Sandsend beach

Sleights holiday 9

Eventually I took off my sandals and wandered down to the beach, enjoying the cool, damp sand where the tide had recently retreated. It was early but there were plenty of families settling in for an extended stay, with all the beach paraphernalia that seems to necessitate - windbreaks (not that there was any wind!), sunshades, rugs, small tents, buckets, spades and inflatables, not to forget the all-important picnic basket. There are a few nice cafés on the beachside, and no doubt some ice cream vans would appear later too. It seemed a very safe beach for young families, with very gently sloping sand and the two streams flowing down for extra interest - always good for constructing dams! 

Looking south towards Whitby, the heat haze was obvious. I understand that a day or so later the whole coast was covered in a strong sea fret (mist) so I was quite lucky, I guess, to be able to enjoy the sunshine, though by midday it was too scorching hot for me and I retreated to my accommodation inland, and the joys of a good book.  I finished 'Eight Feet in the Andes', a travel diary by the Irish writer, Dervla Murphy (who sadly died recently). Now I'm reading 'The Book of Joy', a dialogue between the Dalai Lama and (the late) Archbishop Desmond Tutu, which is fascinating and very uplifting.