Happisburgh to Walcott...

With a bit of bright sunshine today and previous plans for the day going awry we decided to head up to the coast again. I've written about Happisburgh before (almost exactly a year ago, it seems!) - it was a regular haunt of ours when the boys were small. At that time it had a lovely sandy stretch of beach with shallow pools that formed behind the wooden sea defences, perfect for toddler paddling.

Now, huge chunks of the fields that edged the coast line have been swept into the sea - taking with them the houses that balanced precariously on the edge in the last big tidal surge in December 2013.  It has left the beach a curious mixture of layered cliffs, compacted clay and piles of rocks, in addition to the usual sand and shingle...

It is still a lovely beach but has a rather different feel to the busy, family seaside of 20 years ago, especially today with just a few hardy dog walkers... 

This way faces back toward Eccles-on-sea to the East...

Looking North-West, towards Mundesley, the coast sweeps round and the sea crashes onto the black rocks that are trying to delay the erosion...

There are still reminders of the buildings that fell into the sea, bricks and pipes on the beach and wires hanging off the cliff edge...

The old groynes provide a handy perch for the gulls...

The clay base layer protrudes like grey rocks onto the beach but are soft and sticky to touch, making it easy to see how this coastline has eroded so quickly...

Particularly when you consider the force of the sea pounding repeatedly against it...

Today wasn't stormy and the waves were pretty tame but we could hear the shingle being dragged up and hurled against the remains of the wooden structures that are gradually being washed away...

Quite hypnotic to watch and I'll spare you the ridiculous number of photos I took, transfixed by the sheer power of nature. 

We were a bit short of change for the car park so headed back before driving along to the next easy bit of parking at Walcott. From here, we walked back to Ostend Gap, which is right at the end of the stretch of beach from Happisburgh...

From here the beach has a long concrete walkway, pretty much all the way back via Walcott to Bacton, where the North Sea gas station dominates the coast road that runs alongside this strip of seaside and is just visible in the very distance here...

There are large pebbles caught between the panels of the groynes, making them look something like a giant abacus...

Where you can get down to the beach here it's pretty sandy with just a few well rounded pebbles in wavy lines where they have been dropped by the tide...

Walcott beach is a much more commercial little resort, with a large caravan park just the other side of the road from the beach, shops and an ice cream van. Even on a quiet day, the smell of fast food dominated and there were lots of hopeful gulls loitering along the sea wall...

I quite like the symmetry of the zig-zag old groynes, but I have to admit to preferring my beaches where the needs of human beings are a little less catered for and I can smell the salt of the sea rather than chips! 

By this point the little bit of winter sun had disappeared and it was decidedly chilly. Heading back to the car, these made us smile - almost every post topped with a seagull, looking in formation all facing the same way!

I am about a third of the way along the Norfolk coast now, onto the North Norfolk, rather than the Easterly bit. Next stop Mundesley, which I've been to many times but never actually set foot on the beach, Spring sunshine willing...

S x

Eccles-on-sea...done

I had a sudden need to just get out today, so. in spite of the persistent drizzle, I resumed my trips to the coast, North Gap at Eccles-on-Sea next on my list.

I have to confess that although I'd never visited the beach there, the village has never been a favourite of mine - an odd collection of dwellings that have a slightly shabby look about them. They are grouped just behind the dunes along a network of unmade roads that could win prizes for their potholes!

Perhaps I didn't give it a very fair assessment today because it certainly was pretty bleak, but this is not the most welcoming approach to a beach...

I think this is all part of the sea defences here; when you see how close the properties are to this point I guess this is unsurprising but it did feel a bit like I was walking into Alcatraz.

It opens straight onto a sandy stretch of beach with the rocky defences off the Sea Palling coast in the distance in one direction...

and the concrete barrier supporting the dune towards Happisburgh in the other direction...

The sky had a completely washed out feel - the kind of day that drains the colour out of everything, leaving the sea looking murky. At the water's edge the beach becomes very shingly... 

with great swathes of washed up seaweed strewn across the tide line...

Sometimes these piles of seaweed are mingled with bright reds and greens but today, even this just looked dull and brown...

I have to confess that I wasn't blown away by Eccles beach. It was cold and wet and generally uninspiring. Perhaps its only redeeming feature that it is a bit out of the way so was deserted (probably because all the sensible people were in the warm at home!!). I didn't hang around, by the time I was heading back to the car my camera lens was speckled with rain but you get a feel for just how close the houses are - this is just outside the flood gates looking inland...

Looking back towards the coast, the sea is literally the other side of the narrow dune in the background - I would guess a distance of no more than 100m behind this bungalow...

I'm sure on a brighter day this place might have a nicer feel to it but I don't think I will be returning to this one, much nicer spots along our long stretch of Norfolk coast.

Sorry, Eccles, but was quite glad not to have wasted a beautiful day ticking this one off the list! And I did blow a few cobwebs away up there. Just need a bit of Spring sunshine to pick me up a bit...

Next time maybe...

thoughts on birthdays...

Today, my eldest son is 26... I'm not quite sure how so much time has passed since this amazing bundle of new life was handed to me. I remember feeling that I didn't quite know what I was supposed to do or feel but that there was a powerful and intuitive desire to protect him and nurture him. Twenty two years old and slightly terrified.

Life is not easy. Challenges are thrown at us along the way and our ability to manage those challenges is what makes us stronger people. Sometimes I do better at that than others. This boy has dealt with his own issues - childhood illness & lifelong dietary restrictions, the range of 'stuff' they have to deal with through school years, learning to live independently and travelling...

He loves his family, cats and the outdoors, has had his heart broken and has friends who will be there for life...

At each stage, my heart has been in my mouth much of the time, a mixture of pride and fear and complete and unconditional love. I admire his resilience and his principles. At times, I have been frustrated by the rashness of youth! I don't think the desire to protect ever goes and if I could save any of my sons having to deal with pain and difficulty I would.

Today, at 26, my boy is coping with admirable maturity, courage and strength with illness that has been life-threatening for someone he loves. It isn't something you expect to deal with in your twenties but he seems to be doing ok.

Happy birthday, lovely boy xxx

respite...

I really try to be a 'glass half full' person and most of the time I manage but boy, is life throwing some challenges at my family at the moment. None of them mine to share - all I can do is try to be there for my sons & believe that things will get better.

Add that to a job that seems to know no boundaries (accept this is probably my fault...) and the time for me to recharge is virtually non-existant. The beach trips are on hold for now and today (my day off!) saw me sitting down with the equivalent of 2 solid days of writing to do, deadlines looming at the end of the month. 

But a combination of some Spring sunshine and an inability to concentrate meant that in the end I indulged in diversional therapy - a yoga class (have just gone back to yoga after a 10 yr+ hiatus & loving it) and a spot of pottering in the garden.

I managed to remove a couple of bags of dead leaves and broken twigs, plus a whole load of weeds already making themselves known and uncovered some finds, including these...

I can't tell you how pleased I was to see them - not just because it definitely means spring is on the way, but also because it feels like a 'good sign' (and we do need one of those) because I spent 20 years in my previous house trying to cultivate reluctant snowdrops and never managed a sweet little clump like these. Simple pleasures.

Late afternoon and the courtyard had a slightly golden glow but it was still pleasant enough to just sit for a bit and think peaceful thoughts. In retrospect, I realise I should have moved the two bags of cleared stuff before I took the photo but hey ho...

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that my rather drastic pruning hasn't proved terminal for some of the ancient roses out here but there are definitely new shoots on most of the plants so I'm optimistic. Whether they will actually flower this year remains to be seen.

My penance for a little avoidance therapy is that I've just spent 6 hours this evening trying to inch towards the deadlines but that little time outside was worth it.

Trying to harness and channel that positive energy...

S x

flowers on a grey day...

Today has been so cold, wet and grey - whilst I really love the coast in winter, I just couldn't bring myself to drive up there to walk in the rain and freeze so the next step of my beaches tour was postponed in favour of a wander into the city, a lazy breakfast with Tom, coffee and welcome chat with a friend and an evening indoors with my knitting!

There has been the odd patch of sunshine but quickly chased away by dark clouds and biting winds.  I have been glad of some early flowers in my little patch of outdoors space which were nodding brightly at me today. 

Pretty, delicate hellebores...

These seem to have an almost papery, translucent feel, weighed down by the raindrops...

And bright, white primroses, providing a splash of light on such a dull day...

This space outside my door is so sheltered by the surrounding houses of the courtyard that it doesn't seem to catch the frost in spite of the bitter temperatures and the bulbs are all racing ahead, making me feel as though Spring really must be just around the corner. I even spotted new shoots on the roses and fuschia today so am hoping they haven't suffered too badly from the severe pruning I gave them after all!

In the city this afternoon we were treated to an impressive display of starlings coming in to roost...

It was quite an impressive, though slighty eerie, sight as more and more birds joined the flock swooping and swirling like some sort of menacing black wave over the top of the shopping centre. They were difficult to photograph clearly on my phone because they were moving so fast. I'm told this is called a murmuration and although I've seen them flock like this in the countryside before, I can't remember seeing it in the centre of the city. Apparently there have been up to 3000 birds and it was certainly quite mesmerising to watch. 

Here's hoping for brighter weather next weekend...

Sx