Swapping the Chiltern Hills for California’s Central Coast

A Brits Eye View of adventures in the USA

A Pacific Sunset at our local beach

My Just Adventure webpage has been pretty dormant lately, and it's pretty hard to lead walks in the Chilterns when I’m in California. After a few months of not knowing what was going on and awaiting the ever-elusive posting notice, it finally came through in September. Sorting the adventure gear out, getting all the British mud and grime off boots, bikes, and wetsuits (and sorting the house) we set off for our three-year adventure in California in November.  And now we are here, an outdoor-loving British family, wide-eyed and ready to explore in the rugged beauty of California's Central Coast.

For those new to Just Adventure, I'm Emily, a military spouse of many years; this is our 8th posting in 14 years! In the UK, I’m a qualified hiking leader and often led groups of female military spouses on walks in the beautiful Chiltern Hills (where the RAF HQ and UK Space Command HQ).

My passion? Wild swimming - I LOVE cold water, hiking, mountain biking.  Given the chance, I’ll throw myself at most soft adventure activities - being outdoors and challening myself is good for the soul! I’d recently started indoor climbing and need to find a way of doing more of this. 

As soon as we arrived, we discovered the Central Coast's dramatic beaches, and the base we posted to has some incredible beaches that only those with base access can get to. But alas, no swimming. It's a world away from the Thames, where the worst thing might get you in a biting midges or a branch you can’t spot in the murk! Here, signs warn of Great Whites and strong currents. The waves of the Pacific exhilarates and humbles.  It is just as frigging cold, though, as my feet will attest! 

The first few months have been a whirlwind of admin and exploring. We’ve found some incredible marine wildlife at Morro Bay and Monterey Bay, discovered the small towns and cities from here to Santa Barbara and to Paso Robles, hiked some beautiful trails, spent a weekend in Las Vegas and bought a Jeep for that authentic American adventure!

Sadly, my hiking leader qualification isn’t recognised here, so I’ve decided to pivot my website and blog about our adventures in the USA! Join me as I navigate my way around the great outdoors of California and beyond. Welcome to the new look of Just Adventure…