This trip started in Essex, where I collected the van I'd hired for the weekend. I drove it home the night before, packed up my gear (and you need a lot of gear), then hit the road the next morning.
My itinerary went pretty much to plan. I headed to Weston-super-Mare and rocked up on South Beach. I skated at Bump Roller Disco in Bristol and didn't chicken out of wild camping on Queen Square, right in the heart of the city. The next morning, I set off to Newport, Wales and had breakfast with my son and a nice hot shower.
From Newport, I drove to Tamworth in the Midlands for Rhythm Retreat, the annual roller skating and camping festival, and had an incredible night. With Birmingham being just 20-minutes away, before returning the van on Sunday morning, I woke my sister and brother-in-law, because as bus drivers, I knew they'd love seeing it. Then I took the a leisurely drive back to London, feeling surprisingly chilled and carrying a renewed sense of adventure.
I can recommend it.
Check out Roots & Rhythm in the Wild on Substack to read about how it changed my life.