Winter Beach Stories #1
What is it about beaches that makes them a summer location? The British Summer is often a bit of an anticlimax. The build up begins as soon as Christmas has finished. People begin to book their holidays, shops start advertising patio furniture and BBQ’s and there is a mad rush at work to secure the best weeks off
When you finally make it to Devon, Cornwall or any other of Britain’s fantastic coastal resorts the heavens open and you're sat in your caravan, hotel or chalet counting the rain drops as they trickle down the fogged up windows.
Fine! I might be acting all doom and gloom. We, in fact, have enjoyed years of holidaying in the UK and the weather hasn't been all bad. I guess its just unpredictability of the summer weather which makes it challenging. Thats why I am writing these articles. Why battle with the weather gods when you can just let them do whatever they want. Don't feel constrained to sunny beach days. If you want to see the vast ocean then why should a bit of bad weather stop you? Why should the season be a factor?
We’ll be visiting some of our favourite UK beaches to see how they differ in Winter and hopefully we’ll tempt you outside to embrace the elements!
We had been to Criccieth loads of times before so it was a great place to begin our journey. Somewhere familiar adds a certain amount of security when mixing up your usual plans. The town is situated on the southern coast of the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales. The town and beach sit under the shadow of the wonderful 13th century castle which sits perched on the cliffs.
Our visit was under grey skies and with the increasing risk of rain looking ever more like a promise than a prospect. We donned our waterproof coats and wooly hats and walked towards the beach from the nearby car park. (Over the winter months the beach car park was free so thats another great reason to visit the coast during the colder months). As we climbed down onto the stoney beach our thick socks in our boots cushioned our feet against the cold hard pebbles. The beach at Criccieth is a mixture of sand and stone but the tide was high so a rocky landscape greeted us with every step. Gentle waves lapped over the rocks on the shoreline as we made our way towards the corner of the beach where the lifeboat station sits with its vessel lying dormant until summoned with certain necessity.
Here we climbed over the ramp, that the boat would hurtle down into the cold waters, and descended onto a smaller beach with the castle now directly above us. The grey heavy skies framing the stone stronghold was seemingly making it appear fearful and somewhat eerie. This smaller beach was softer underfoot with sand now the dominant foundation for our feet. It felt like a cushion after the rocks we had been on only 10 minutes earlier. Somehow sprung and buoyant. We stayed on this small arenaceous beach for a while. The waves were louder here. Whether they were bigger or the beach and cliffs were simply channeling the emphatic sound more, we couldn’t tell. We just enjoyed it!
A little later we climbed the road past the castle and found a long stretch of beach broken up with groynes. The tired looking sea defences appearing to continue to do their duty as the nations defender. A defender of dry land against the ever coming swell of power we often take for granted. This stretch of beach was guarded by large cliffs on one side with the most amazing textures covering them. Patterns caused by the rolling waves shaping them into works of art. The base had yet again become stoney underfoot and we scoured the floor for the smoothest, the shiniest or the most patterned pebble to marvel at before offering them back to the sea.
One of our favourite things about winter beaches is that most dog restrictions are lifted and it becomes a big furry creche! Our dog loves a beach and even though he’s an elderly chap now he mustered up the energy for a quick run around when the terrain suited him.
It was at this point that the sky decided to dampen our day, but we didn’t come unprepared. With our hoods up we retraced our steps towards the car. A 15 minute walk in the Welsh rain was not going to dampen our spirits. Winter beaches are wild, and you have to be ready for any weather,but they are also beautiful and peaceful. They are certainly charming. A charm which will differ from beach to beach but every bit of coastline will tell a story. You just have to be willing to listen.
