Beach life in England...

Hmm. This July there has been a minor heatwave in the UK - which is wonderful. To be completely honest, there is nothing quite as lovely as the English countryside in a good summer - it is rolling and brilliantly verdant, like a huge, lush salad, dotted with cornfields and groups of grazing sheep and cows. (And if you don't live there - worth a visit. If you do live there: enjoy it! I only realised how beautiful it really is after I moved to the tropics!) 

However,on this occasion I was struck by the contrast in beach life between SE Asia and England. OK, OK, this is the tropics. We have the South China Seas, world-renowned reef life and a rotisserie of a climate. Palm-fringed beaches are the stuff of Northern dreams and of course, in Singapore, for example (which is not a beach beauty spot, but still tropical) we go to the beach to have fun. On a really hot day, it's great to head to sandy shores with a swimsuit, play volleyball, cool off with a bit of sea kayaking, or heat up under the rays with the SPF. The beach is a place of comfort and leisure. (Though you might need some insect repellent...)

In the UK, a beach visit is something quite different. It is more a stoical endurance test, an uncomfortable (but necessary) chance to force yourself to take in the biting air, and try not to sprain your ankles crashing across the pebbles*. During the recent heatwave, I joined friends for an afternoon at a pebble beach. It was surely one of the warmer opportunities to do so, and the company was good. But people turned up with tents, plus thick fleeces, and sleeping bags to wrap themselves in while we socialised. Because it was still really cold! Across the beach were people, and their dogs, wrapped in warm blankets, taking in the bitter 'sea breeze'.

Then also came the 'I dare you' type challenge of going into the sea - which was blooming freeeeeezing, and dark grey (none of this topaz tropical lark!) Most of us wore wetsuits, the braver locals went in with just swimming costumes, to the admiration of the rest! 

In actual fact, once you are in the sea and get used to the icy temperatures, it is not an unpleasant experience; maybe a bit like rolling in the snow after a sauna? Sort of healthy and testing. And the sea air is fresh. But the experience of a 'visit to the beach' was not 'fun' as would be expected in Bali, for example. And I did sit there rather amusedly wondering - having been able to compare both approaches - why British people go to the beach to endure discomfort! Such a thing is unheard of in the tropics! 

Singapore

England in heatwave

And before it gets pointed out, there ARE SOME days in the UK, for certain beaches, which are usually sandy and shallower, when the water warms up to become a pleasant, relaxing lounge. I have lived in the UK for many decades, however, and have experienced this about three times! 

Personally, I feel there is something to be said for taking in cold, clean, fresh air (and without mosquitoes!) - but not sure we have to take it to squealing in frozen agony as we get our feet in the water.

Happy paddling everyone!

*Most Asian beaches are sandy. But in Northern Europe, pebble beaches are very common. Instead of sand, these beaches have plains of stones, worn round by the ocean. They are not easy to walk on!