As the nights are growing shorter and the days are getting longer, all we can think about here at Wombat Leather HQ is being outdoors. In fact, if we’re really honest, all we can think about is escaping the humdrum of the city, for an adventure in the wilderness. After all aren’t the summer months when we explorers are meant to spring into action.
Our weekends and holidays are sacred, they’re little moments where our yearning for adventure is allowed to take charge. They’re those snippets of times where we can forget about our nine-to-fives and the rat race and embark on escapades that’ll turn into the memories that keep us warm in winter!
Exploring the British Coast
Whilst Wombat Leather may take its inspiration from the leather goods of Australia, that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate the vast beauty of Britain- in fact, it’s where we’re planning our first trip of summer. Who needs to get on a plane or a boat, when we’re lucky to have miles of beautiful coastland on our doorstep.
This time we’re heading off to the Jurassic Coast, that little section of the south of England that holds its own against Devon and Cornwall. It’s the perfect place to indulge in childlike adventures, after all there’s nothing more tantalising than an invigorating swim in the freezing cold sea, squealing for joy as you run up the beach to retrieve your clothes and hop yourself warm. Grabbing your bag and getting changed under the covers of the sand dunes, before wrapping up together underneath a warm wool blanket, as you cook sausages on a driftwood fire. Or perhaps you prefer a ramble along the magnificent rolling clifftops and watching the waves crash onto the rocks beneath you, or chasing a kite along the horizon of the sea. Not knowing where a day at the coast is going to take you, is all part of the fun.
Perhaps the brave amongst you will camp amongst the sand dunes, but we fancy a shepherd’s hut tucked back from the full fury of the sea’s wind, or maybe even a cottage where we can walk to the fish and chip shop!
What Travel Bags We’re Taking
As we’ve said, the best thing about living in the UK, whichever direction you head in, sooner or later you’ll hit the sea, one of the glorious perks of living on an island- you can jump on a train, commandeer a car full of your friends or hop on a bus and head into great outdoors.
Of course, you’ll need to plonk some things into a bag first and wherever you’re heading to Dorset or another seaside spot, Wombat Leather has got you covered. If you’re heading to the sea by train and want to look stylish as you board the train, you can’t go wrong with our leather collection. Chic enough for the underground, yet roomy enough for all of your get-away essentials. If you’re starting your trip with more of a ‘rough and ready’ gusto and jumping into the back of a worn-out Land Rover then you’ll want something that backs up your ‘country credentials’- we’d opt for Wombat’s signature leather weekend holdall.
One thing we won’t be leaving at home is our Hunter’s collection camera bag- with iconic spots of beauty all along the coast, we have a feeling we’ll keep one eye firmly behind a camera lens for the majority of our trip. If photography isn’t your cup of tea, then at least remember to grab a bag to put your essentials in when you head to the sea. We love the Luxury Thick Brown Rucksack, made from our signature soft as butter leather.
What We’re Packing in Our Bag
Having decided that our first trip of the summer season would be British, we thought it only right that we pack our holdall full of our favourite British essentials. Like Wombat Leather, these British brands continue to prove that you can be just as stylish out on the road, as you can be for cocktails in the city (although perhaps without a bowtie or pair of heels).
A Jumper From Old Harry
- Named after the Old Harry Rocks in Dorset, the three chalk formations that protrude out of the sea at Studland Bay on the Isle of Purbeck. Their collection of lambs wool jumpers in sailor Breton and deep sky blue, are the perfect thing to throw on when the blustering sea air gets chilly. They specialise in knitwear and like Wombat Leather, they’re all about labouring over the little details to create good quality products. Besides ‘Old Harry’ himself was an infamous adventurer and plunderer of the high seas, so it seems only fitting.
Fairfax and Favor Shoes
- Also in our bag will be a pair of Fairfax and Favor (https://www.fairfaxandfavor.com/collections/the-henleys) boat shoes. Their winter boots are already notorious in the country set, for being the perfect shoe to stomp around in whilst looking effortlessly chic and their nautical summer styled shoe doesn’t disappoint. We love the brand’s focus on innovative craftsmanship and design and the timeless nature of their shoes.
Shoreproject Watch
- With plenty of activities to fit into our short time away, we’re going to want to keep an eye on the clock. What watch is more perfect than one of these Shoreproject numbers, all named after different British seaside towns and all entirely customisable. The difficulty will come from knowing with one matches our Wombat Leather bag best!
What’s on Our Itinerary
Fossil Hunting- Dorset is synonymous with the Jurassic Coast and times gone by. Lyme Regis is the fossil capital of the UK and the hunt for fossils keeps the young and the old in our group amused. Slip a fossil found tucked under sand into your Wombat Leather backpack and cherish it for months and years to come.
Eat Lyme Bay Crab Sandwiches– We can’t wait to indulge in Exe mussels and succulent crab sandwiches at the infamous Hive Beach Café in Burton Bradstock.
A Clifftop Walk- Whether you choose to head to Durdle Door or Old Harry Rocks, there’s nothing like walking along Dorset’s cliffs to blow the cobwebs away. If you’re looking for us, we’ll be perched on a bench listening to the whistle of the ocean.