delivered and I could be on my way once more.

I met some characters along the way and had some interesting discussions. I'm gaining well practised responses to the most common questions I get when out riding now.

Today has taught me few things about how to proceed with this adventure. And it has also got me itching to do the next stint of the journey!!!