Sunday, 14th June 2020
I decided to check the tide times and go for a mooch on the beach to look for more sea glass and small flat pebbles for another stained glass creation.
As I headed to Withernsea I noticed I couldn’t see the tops of the wind turbines at Burton Pidsea. The closer to the coast I got, the less the visibility got. A sea-roke was rolling in pretty quickly.
I had a little drive around Withernsea to see what was what and where I could park. Anywhere apparently but Withernsea’s still closed. This dashed my hopes of an apres-walk fish and chip supper.
Out of the car and I headed “up” the prom with the idea of going to the last set of steps down to the beach.
Along the prom there are a few info boards:
My views of Flamborough Head robbed by the fog:
I headed down the last steps and onto the beach to head back.
Mandatory pic of the groynes doing their thing:
Not that impressive at low tide really!
One good thing about a sea-roke is that you can’t see the offshore windfarm
View looking at my journey ahead:
I kept spotting a sea monster dipping in and out of the fog:
Staring out to sea in the fog gives you snow-blindness!
This made me smile:
As did this:
As is often the case walking along this beach, sometimes the sand is high enough over the groynes in certain places to just walk over them, other times, it’s not and you have to go up and down the pebbles and steps to get round them. Today, it was the latter. My legs got a good work out!
At the final set of steps before civilisation is abandoned I had a decision to make. Go up to the promenade and walk back or carry on along the beach knowing there’s no steps up the cliffs from this point on.
I carried on along the beach. Low tide had just happened so I had about 3 or 4 hours before the sea would reach the cliffs again. Though it can get a bit hairy as some of the little coves can get cut off, even when high tide still has a way to go. I’m always mindful of this when I head up this bit of beach as a clamber up the muddy cliffs really is not fun if you get caught out (there’s a knack to it, that’s for sure).
Arty-farty pic of some bladderwrack:
I used to love popping this stuff as a kid.
The cliffs, though not high, are no fun to climb up when the tide’s lapping at your ankles:
Visibility seems to be improving:
… not!
My camera’s struggling to focus on anything!
The sea monster again:
It looks much closer now and I could actually hear it. I do believe it is dredging shingle from the sea-bed. Not sure I agree with this practice… marine ecology and all that.
Pretty soon it disappeared off into the fog again and just being able to hear it seemed eerie.
Obviously some low tide rich pickings to be had:
I decided to walk as far as the first pillbox. Once upon a time this was up on the cliffs. It’s now a fair old way from them! Sometimes you can get near it and even have a bit of a poke around in it. Not today though. The ever changing sands had created a nice moat:
I decided to turn back here. Although I wasn’t doing this walk for the views (good job really!) I was mindful that some of the sandpools were filling up with water again meaning the tide had turned. You can hear the difference too with the sound of the waves.
This is what I’d have to clamber up if I got stuck:
Doesn’t look bad does it? It’s boulder clay and slippery as
These cliffs are the reason the sea is the colour it is. Further up, towards Flamborough way where the cliffs are chalk, the sea can be a milky white.
I reached the steps again and headed up them onto the prom.
Another info thingy:
My car’s parked near pier towers so I knew I was nearly done.
I’m not quite sure what measuring tools they use round here but this is definitely NOT 2 metres!:
Giant random iron crab. Fog’s in again too!
Teddys Nightclub now:
Gone. The blue hoarding around the site has some interesting pics of Withernsea’s history. Sadly there’s a load of graffiti on the pictures which spoils things.
A final view across Valley Gardens towards “muggies” the row of amusement arcades that “mug” you of your hard earned cash. It seems strange seeing them closed. They’re normally all lit up and noisy. Quite sad really.
I got back to the car and emptied my pocketful of “treasure” out. Got a decent amount of clear sea glass, one opaque pebble but I may have to return that as I think it will be too thick, and a couple of normal pebbles with interesting patterns on them. I say pebbles, none of them are bigger than a 2p or thicker than a quarter of an inch apart from the opaque one.
Beachcombing is definitely the thing to do when the mist is down.
Thanks for reading
