FRONT RUNNER ON THE MOVE: ROAD TRIPS AND SEA DIPS​

Yorkshire’s Whitby is one of England's most popular coastal holiday destinations. Think towering sea cliffs, the Gothic Whitby Abbey ruins, beautiful beaches and the must-have fish and chips. This is why the former Yorkshire Dales couple and young entrepreneurs Marie and Lucy have decided to make it their home. Front Runner recently met with them to discuss road trips, sea dips, recipes and Land Rover adventures.

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Tell us about yourselves. ​

We're Lucy and Marie and we’ve been a couple since high school. We grew up in the Yorkshire Dales but now find ourselves on the wild Yorkshire coast in Whitby. We produce all the photography and graphic design for our lifestyle brand, 'Art Disco’ (see @artdisco). It's fueled by our deep love of the ocean and an unquenchable thirst for adventure. During the lockdown, we purchased our dream ride, 'Pickle,' a Defender 90 with a very reliable 300Tdi engine; we then turned it into our adventure truck.

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Why is your Insta handle @roadtripsandseadips? ​

We originally wanted a Defender to take us on road trips and for it also to be our ride to the beach. We love that we can load all our gear on the Slimline II Roof Rack, put the roof top tent on and head off on spontaneous adventures. We live by the coast, and the sea plays a massive part in our daily lives, whether swimming, surfing or paddleboarding. It is as simple as that, so we decided to call ourselves @roadtripsandseadips.

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What do Marie and Lucy do when not going on road trips and taking sea dips? Tell us more about Art Disco.​

Our brand Art Disco is also our full-time job, and this is where you will find us when not off in Pickle on an adventure somewhere. We design clothes and accessories for adventurous folks with a free spirit and a love for the sea. Art Disco gets its biggest inspiration from those daily getaways not far from where we live. Think dusty roads that lead to hidden swimming spots, stargazing in our trusty old Defender, and nights spent swapping stories next to beach fires with a salty sea breeze gently blowing in our faces. We're all about embracing that wild side and living life to the fullest.​

​Our adventures inspire our designs; we hope that by sharing our experiences, we encourage others to get out and enjoy their own adventures.

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You say one of your biggest passions is the little adventures close to home. Tell us about some of your favorites. ​

Take a dip. Whether in the sea, a lake, or a river. Especially when the moon is full or at sunrise and sunset. It can be incredibly peaceful, and a cold-water dip certainly recharges you. One of our favorite local spots is the Falling Foss waterfall. The walk down to the bottom of the fall winds through a stunning, ancient woodland. ​

We love a beach fire or BBQ. There’s something primal about cooking over a fire, it also elevates your daily meal experience.​

We love the coastal path from Whitby to Robin Hoods Bay. It’s part of the greater Cleveland Way (another great path to explore), but this particular section is pretty rugged and rather spectacular.

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Your Defender 90 takes you on road trips. Tell us more about it. ​

We’ve both always wanted a Defender since a very young age. Defenders were commonplace in the Yorkshire Dales while growing up, where they were used as utility workhorses; they are also great off-road. We spent years researching and saving for Pickle. We wanted a 90 due to its compactness and were swayed by the fact that this one had a galvanized chassis. ​

We always knew we would use it as our daily driver. We were lucky to find a private seller who had already put much work and love into restoring Pickle. Eerily they had already chosen the exact style and specs of our dream Defender: Pastel Green paint, galvanized cappings, series doors… it was just meant to be.

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Pickle has a retro look with the steel wheels, Exmoor Trim smaller steering wheel, and the Series III front doors. Was that the plan? ​

We love the mix of heritage and modern styling. We wanted the vintage look, but it still had to be utilitarian as we use it daily. We need to be able to wash out the sand and not feel like we are being too precious so we can enjoy it to the full.

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Unlike many other Defender or 4x4 owners, you have kept your accessories bare minimum. ​

We like to think of Pickle as a Swiss army knife. The Front Runner Slimline II Roof Rack is the base for all the accessories we like to chop and change, depending on the adventure. We have the Land Rover Defender Ladder to make getting onto the roof easy; it’s an absolute game-changer. We usually have the Vertical Surfboard Carriers attached to the rack in their horizontal positions, as we use them regularly.​

When we want to go further afield, we flip the Surfboard Carriers into their vertical positions, which clears the entire roof rack deck so we can load up the Roof Top Tent and three Wolf Pack Pro boxes. We love the Wolf Pack Pro boxes as you can fit loads into one of them, and they help to create more room in the back of the Defender. ​

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What is your favorite on-the-go recipe? Can you please share it with us? ​

We love outdoor cooking, and our absolute favorite recipe is waffles topped with bourbon bananas. We have a cast-iron waffle maker that’s great to use over campfires. We then add halved bananas into a separate pan and top them with brown sugar and a generous amount of bourbon; this creates a rich, boozy caramel.

Here’s a link to our recipe: https://www.artdisco.co.uk/blogs/journal/bourbon-bananas.

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Not all 4x4 owners travel in a way that is respectful to the planet and its future. What about you two? ​

Respecting where we choose to roof top tent camp is essential to us. We live in a popular tourist area where we’ve seen the impact of illegal camping and the mess that the unfortunate few leave behind. A lot of the areas by the sea are needed for access by the coastguards, so keeping those areas open and clean is important. We are always mindful of leaving no trace when camping or having a beach BBQ.