Out of the city and down to the sea

[shewhomust]

I can't imagine living far inland, and never seeing the sea; from time to time I start yearning for the sea, and when I do, it's easy enough to go to the coast. Blame two weeks and some spectacular coastal walks in Iceland; blame sovay, or blame the evening light on Monday, after we'd been to visit a client in Cullercoats. Whatever the reason, having stayed home and worked on Sunday, today we went out to Druridge Bay.

It's not spectacular scenery, just a long low sweep of sand, six miles from Coquet Island in the north to the Alcan aluminium smelter in the south, sandy dunes interspersed with ponds leading down to the beach and the sea. We scrambled down from the dunes and over the shingle, took our shoes off and walked barefoot along the beach. There were gulls and oyster catchers wandering along the tideline, and swallows swooping alarmingly close - also fighter jets circling for no obvious reason. We passed a few families, doing all the proper summer holiday things, building a replica of Bambrugh Castle or peering into rock pools, but it's a big beach and there was plenty of space.And when we'd walked as far as we wanted to (and to go any further would have taken us over the rocks and into Amble) we turned round and walked back again, almost hypnotised by the dazzle of the sun on the water and the long straight line of the tide rippling in.

Comments

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

That is so beautiful.

I, too, love the ocean. These days, I'm out on it 3 times a week at least.

[sovay]

building a replica of Bambrugh Castle or peering into rock pools

"On Bamboroughshire's rocky shore / Just as you enter Boulmer Raw . . ."

almost hypnotised by the dazzle of the sun on the water and the long straight line of the tide rippling in.

That's beautiful. Thank you. If I'm to blame, I'm honored.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Oh, I didn't know that one: thank you. (Another version here (http://thepuredrop.com.au/video/fisherboy.htm) has Martin on guitar).

You're a little further north there, but it's a similar coastline (despite "Bamboroughshire's rocky shore", it's famous for its sandy beaches!).

That's beautiful

Thank you.

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

::looks at the photo and can hear the waves and the seagulls and smell the salty air::

Thanks for that. ;-)

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

can hear the waves and the seagulls and smell the salty air

If that's what you're after, go read sovay - she does it far better than I can!

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Ah, Druridge. Where I once stood on the beach at high tide, and couldn't see the sea; the sea fret was so thick, there was just a wall of white about two yards from my nose...

We used to go there lots. Fly kites, drink beer, be young persons. Play prettily with sand and water. As you do. Then stop on the way home for fish and chips at Seaton Sluice, where you paid by the ounce and nobody could eat more than a medium despite our being young persons with infinite appetites. Sigh. (I taught the then-chef how to make decent tartare sauce: my culinary moment.)

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

I've eaten (or failed to eat) giant fish at Seaton Sluice, but not for a long while...

On this occasion we came home and ate globe artichokes with melted butter.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Om-nom - oops. That reminds me...

*scuttles downstairs to rescue ox-cheeks from rampacious boys*