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| Beach Buoy arrived down on the beach at St Bees Head at 7-30am... having left the van at 7-29am. It was a significant time. Beach Buoy had been made redundant on Friday but today was Monday and 7-30 am would be the time the buzzer at work would sound. So this was it? Work carried on at the other side of the country, his working week should be about to commence. But... life goes on and for a week at least life would, indeed be a beach. It was already hot. The groynes were still in hurdle mode due to the tide situation. |
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| Beach Buoy climbed up onto the short but important promenade. |
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| The promenade ended. Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog headed ermmmm. SOUTH! It was still confusing swapping the North Sea for the Irish Sea. Doris Day once sang about "East is East and West is West. well if Beach Buoy didn't stay focused South was North and North was South and the wrong road he had chose.... and don't even dare to mention those buttons and bows! As with all new beach walks, Beach Buoy had checked the tide times to avoid any pinch points on the beach Today was just about perfect really. The tide had not long turned and was going out. Soon the sea would leave the groynes behind. It was odd walking South with the sparkling sea on the right hand side. |
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| The first sleepover night in the van had left things a little unorganised. Beach Buoy was wearing the wrong boots, wrong hoodie and was using the wrong note book to take notes in. It was all a little,Wallace and Gromit with The Wrong Trousers. Come to think of it they shared a love of Wensleydale cheese. At first the cove ahead didn't seem to be getting any closer as Wallace .. sorry Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog walked Thataway! A large black dog appeared as if by magic. It ran off towards the speck of an owner off in the distance once Beach Buoy had picked Stubborn Dog up. A strip of sand was now appearing as the sea receded, the two headed for it as it was a more comfortable walk compared to the one that they had been doing on the stones, shingle and rocks. |
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| At first Beach Buoy could only see a few houses in the cove. It became clear many more stretched up into hilly countryside. |
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| Beach Buoy and Stubborn Dog crossed over one of the two bridges that crossed Pow Beck; pausing as he did so to have a stand and think...and take a photograph. He watched as swift-like birds swooped around the beck on their hunt for breakfast. Breakfast? " Now there's a thought." It was 9 am by now and breakfast sounded like a good idea. As they made a move, a train came by, on a track that Beach Buoy hadn't even noticed. A lady jogger thudded over the bridge in silence (Apart from the thudding.) and headed for the hills to the North✅ A slow walk back to the van. The sea had gone out even further now leaving much more even sand to walk on. A Heron took off from the water's edge like some Pterodactyl. As Beach Buoy approached the lifeboat station, 8 hikers appeared with sticks, not in a threatening way, just to aid their hiking. Either that or they were skiers who had booked a holiday at the wrong time of year at the wrong resort and to cap it all off...... someone had stolen their skis? They were later to be seen, from the comfort of the van , heading up St Bees Head, either hiking or on a hunt for their skis and a certain travel agent. |
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| Two weather worn hikers were down on the beach. Finally a bell rang in Beach Buoy's head. (Memory Dept.) St Bees is used as a start/finish of a coast to coast walk. Are these two starting or ending their coast to coast to walk? If they were just starting then they must have had rough paper rounds as children. They took turns taking each others photographs on the beach near the lifeboat ramp. They then headed to the water's edge. Once again they took turns, recording the moment as the other would stand; arms outstretched, head tilted with one knee slightly bent in a 'TA DAH." stance. BEACH BUOY. |
