It was half-term break again and good to know there was no school, nursery or work. Spring sunshine made us all feel in a good mood, The bulbs Mummy had planted were starting to flower.  White fluffy clouds floated in the blue sky. Verity and I woke early in anticipation of what would happen during the break. We went in to wake Mummy and Daddy, and they were already awake discussing what we would do. Daddy said, “How about we go on a spring adventure?’ Verity immediately jumped up and down shouting, “Yeah!”

We quickly had breakfast and Mummy and Daddy discussed what needed to be done to get ready. Luckily, Daddy had been to the supermarket the night before so he could pack food in an esky. He then went to the shed to get out the camping stove and other items we would need. Mummy concentrated on getting the clothing ready. She packed warm clothes but also things for swimming too. So, it was hard to say where we would go for our adventure. I asked Daddy where the adventure would be and he said, “I think we will go to the Jurassic Coast”. He took me to his study to point out on a map where our house was and where the Jurassic Coast was. It looked very far away. Daddy told me he was hoping to be able to show me something special. He wouldn’t tell me what it was as he said it was a surprise.

Mummy made a flask of coffee and a flask of hot chocolate whilst Daddy loaded up the van. After the final bags and items were put in the van, we closed and locked the front door and set on our way. It was always fun going for a drive as we looked out the window and saw different people, shops, buildings we had never seen before and then farms. Depending which way Daddy went we could sometimes see a castle. We felt very lucky to be able to see such things.

It was a long way to get to the Jurassic Coast, so Mummy suggested we stop halfway and grab a bite to eat. Daddy knows his way and suggests what he thought was a “perfect spot”. It was a little bumpy going along a track, but we reached a lighthouse that had a separate house and café. We parked the van and went to look at the lighthouse first. Daddy explained what it was and how it worked. I tried to ask questions as Daddy explained everything very well. Verity and Mummy listened a little bit but were more interested in what we could have to eat at the café. At the café we enjoyed a morning tea set of sandwiches, scones and tea. We decided to sit outside on the benches even though it was fresh. Daddy thought it was a good idea as thenext stretch of journey in the van would be quite long. He said, “I think we should get as much fresh air now before being cooped up in the van!”  The food was tasty and the tea kept us warm. Our teeth did start to chatter, so it was time to return to the van.

Once we got back on to the highway, we could see mostly trees and fields. We would pass through the odd town or two. It did start to feel a very long way. Mummy decided to play some games with us to help pass the time. Eye Spy and Odd One Out filled in some time and then Mummy decided to sing to us. Daddy pulled over at a petrol station to charge the van. We were able to get out and stretched our legs. We had some drink from the flasks that Mummy made and as a treat she gave us one of her favourite cookies. Daddy checked with other drivers the roads we should take. There seemed to be caravans, vans and cars all loaded, it looked like we were all going to the same place.

It wasn’t before long that we started to turn off the highway and down small lanes. Daddy said, “Who will be the first to see the sea?” We then all became keen to see the sea first. I shouted quickly, “I can see the sea”. I pointed to the lefthand side. It seemed to stretch forever. We all started to get very excited as we knew we were nearly there. Daddy pulled into a farm and stopped the van. He got out to speak to the farmer, and he gave Daddy further instructions. We drove through the farm roads until we came to the site, we could all stay. People had already arrived and set up camp. Cars and vans were also following behind us. Daddy tried to pick the best spot for our camp.

Daddy reversed the van so when we opened the back we could see the sea. To the left on the coastline was huge cliffs. They looked a bit scary as they were so huge. To the right, the land seemed gentler and the whites of the waves seem to crash softly on the sand. The air was very fresh but cold and smelt of salt and seaweed. Daddy and Mummy started to set up camp by organizing chairs and the cooking stove. People from the nearby vans and tents came over to chat and said they were arranging a group walk and asked if we would join. Daddy thought this was a good idea and we put on hats and coats and walking shoes to join the group.

We all met at an oak tree and one of the men in the group said he would be the leader as he had done the walk many times before. He explained some safety concerns. Mummy and Daddy nodded their heads. We then set off to walk through the dunes to the sand. We went towards the cliffs, and they seemed to get bigger the further we walked towards them. We then all stopped whilst the leader explained about how old the cliffs were and what we could find. He kept mentioning fossils. I didn’t know what he meant. Daddy tried to explain.