I’ve just had a “holiday-at-home” and come to the conclusion that it’s important (for me anyway) that a proper vacation away is infinitely more beneficial than a week at home. It has not been at all restful, mainly because of the constant reminder of jobs that need to be done. It’s been a busy week, whereas if I had actually packed a suitcase and taken off, I would have had meals cooked for me, visited places of interest and finished the evening sitting in a bar with a large gin and tonic (or two). As it is, I have decorated my lounge, paid several trips to the recycling/rubbish tip, been out shopping and bought things I didn’t really need and managed one day in the garden. The fact that it rained most days stopped me from spending all my time in the garden, which probably would have been more relaxing, albeit it hard work.
Many people may see living on the Sussex coast, there is need to go on holiday with the sea just under a 10 minute walk away, a walk I don’t do often enough. Yesterday, with a holiday perspective, I took my camera to the seafront with the idea that I would write a post with lots of photos, introducing you all to the 5.5 miles of Worthing coastline which runs from Ferring and Lancing.
I took lots of photos, but there were dark clouds in the sky and the sun was coming in and out, making the lighting difficult. I played with the exposure and what I thought were going to be good and exciting photos, were either over exposed or too dark. Disappointing.
Today the weather is glorious, the sun is shining , without a cloud in the sky and this morning I went down to the sea again to give my idea another go.
All along the sea front there are white beach huts in rows set up on high ground, above the shingle beach to one side and an expanse of green sward, where families gather for picnics. On a windy day, you will find windsurfers and kitesurfers with their paraphernalia laid out on the grass.
The photos of the huts below I took on Friday, you can see how stormy the sky looked.
I would dearly love to own a beach hut. These sell for between £8,000 and £12,000 which is astronomical for what is ostensibly a garden hut in a prime location. The drive from Ferring towards the main part of Worthing, is one of my favourites, looking over the grassy area rising to the (mostly) pristine white huts evenly spaced with benches in between. What we see in photographs is a very personal thing, but I love the one below and think I’ll have it made into a canvas. Something about it reminds me of Stonehenge, although I can’t think why!
I can’t write a post about the seaside without including photos of the sea, so here is a selection of the many shots I took both yesterday and today. The sun was really sparkling on the sea, and if you concentrate you may just be able to hear the swishing of the shingle as the sea washes over it and retreats ready to roll in again for another onslaught.
Worthing beach is very susceptible to seaweed and on days when the sea has been very rough, the ‘aroma’ of seaweed wafts around the town – not always very pleasant. It lies thick on the shingle, making walking to the water’s edge difficult and in the summer if you feel the urge for a paddle, it wraps its slimy self around your ankles. However, when you really look at it, the variety of shapes and colours is fascinating.
I can’t complete a post about our coastline without photos of the fishing boats. These you will find dotted on the edge of the beach at the Ferring end and again at the East Worthing/Lancing end. Fishing used to be the mainstay of the Worthing economy in the 19th century and even today you can buy freshly caught fish of the day from the fishermen in the car parks dotted along the way.
Whilst there is plenty of parking in the road from Ferring to Worthing, there are double white lines on the road between Worthing and Lancing. It meant I couldn’t complete my photo tour for you but this last photo is taken from what is called “Splash Point” and you can see how the bay runs around to Lancing, with Shoreham and Brighton in the background. You can probably tell from the sky that this was another of the photos taken on Friday.
I hope you enjoyed this taster of the Worthing coastline, it has certainly reignited for me the reasons why I live here.