Walking along a beach
Feel the sand between your toes, dip them in the sea, and breathe, breathe, breathe
Hello walkers and writers 👋🏻
If you’re in the northern hemisphere, like me, you’ve probably noticed the days are stretching, the rain seems to have stopped (at last!) and we’re officially into walking season. And for me, that means clearing out the cobwebs with some good old-fashioned sea air. Which takes us nicely into this edition about walking on a beach.
Walking
If you were to ask me about my favourite place to walk, I’d struggle to pick just one spot because I always say I’ve never met a walk I didn’t like. But I can narrow it down to the types of landscape I love most and beaches and coasts are right up there in my top 3.
I love walking on beaches whatever the season. In summer the sand is warm and lush between my toes, in spring the higher tides might bring in treasures from the sea, and autumn is often a good time to find an empty beach where you might be the first person of the day to leave footprints.
I also enjoy a beach walk in winter. They can be pretty spectacular when the wind is whipping up the waves and creating a backdrop that would give atmosphere to any story. I love crispy cold days where the air clears and the sky gleams with a blue so sharp it tingles all your senses. Winterlight can be pretty special.
And when it comes to stories, a beach can hold as many possibilities as it holds grains of sand.
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.
There are a few things I like to look out for on a beach walk. I always look for ‘love’ in the form of heart-shaped pebbles and patterns…
I keep my eyes peeled for abandoned shoes…
I look for hagstones (also called adder stones) and ponder the world through them…
I can never resist the temptation to explore a rock formation, cavern or cave…
I love the colours of beach huts on promenades…
I’m intrigued by the texture of old wooden boats as they laze like seals on the shore…
I pick up trash and sometimes join beach cleanups…
I look for interesting pebbles…
I’ve wandered London’s ‘beaches’ at low tide…
I check out local beach art…
I borrow my friend’s dog, Woofy, cos she always sniffs out the good stuff and coats me in sand when she digs holes…
And sometimes I follow footprints to see where they end…
So for your next walk, I invite you to kick off your shoes, dip your toes in the sea and search for secrets in the sand.
Writing
Here are 2 writing prompts based on the same theme:
Imagine you found a bottle washed up on the beach with a message inside. What’s the message? Who is it from?
You have a bottle, a pen and a piece of paper. What message will you write?
As ever, I love hearing about your walking and writing experiences, so let me know what you discovered during your beach bimbles by leaving a comment.
Happy walking and writing,
Sarah
More from The Writer’s Walk
If you enjoy beachcombing and digging in the sand you might want to try mudlarking.
