By Bon8
What is a better activity when living in the UK than to visit the beach when the sun is out? And last weekend was a pearler! The first mention of the beach to the kids and excitement levels escalated to Defcon 4. We hit the road and headed south, only one hour to the coast from Amazingstoke. I consider myself to be a fairly good judge on top notch beaches (that’s beaches mate, not what you thought you read). And although I grew up as a land locked bush basher in the Yarra Valley, I can’t seem to get enough of the healing powers of the beach. I have woken up on a beach in every state of Oz in all sorts of states, stood at the most western, eastern and southern points and even got married on a beach. Hell, I was even a member of Gunnamatta Surf Club at one time.
Today, however, we were lost (as usual) and had almost given up on the search of paradise until we rounded the bend comin’ down the slope into a little coastal town called Lee-on-the-Solent. We all saw it at once and it was awesome. Golden sand, still blue water, the Isle of Wight as a magical scenic backdrop. Gorgeous! All other business suspended as we gently pulled up for the mad dash to the water. I wasn’t even a contender for bronze.
Now, a couple of weeks ago I got my first pair of glasses (old age creepin’ up!) and I was wearing them at the ‘beach’ but something clearly wasn’t right… The grains of sand where as big as golf balls. In a moment of panic I yelled to the kids, “Are the dunes big?”
“Nah dad,” they yelled back. “It’s all stones.”
Oh no! The dreaded pebble beach. I froze. What…how…what…how do we deal with this, I am thinking, bucket and spade in hand? Well ‘when in Rome’ I s’pose… I got a firm grip of myself and soon realised that although the castle comp was officially cancelled, this beach rocked! Literally!
I was able to build a pebble beach bed and was soon flat out, drifting off in heaven. The jetskis came cruising by, the smell of two stroke filling the air. Blue skies adorned above. The kids were laughing and loving it. It really was awesome! Ah the serenity. No buried car keys, no sand on ya back or up ya bum. No dramas! My son Airlie and I took a dip, but that’s not recommended at this time of year – epic shrinkage…
I reckon I even got a bit of colour from the English winter ‘sun’ and after a couple of hours chillin’ out I felt indestructible. The winter blues melted away.
So don’t be afraid, get on down there. The pebble beaches have healing powers too, it’s just a matter of taking that leap of faith.
What’s your favourite English beach? Or where is the best beach in the world? Comment below:
[ Source: Australian Times ]