Life in the SLOW LANE

Join Chris Morley as she explores Devon in a VW campervan

Chugging up a high-hedged lane, a view opens up at the top of the hill. From my lofty vantage point above the coastal towns of Lynmouth and Lynton, an area dubbed Exmoor's Little Switzerland, I pull over and wind down the window to take in the scene: a colour-saturated landscape of wooded green valleys and steel-blue sea that fades to a shimmering horizon. I breathe in the salt-infused air and feel a bubble of excitement for the days ahead.

Mindful motoring

Campervanning is my happy place. It's not just the sense of adventure that comes with packing up and heading to wherever the fancy takes me at a budget-friendly price - but the slowing down. Think: top speed, 60mph. My mind shifts to a lower gear and tunes in to what's around me.

I'm travelling a stretch of north Devon coast that's famous for dunebacked surfing beaches, thatched villages and wind-blasted cliffs. It's part of the fabled A39 Atlantic Way, which starts in Somerset and ends in Cornwall, with Devon as the filling in the scenic sandwich. It's full of hills, twists and turns, but is wide enough to avoid any sweaty-palmed moments - like reversing half a mile along a single-track road to avoid an oncoming tractor.

Chocolate-box charm

I'm staying at Lynmouth Holiday Resort (coastandcountryparks.co.uk). It's a dog-friendly campsite with sublime views across the Bristol Channel (at night you can see Swansea's twinkling lights), and a welcoming pub next door.