Beach run

If you’re a regular runner, I’m sure you have already heard people expound the benefits of running on a sandy beach. You have probably also visualised the romantic setting that such a run would have; the sun cresting the cliffs, the soothing waves beating at your side, and the sand soft between your toes.

However, when my mum and I tried to realise our quixotic dreams of jogging along a sandy beach, the reality turned out to be very different.

We were in Devon, at the end of a very damp week-long holiday. We had been waiting all week for the conditions to improve enough to tempt us to go for an early morning run along the beach, but so far the wind and rain had beaten us back.

On the last morning, we decided we just had to do it. So we geared up and jogged the short distance to the beach. It wasn’t too bad at first, but as soon as we hit the open space of the beach, a battering wind smacked into us. But we soldiered on, putting intense effort into moving our feet forward.

Running on sand, against a strong wind, certainly makes for a great workout. The dull weather also meant that we had the entire place to ourselves, which would have been nice if we could have seen anything other than swirling sand.

After 30 minutes, our progress along the beach had not been great, and we decided to turn back. This was when the fun started. Having turned our backs against the wind, we practically flew across the beach towards home. Our bodies seemed to be moving of their own accord, with very little effort from us.

It took us about 15 minutes to get back to our starting point – half the time it took us on our outward journey!

So, my first experience of beach running wasn’t a particular success. I also have to admit that it is not an experience I have repeated since! (Not without justification). However, the romantic dreams of beach running are once again calling to me… Maybe this summer I will give it another go.

What do you think? Have you tried beach running? Let me know in the comments!

A wander around Wells

The beach at Wells.

Before I begin, please accept apologies for not delivering the full write-up yesterday. Time got on top of me and before I knew it, I had none left. However, today I have made a sterling effort and found time to send out this post. Hooray!

Here in the UK we were blessed with yet another reasonable bank holiday. A sunshine-filled public holiday is usually the stuff of dreams. More often than not, we spend the extra long weekend with our noses pressed against the windows, staring out in to the pouring rain. We have been so lucky with bank holidays this year that I suspect that we are due for a thorough soaking on the next one. With this in mind, I set out to fully enjoy the May Day holiday.

Despite my advice to start out early for a coastal trip, I failed spectacularly on this occasion. Oops. So we set-off around mid-morning to drive up to Wells-next-the-sea.

Predictably, turning up late meant that we had a small headache trying to park, but we got there eventually. Once out of the car, we set off towards the town for a wander. It was great to see so many people out enjoying the weather and some traditional sea-side past-times. Hoards of people were crowded along the quay dropping pieces of bacon in to the water to catch crabs. Some were keeping tallies that were chalked up on the pavement. One impressive haul claimed to have consisted of 68 crabs. (The crabs are chucked back in once they are caught, so I suspect that the same crabs may have been caught more than once!)

As we strolled along the docks, my eyes were instantly drawn to the old granary. It’s a beautiful building with an imposing structure. Sadly it was only in use for about 90 years and has now been converted in to a block of exclusive ‘apartments’. However, it still looks fantastic and it ensures that the town’s history as a commercial port is not forgotten.

Crabbers with the granary in the background.

After soaking up the atmosphere, we settled down to a lunch of fish and chips. We ate with our legs dangling over the side of the docks, watching the crabbers hard at work. Bliss.

A healthy lunch.

Once we were stuffed, we began to walk towards the beach and the sea. Wells sits about a mile away from the open water, so you need to walk a fair way to get your feet wet, especially when the tide is on its way out (as it was for us). We kept walking until we reached the waterline, and then meandered over to the sand dunes. There was some evidence of the effects of the winter storms and flooding – we saw a few stands for beach huts with no hut, and in some places there was only the supporting poles remaining. However, apart from this it was business as usual.

While perched in the dunes, we noticed an area of woodland behind the beach. We decided to have a wander through and ended up having a lovely stroll through pine trees. This was an unexpected part of our walk, so it was a nice surprise.

Heading out of the woods, we turned again towards the town and found a little cafe selling locally made Norfolk icecream. Well, it would be rude not to indulge, wouldn’t it? (Head to the Picnic Hut on Staithe Street and try the rum and raisin icecream. You won’t regret it!)

So, after a day of basking in the sun and stuffing ourselves with sea-side goodies, we headed back to Norwich. I’m looking forward to my next visit already.

 

Wells-next-the sea: photos

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a fabulous bank holiday weekend. Tomorrow I will give you a full write-up of my visit to Wells-next-the-sea, but for now here are some photos.

Enjoy!

Fishing boats at Wells.

Check out the granary building in the top left.

Crab catchers.

Catching crabs at Wells.

Fishing boats.

Empty section of beach at Wells.

The beach at Wells.

View from a sand dune.

Walking in to the woodland.

Pine trees behind the beach at Wells.

 

Walking in Walcott

With the weather looking promising at the weekend I felt the urge to get a little bit of sea air. I could also hear my walking poles crying plaintively in my wardrobe, so I decided to give them a little bit of an outing. So we packed up the car and headed off to Walcott.

Before I moved to Norwich I never really made spontaneous trips to the coast. But now I am lucky enough to always be a short drive away from sea, sand, and awesome fish and chip shops. I’ve roamed around Cromer, Sherringham and Blakeney, and what I love about all of these locations is that it is possible to get away from the crowds and stroll along a deserted coastline. Asides from the occasional dog walker, you pretty much end up with the place to yourself.

Going to the coast in the off-peak season is also a winner. It may be windier and a little cooler, but if time your trip with a bit of sunshine, you can enjoy a walk along the beach without the parking problems, noisy families and crowded amenities. It also means that there is less of a queue at the ice cream van (always a bonus in my mind).

I’ve never been to Walcott before, but signs of the damage caused by the winter storms were evident all around us. We saw someone’s fence halfway down a cliff, and the doors on the beachside toilet block had been bashed to pieces.

Asides from this, this section of the coastline is rather lovely. There isn’t much there, but the sand is incredibly soft and, well, sandy. The water was also very clear and I imagine that it would be a great place to go body-boarding in the summer. The day started off rather hazy, but gradually the sun poked through and we were able to power along the beach in the sunshine.

We both wore walking boots and used walking poles, but they aren’t really necessary for walking along here. I wore good boots in case there were any stony sections and because they are also amazing at keeping sand out of my shoes (shudder). It was fun using the poles on the sand – you could really pick up speed so we were able to march along at a decent pace.

We walked up well past Mundesley and back, and then we tried to get to Happisburgh, but the tide was coming in fast so we had to turn back. All in all, we did around 13 miles, which isn’t bad for a day’s work.

If you’re interested, and possess eagle eyes, you may be lucky enough to spot a fossil or two while walking along the beach. I managed to find a stone with a small, incomplete Trilobite on it. Last time we were in Cromer, my boyfriend picked out a fossilised mollusc. Belemnites are also quite commonly found, so keep your eyes peeled.

After such punishing exercise, we were in need of a sweet treat, so we strolled back to a convenient ice cream van. I was outrageously excited to find an old childhood treat of mine, and the ice cream man was kind enough to supply me with extra chocolate sauce and a flake. He told us some strange tales about himself as he served us. Apparently he eats 400g of chocolate a night (along with a hot chocolate…) and he munches on chocolate and ice creams while sitting in his van. I was left wondering how he wasn’t diabetic and how he was still in possession of all of his teeth. Suddenly my chocolately choice didn’t seem so outrageous.

Deserted beach.

The tide coming in.

A hazy start to the day.

A good spot for lunch.

A windswept walker.

The sun comes out.

If you hate crowds, this is the place for you.

Sun, sand and sea – what more do you want?

Ah childhood memories…

So, has anyone else enjoyed the Norfolk coast? Or do you eat 400g of chocolate a night? Please share!