Indian Summer

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky;

I left my shoes and socks there - I wonder if they're dry?

Spike Milligan

I nearly did leave my shoes there as I got a bit stuck in some muddy sand!  Due to work and lack of transport at the weekend, I knew Wednesday would be my only chance to walk by the sea before the end of this heat wave, so off I went to our nearest beach.  Its 18 miles away in Rhyl, North Wales - the seaside town where I was born. Much of the "Sunny Rhyl" I knew as a child has disappeared, removed by the local council (misguidedly in my opinion).  But this far end of the beach has thankfully been left alone, apart from some storm defence boulders and the wind farm out to sea. 

As children we loved to spend time on the beach, most often here in Rhyl (that's me and my sister in the 1953 photo), at Criccieth - my Mother's birthplace and at Butlins Holiday Camp in Pwllheli on our much anticipated summer holidays.

This part of the North Wales coast is mostly ignored both by holidaymakers who prefer the more remote beaches of Gwynedd - which of course I absolutely love too - and by day trippers who want a traditional day out at the seaside with all the trimmings - amusement arcades, cafes, candy floss and fish and chips - though sadly no Fun Fair, which closed in 2007.

And I like that too on occasion, but I prefer my beaches mostly uninhabited. And Splash Point is almost always that. Its just that bit too far from the centre of Rhyl for most people.  Even on this beautiful day there were no more than a dozen or so people enjoying the sun, sea and sand.