Today’s Treasures
A DAY AT THE BEACH
Sometimes, our very British weather can be very surprising. We had planned a day at the beach for ages but for one reason or another it kept being delayed until finally, it was on Halowe’en that we set off for the coast.
It was a beautiful drive through Llangollen – the sun reflecting all the autumn colours, russet reds, green, gold and amber; we stopped for a cup of coffee at Lake Bala and went a walk along the edge of the lake enjoying all the colours reflected in the water. The sun was shining and there was hardly a breath of wind to ripple the surface of the lake. Then we drove on through the rolling hills and watery dales of Snowdonia to Barmouth – and found the toilets! Barmouth was unreal, the sun was so warm it felt like a hot summer’s day but, as it was nearly winter, Barmouth was pretty deserted. The few people that were about were sitting outside café’s sipping tea and basking in the warm sunshine.
After lunch, we meandered along the beach, picking up pebbles and paddling at the edge of the waves. Two cups of tea later, we were on our way again heading for Shell Island. We found the car park and wandered over the sand dunes to the beach.
Last time we came here the wind was howling a gale and we had our coats zipped up to our noses. Today, there wasn’t a breath of wind and we stripped down to T-shirts, bare arms soaking up the sun. It was almost warm enough to sunbathe. The waves lapped onto the beach, seagulls soared lazily above us, and the sand glistened in the sunshine.
Shoes off, we paddled through the waves, a restful, tranquil way to unwind, feeling the sand between our toes and the waves lapping around our feet.
By this time, the sun was going down and we could feel the Autumn chill creep into the air, so donning jumpers and coats again, we set off back down the beach and across the sand dunes to the welcoming warmth of the car and tea and biscuits.
