Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts

Thursday, September 3, 2015

The Grand Tour 1 Brightlingsea Beach


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Just got back from a thoroughly enjoyable  month travelling around the UK. On the first day we visited Brightlingsea Beach, somewhere I had never been before. Located where the river Colne reaches the open sea, not too far from Colchester.

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It is famous for its beach huts which I guess are a quintessentially English thing. A place to store some beach furniture, make a cup of tea, etc. I was amazed to learn that the price of one of these costs at least three times what we paid for our Japanese farmhouse.

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It is a decidedly uncommercial beach, a single cafe at the end of the promenade being the only place to spend money, which means the free activities of hanging out, chilling out, paddling and swimming, exploring the marine life of the shore,  fishing,  napping in the sun, practising English Tea Ceremony, or just watching the boats and clouds pass by are what most people do.

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Batemans Tower was built in 1883 and was used by John Bateman as a place for his daughter to recuperate from consumption. Reputedly the foundation were built upon faggot piles as that is why the tower leans.

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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Marine Day



Monday was Marine Day, a national holiday when everyone goes to the beach.


Well, everyone who CAN  go to the beach, go to the beach. In the Iwami region we are lucky to have many fine, white beaches.


We went to a group of small beaches and coves closest to our house. There are no signs to it, just a small road leading off the main road, but local people know it is there.


Right in front of the area where cars can be parked were several families, so we walked a few minutes to the next little cove. There was a family there.


So we walked another couple of minutes to the next little cove and there was no-one there, so we were able to enjoy our private beach.