Beside the seaside
15 comments
We are very lucky to live between the South Downs and the coast and regularly visit both places for a walk, especially important during Lockdown to get some exercise.
On Tuesday we stopped off to buy a take-away coffee and hot chocolate, then parked up at the beach where there is some greensward with benches to sit with our hot drinks and admire the view.
The sea was very calm, barely a wave to be seen …
If you look towards the horizon you will, hopefully, see that the water appears flatter and calmer which we thought was very strange!
We watched some Crows on the stones, flying up into the air and then dropping the shells of either Mussels or Whelks to break them, diving down to feast on the contents. There was a lot of competition between the birds and the ones who dropped the shells didn’t always reach them quickly enough to be rewarded!
I liked the way they lined up on the groynes in anticipation …
Sometimes a bird would drop a shell away from the shore …
Just as we were leaving the sun appeared and a tiny bit of blue sky could be seen. The temperature was about thirteen degrees, pretty good for early November.
On the walk back to the car, we came across a plaque and my OH realised that his Father, prior to 1953, before OH was born, had been sat behind the pilot on a test flight along that stretch of the South coast. He worked for Miles Aircraft and then Beagle Aircraft back then.
If you’re still reading I will show you where we went the following day!
We are about 9 miles East of Bognor Regis and drove over to take our Lockdown exercise by a walk along the prom. Bognor is due to undergo a massive regeneration programme in the near future, not before time I say!
The Pier is much shorter than when it was originally built in 1865 at 1,000ft. long. In 1964-1965 severe storms caused the seaward end structure to collapse, causing the total loss of the pavilion. Two fires broke out in December 1974 and in 1994 the remaining seaward end of the structure was demolished. In 2008 80ft. of the pier was removed for safety reasons.
At this rate there will be no pier before too long!
The sea was not so calm as the day before …
This lady turned up with a bag of bread for the Seagulls … not sure I would want that many birds so close!
and finally here’s a photo of fishing equipment by the boats. Having been born and brought up around this area I have always loved being by the sea.
Thanks for walking by the sea with me!
12 Nov, 2020
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Comments
I love the sea-sky pics: very evocative. How lovely to be close enough for regular walks. It must lift the spirits.
The crows are such clever birds, I like watching them in the garden although they're not everyone's favourites.
How interesting to find the plaque.
12 Nov, 2020
Such ethereal sea pictures. Moodily beautiful.
12 Nov, 2020
I envy you Shirley living near the sea, I think walking along the beach or gazing across the vastness of the sea has a calming affect that makes you feel alive, and watching all those birds adds to the wellbeing effect, glad you had a good couple of days.
12 Nov, 2020
Interesting blog and lovely views.
It's nice to see the sea so calm. Sometimes I've noticed flatter patches in the sea, I think it's to do with the way the currents flow.
I like the sea when it's rough too and the waves crashing on the rocks.
12 Nov, 2020
Your blog took me back many years to when I was 13. We were sitting on that beach when Duke broke the sound barrier and set the record. It was such bang and we had no idea what had happened - it sounded like a terrible accident and I remember when we left the beach later going in search of a newspaper seller to try to find out what had happened! As soon as I saw your photos I was back in Bognor remembering happy times there - thank you!
12 Nov, 2020
Lovely, moody photos of the coast in November with everything looking so calm and quiet.
Something to treasure on these 'lockdown' days.
13 Nov, 2020
Lovely pictures, if your pier carries on like Brighton's West pier it will become a tourist attraction in it's own right, at least with photographers
You've prompted me to take a trip down to one of my local beaches, I'm a tad further west than you but also twixt Downs & sea
Nearby is Southsea pier [some of the Film "Tommy was shot there, which set the pier on fire] and was derelict for years but now restored and a real asset, well it was pre CV
https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/arts-and-culture/film-and-tv/14-retro-photos-tommy-being-filmed-portsmouth-2609216
13 Nov, 2020
Thanks everyone for your lovely comments!
Sue, fancy you being there when the sound barrier was broken! I can't imagine how shocked you must have been.
Grandad, go for it and have a lovely walk in the fresh air!
13 Nov, 2020
Shirley, thank you for posting! I feel like I’ve enjoyed a trip to the coast, and it’s been a lovely one too!
We travelled the south coast one summer, from Cornwall to Kent in two weeks. It was a blistering hot summer! We went swimming in the sea at Bournemouth and I recall at St Ives.
Loved what you relayed about your husband’s father! How interesting was that! Little bit of history.
I posted a comment earlier about the lady feeding the seagulls, very unusual! As I said earlier, usually they are self sufficient, especially when -itching chips or the like!!!
Saying that, I love to see the beach and the coastline in any season, dramatic wintry sea and skies to turquoise and bright blues in the warmer months. I’m originally from the west coast of Scotland, I do miss a good long walk along the beach - especially in all weathers which is inevitable there.
Pleased you enjoyed your day out and it looks like you were entertained too!
13 Nov, 2020
A great way to spend your lockdown days.
13 Nov, 2020
What a lovely blog, Shirley! I've only been to the seaside a few times in my life & I liked it there! The British coasts are much better than the Mediterranean coast - at least at Valencia, in Spain. I was VERY unimpressed with the beaches I saw back in 1972-3! Haven't seen beaches anywhere else in Spain or more recently than '73 either
The many years I lived in Spain we were never able to go to the beaches although there is a great artificial beach alongside the river in Cuenca!
13 Nov, 2020
I enjoyed all your pictures of the sea and birds. I don't think I appreciated living by the coast like I do now! We love to walk ( well Rick in the wheel chair) along the prom and I suppose when I was younger , took it for granted! It's better to walk now as all the trippers have gone!
Thanks for sharing this with us!
Take care and keep safe!
14 Nov, 2020
Thanks Kate, Phyl, Balcony and Rose ... it seems many folk like a good seaside walk!
14 Nov, 2020
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i grew up 500 yds from the beach in Sunderland and still miss it. I could almost smell the salt laden air and hear those gulls. Goodness knows why she was feeding them, but each to their own.
The sea is always moving, never still and I love it.
thank you for sharing.
12 Nov, 2020