Yesterday’s walk

After returning the bins to their rightful place (they had been emptied on Tuesday) I was off – down to trend of the road and turn right, the Left at the end of the next and onward to the North car park. This is probably the least used of the car parks along the coastal road. There isn’t a lot at the Northen side of the Pier. There is a new hotel and KFC next door to the Pier but at the end of the road, all there is is Natureland Seal Sanctuary, Skate park, Bingo club, a Pub and a few eateries at the moment. At the other end of the Car Park is a steep slope up to the top of the sea defences. On the other side of the defences are 2 paths – they are effectively part of the defences – the lower path runs along the side of the beach but I usually take the higher path because the lower path sometimes get covered in sand. The tide was on its way out but people would have had difficulty in finding a dry spot on the beach. At high tide the sea reaches the path on this side of the Pier. Even in high season it doesn’t get crowded. I only saw 3 people today a couple having a paddle (I think) and another jogging along the lower path until she moved to the high path when she got to the sand covered part of the path.

Not much happened before I got close to the Pier. Most of the amusements are under cover, although a couple of concessions are outside. The end of the Pier used to be well into the sea before an Icelandic Fishing Vessel sliced through it cutting off access to the Embassy Theatre which used to be located at the end of the Pier. The gates at the top of the steps from the path to the Pier were closed as was the the flood gate. So I walked up the slope at the end of the path to the top of the defences and back down to the cycle track on the other side. I often walk under the Pier to get to the South side, but last time there was a massive puddle blocking the way but I didn’t get 2 shoes full of water today. By this time I had decided not to complete the walk. I could have returned along the cycle track but the track isn’t very good in places, so I took the side of the Pier and walked up to the coast road for the return journey.

I decided to stop at one of the bus shelters to clean my glasses.  These are relatively big structures and have a windowed wall going down the centre of it with seats on either side. I sat facing the road and another couple came whilst I was there and sat on the other side of the wall. The rain had stopped by this time, and what I hadn’t realised before I took my glasses off was that my glasses had turned dark. It always amazes me when my glasses turn dark when  apparently the sun isn’t out. I didn’t stay at the shelter very long because I smelt that the couple had started smoking. When smoke drifts up my nostrils it tends to start me coughing although I can control by using my inhaler, although that is really for my Asthma. Nothing much else happened before I got to the car park where a lorry stopped me in my tracks. I think he was going to get ready to unload. The area to the side of the Skatepark has been enclosed for building vehicles and materials.

Normally, my walks would take me past the Pier and on to the Ice Cream Kiosks and then around the lake. A load of birds usually join me for that part of the walk. In a future post I will talk about the park runs which are basically 3 times around the lake. Another future post will cover my work history.