25th July 2013 - of Bathing and Beaches

Living in Llanelli, it is clear that we are on the doorstep of one of the finest beaches in the the united kingdom. The problem with living with a national gem on your doorstep is that you tend not to make use of it - though it would be so easy so to do....   And so it is with Cefn Sidan, the white silk beach  at Pembrey. 

And it is only when family turn up and want to go to the beach, they living far from the sea, that you contemplate taking advantage of the facilities so close to your home...

And so we trundle down to Cefn Sidan. Okay - not the main entrance where you have to pay , but the back road passed the sewage works ( a little rife today it must be said)  and down to the beach entrance "back Door".  Of course in the past we would have driven down in the 4 x 4 - but now the overgrowth had encroached upon the path and there are great boulders placed in the way to stop the intrepid like me from accessing the sand... 

And so we walk over the dunes - they seem smaller this year - maybe eroding away - maybe just the memory playing tricks ...   and onto the sands - to a tide far higher than we have seen for many a year.  

Vicky started immediately to dig into the ground.. This was to be an elephant !!  trying to climb out of a hole!!  And she says that we are strange !!!  As the waters came in we were presented with the following distressing image ...  (sadly the elephant did drown - but we do not think that she suffered unduly )

This was a good opportunity to take the guitar down to the beach so that I could practise a few songs for the forthcoming trip to Germany .. and the guitar stand ( made of sand of course ) worked very well

But the water beckoned.. and soon we were all in the water ( except Vickie who was fully committed to her statues of the elephants's graveyard) and the water was deceptively warm ... Sneaky that - it may lead to a further visit - it was quite exhilarating...

And of course in this country we have the additional thrill of the waves....  The water was as warm as Crete - but the water was extra salty and driving at you at great speed - enough to knock you to the ground...

An opportunity for a little body surfing..  Body drowning in my case  - I seem to have inhaled at least three waves and a few ripples, but great fun was had by all

and as we sat and dried ourselves in the sun I was able to look up and down the beach to see the water far higher than I have ever seen on Cefn Sidan . An 8.3 meter tide they say - not sure if that is high or not - please feel free to google it - I cannot be asked !!!  But the view was great and the muscles ached from even this small amount of extra effort

And as the sun started to get lower in the sky, another opportunity for a quick capture of an image of Wales .. Cefn Sidan July 2013..

Which means that we need to get back and have a quick snifter - perhaps a nifferkin ...   before turning in..

Happy July !!!