Shingle Street, Suffolk, 17th July 2012

An amazing, isolated spot. Huge banks of shingle covered in a riot of colourful plants. Exposed, windy, desolate, beautiful. The grey sea when you eventually reach it laps at the steep shingle banks, calm but almost creepy; like it could rise up and flood all the land at a minutes notice.

The shingle is as steep as Abbotsbury but with the added complication of a major river mouth (The Alde) so the warning signs everywhere against swimming are not without good reason. I did some research before travelling and read that it was safe to swim so long as the water was clam and you went in at the southern end of the beach... and I was so lucky - woke up on the 17th to blue skies and a flat sea.

I was expecting the worst from the water after 2 weeks in sunny Portugal but was amazed that the temperature felt hardly any different to Albufiera and after a few seconds reticence I was in and swimming. I was feeling a little nervous of the NO SWIMMING signs (there were three in a short stretch) so I kept near the bank but had a beautiful swim and a great reaclimatization to UK waters.

Now all we need is some calm weather in the SW...

50 Shades of Grey

MG

After SW's disgusting splurge of sick-making swim porn below, let me retaliate by illustrating what the West Dorset beaches currently look like in some sort of defence for having now been out of the water for who knows how long, maybe 6 weeks.... 

By my reckoning, in something like the last 30 months I have missed two months. December 2011. And June 2012. Smell the irony. That includes the month in which I broke my arm.

But rumours that something better this way comes.....

a reminder...

...of a real summer. I was lucky enough to escape the deluge for two weeks in Portugal... Blisteringly hot and beautiful. Planned to spend most time in quiet Eastern Algarve but a seaweed attack made the water un-swimable for a week so we headed along to the main touristy stretch near Albufeira. Expected tourist hell but found quiet cove heaven... Even had one beach all to ourselves for an afternoon. Prejudices overturned.

Guadiana river swim near Alcoutim

Praia do Barill, Tavira

 Praia do Duarte and Pria do Balbina, Albufeira

Praia do Duarte, Albufeira

 Praia do Duarte, Albufeira

(trying to wave) Praia do Evaristo, Albufeira

Ilha da Armona

 Praia da Marinha, Lagoa 

Quinta Da Largo, Faro

Meanwhile in Dorset, Chesil beach remains stormy and rarely swimmable and the official water temp in mid July is an embarrassing 11.8 degrees... Thats the normal December temp..

Sunday 3rd June, Bristol Lido

tues 29th may, Hive

Controlled demolition, naked pilates... its all happening on Dorset's beaches. A blissful lunchtime at Hive with MG and KH. The sea a bit scummy but still lovely and the weather was glorious although I think we all got a bit too much sun...

Stub of drystone wall left behind after a recent rockfall - taken apart with pneumatic drill and knocked over the edge to make safer..

SW

monday 28th may 2012, west bay

 10.00 am; incredibly lucky to be here on sunny, quiet day.. 

..the thrift all out now, a purple band between the green and the gold. Sea warm and lovely but a bit murky. A fantastic early swim, quick sunbathe then back to making pots. Bliss.

-o-0-o-

8.30 pm; an extra swim with MG, freshly returned from London

sat 26th May, west bay

Just read MG comments - good timing, we have all been scattered and quiet. And I have unfortunately few salty tales... Hope the others have been more adventurous. Well done MG for keeping up the urban dips - how long till you try out a canal? Or the Thames??

It had been a ridiculous break of nearly a month... being unable to summon the enthusiasm to swim amongst the sewage and thwarted by south west storms on every recent visit to Dorset... until today. Escaping the sweaty hoards in town I got home by 5 and went straight to west bay. After some time in sussex a packed west bay beach looks relatively deserted... I even managed to get a free parking spot, winter style. After 5 minutes walk I had the beach almost to myself. Scorching hot, stunningly blue.

The sea was a bit choppy thanks to strong easterly wind but such beautiful views; the classic Dorset  gold, blue and green.  The fulmers were swooping low over the water making me a little apprehensive of dive-bombing. There were quite a few people paddling and swimming though and they all seemed fine, no gouged eye balls or bleeding heads in sight. The water had warmed up a lot since last month (I think mostly in past few days, it seemed to be stuck on 9deg for ages but is now officially up to dizzy heights of 11 but it did feel warmer).

A blissful swim, much longer than last month, barely any brain freeze even with diving, followed by rare treat of laying in the sun to dry off.

while sunbathing I had the odd sight of three swans (apologies for zoom) out to sea, a bit surreal to lay on the beach and watch them float past...

SW