Tag: seaside

Beach Textures

Off to the North Wales coast to blow away the cobwebs and breathe in some healthy sea air, we stopped off on our way to Llandudno at Pensarn to explore its pebbled shore and collect driftwood to make some mobiles with for our seaside garden at home. Spot the sloping horizons! A side effect of having one leg shorter than the other!

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The textures of the pebbles and objects discarded by the tides attracted us and we wandered the length of the beach with heads bowed down. I hope you enjoy this series of pictures I took with great difficulty as my eyes were running so much I couldn’t always see clearly.

We went home with a good collection of small pieces of driftwood so we can get busy making things for our seaside garden.

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Tags North Wales, pebbles, sea, seascapes, seashore, seaside, textures

Gwyndd landscapes light light quality photography the sea the seaside the shore townscapes Wales

Closed for Winter but not Deserted – Barmouth – Part Two

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date January 10, 2014
1 Comment on Closed for Winter but not Deserted – Barmouth – Part Two

Back in one of our favourite Welsh seaside town of Barmouth we crossed the dunes and discovered the debris of the storms.

We came across seaweed wrenched by the roots from its sea floor home, an empty shell of a Cuttlefish, some twisted driftwood and fishermen’s debris.

As we left the dunes we found ourselves out in the open on the wide expanse of the beach itself. Here we gained views of the sea front hotels and guest houses and the yachts in their winter compound lit up by winter sunlight. The sand had risen piled high in drifts against the sea walls.

The peace we were enjoying as we listened to the gentle lapping of the waves and the wind lifting and moving the sand, was suddenly shattered as the sky darkened and a hail storm arrived. At the same time our peace was also shattered by the sound of raised alarms. Someone was in trouble out at sea, the coast guards arrived with flashing green lights on the roofs of their cars, followed by police with their blue lights flashing out of sync. The rapid response inflatable life-boat launched after being drawn across the sands by a tractor with caterpillar tracks gouging deep ruts cutting across the smooth surface of the sandy beach. Within minutes just the tracks were left and the life-boat disappeared out to sea on its mission.

The storm passed as quickly as it had arrived. The sun burst back through the thinning clouds, lower now and with a golden hue. It bathed buildings and yacht masts with golden light.

As we reached the end of the town we heard behind us the deep throated diesel engines of a big caterpillar-tracked vehicleas it dragged the big life boat across the beach and out to sea. the situation was a serious one!

As we left after a good day at the seaside blue patches began to appear in the cloudy skies.

Tags Barmouth, Gwynedd, seashore, seaside, Wales, winter

Gwyndd light light quality photography the sea the seaside the shore townscapes Wales

Closed for Winter but not Deserted – Barmouth – Part One

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date January 9, 2014
2 Comments on Closed for Winter but not Deserted – Barmouth – Part One

So after journeying through Wales we were getting very close to the sea.

The road along the Mawdach estuary gained sharper bends and narrowed and we soon found ourselves alongside the sea. The railway bridge crossing the estuary came into view as we approached Barmouth , a crisp silhouette cutting through the seascape.

The road rose up a final slope taking us up and over this row of old boats and fishing huts.

The road into the town was covered in drifts of sand built by the combination of recent high tides and strong winds. We slowed to a walking pace as driving became difficult. We made our way to the first car park, wrapped ourselves up well in thick coats, gloves, scarves and I had the added protection of a hat and set out to explore our one of our favourite seaside towns. We noticed that the sand had drifted right up the promenade seats burying their legs, and almost to the tops of the concrete sea defences.

We found the town mostly closed along the sea front, all closed up safely for winter. Cafes, amusement arcades, fairgrounds all empty of life. Outdoor seating was locked away and the fairground rides in wraps. We were surprised to see that Elvis had his own parking space alongside Las Vegas Amusements.

The hotels and guest houses glowed in the sun with the deep blue-black of the stormy sky, the white of their window frames and doorways intensified. Suddenly a rainbow began to grow before our eyes and we watched as it became a full semi-circle of every colour under the sun.

One tiny building was very close to the sea, actually situated on the promenade, making it very vulnerable to the ravishes of the winter tides and storms. We discovered lovely sayings written on rustic boards. Even closed this little beach cafe, The Beach Cabin, had a lovely atmosphere.

Welcome to the beach cabin

No worries

No cares

No dramas

Relax you’re on beach time

No watches

No clocks

No deadlines

Life is good on the beach

Across the promenade from the Beach Cabin sand dunes covered in rough grasses formed a barrier between the cabin and the beach and sea. We made our way over the dunes to explore the seashore itself and go back towards the way the entered the town. Follow our footsteps in my next post, Closed for Winter but not Deserted – Barmouth – Part Two

Tags Barmouth, beach cafes, estuaries, Mawdach Estuary, photography, sand dunes, sea, seascapes, seashore, seaside, Wales

countryside grasses nature reserves the sea the seaside the shore wildlife

Strands – Discovering a Beach – Part Three

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date December 31, 2013
7 Comments on Strands – Discovering a Beach – Part Three

Okay here we go with the third and final part of my Strands posts, where we make our way – very slowly as you will see – back to the car. We went by way of the grass path above the strandline and explored the wildflowers growing there as well as enjoying glances across the sand dunes to the sea.

But first a reminder of the photos of Jude (Mrs Greenbench) beach combing and collecting objects for our seaside at home.

We found our pathway home by scrambling over the pebbles and then over the sand dunes.

Sadly some of the walkers who trod the path before us lacked caring and thoughtlessly left this plastic bottle. The seashore has enough of a problem with the plastics that roll in on the waves. It makes you wonder how many Coke bottles are dropped to bespoil our countryside every year.

Along the path we found interesting wild flowers and the dried remains of last year’s flowers stiffly standing among them. The first clump of photos show a beautiful blue leaved grass which is grown to bind the sand of the dunes to keep them from shifting. It must have an amazing network of roots working away down there.

The variety of the flora here on the beach itself, on the strandline, the dunes and the pathway alongside illustrates just how effective a narrow strip of land can be as a really good little nature reserve. Butterflies, bees, insects, invertebrates, mammals, birds and amphibians will find homes, shelter and food here. As you look at the following photos spot, in particular, the blackberries and wild carrots, relatives of our crops grown on our allotments, and wild forms of erodium, achillea and others that are the cousins of our garden plants.

As we moved closer to the car park shrubs took over, some brightly flowered and berried, mostly rose briars and a type of broom. Their cheerful colours made a fitting end to our great day of beachcombing.

Tags coastal flowers, sand dunes, sea, seaside, the sea, the shore

photography the sea the seaside the shore

Strands – Discovering a Beach – Part Two

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date December 29, 2013
4 Comments on Strands – Discovering a Beach – Part Two

Back on our favourite beach on the North Wales coast we are carrying on our discovery of the gifts the sea has deposited on the strandline. First she uses her power to shape and smooth, to erode hard and soft matter alike. Feathers, seaweed, boulders, stones and all sorts of wood.

I promised a selection of images of pebbles that the sea has created from man made materials normally found on a building site.

We followed on carefully studying the pebble beach and the strandline picking up interesting pebbles and shells until we felt we needed to turn around and start back. We decided to walk back following the grass path along the top of the beach so made our way carefully over the pebbles and rounded boulders upwards. When doing this we found the remains of an old wooden pier now exposed and well-eroded. This slowed our progress to a stop as here there was so much of interest.

Enjoy our exploration of the old wooden structures and share with us the smells, sounds and sights all around. Follow the gallery by clicking on the first photo and using the right arrow to move on.

The sea forced the pebble between the wooded pieces like a magic trick.

Once we decided to make our way back to the car we started searching for objects we wanted to collect to take home as added features to our seaside garden. This part of our garden needs a revamp in the spring so the items we collected will be most useful.

In Strands Part Three we will make our way back to the car and a welcome cup of coffee!

Tags beach combing, beaches, North Wales, sea, seaside, shorelands, the sea

awards Britain in Bloom buildings garden photography gardening outdoor sculpture the sea the seaside

Awards and Wet Weather in Cleethorpes

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date November 3, 2013
7 Comments on Awards and Wet Weather in Cleethorpes

We have just returned from a weekend up on the Lincolnshire coast. We had been invited to attend the RHS Britain in Bloom award ceremony at Cleethorpes’ Beechcomber Entertainment Centre, a rather strange place harking back to the days of Butlins Holiday Camps. We were there to represent our Allotment Community as I am chairman and Jude is secretary to the management committee. We had to attend the ceremony on Saturday eve so decided to make a weekend of it.

The award ceremony was very successful for us, the rest of the weekend less so. But we are gardeners and hardy folk so we were not going to let the wild weather beat us. At the ceremony we proudly received an RHS National Award of Distinction. This was a result of our awards Bowbrook Allotment Community received at the RHS Its Your Neighbourhood Award Ceremony in Birmingham in September, a “Level 5 Outstanding Award” and two RHS Discretionary Awards, the “Community Gardening Award” and one awarded to me for “Outstanding Merit Award for Leadership in Community Gardening”. We came away with some beautiful cut glass trophies as well as our certificates.

The east coast of England was battered by winds and heavy rain over the weekend but being a hardy pair we carried on regardless and enjoyed a bracing walk along the promenade. The gardens here had been recently renovated and were neatly kept. We are not fans of bedding plants formally planted nor of conifers but admired the gardeners handiwork none the less. Sculpture pieces featured along the promenade gardens.

All the photos were taken through pouring rain and often through a filter of rain drops on the lens filter glass.

Cleethorpes had become run down but is experiencing a bit of a revival and civic pride seems to be returning. However some of the traditional buildings of seaside resorts were looking worse for wear especially emerging from the gloom of the day.

But we weren’t the only brave souls defying the elements. Dog walkers, fishermen, the seaside donkeys and windsurfers were equally defiant.

Drying out after our promenade along the sea front took some time but the seaside in rough weather has its own specific charm about it. It was heartening to see a seaside town trying to reinvent itself using gardens as a starting point, a good way to create some pride in a place.

Tags bedding plants, Britain in Bloom, Cleethorpes, RHS, seaside

the sea the South

Go South – One

We like a few days away in early autumn. If you can appreciate what this season has to offer then you miss the summer a little less. Thus we travelled southwards for a midweek break.

We planned to enjoy the glories of gardens and the sights and sounds of the sea. My blog seems to feature rather a lot of coffee and cakes so in this first post in a short series called “Go South” we invite you to join us in a wonderful little cafe in the historic town of Rye.

We found “Cafe des Fleurs” near the harbour in one of the black, clapper-boarded warehouse of the old port. A surprise awaited us for as we crossed the threshold the aroma of coffee and the scents of flowers greeted us. This was a coffee-house and a florist all in one.

The flowers were displayed in antique wooden boxes from the local fruit and vegetable farms and a mixture of baskets and tin-ware. These were not full of the usual florists’ fancy foreign flowers but of traditional English garden flowers. Snapdragons, Sunflowers, Delphiniums, Roses.

Sit with us now and enjoy the freshest of coffee and a delicately flavoured slice of Lavender Cake.

The furniture for coffee drinkers was a total mix, antique chairs, well-used tables and soft sofas inviting you to lounge. All around were tasteful local crafts and enticing handmade sweets. From the beams of the ceiling hung colourful bunting reminiscent of the sea and flags.

We couldn’t have found a better place to escape from a heavy downpour of cold rain. Relaxing. Sensual. Creative. Mix’n’match furniture. Maritime artifacts.

In the other Go South posts you are invited to join us as we explore the coast and a little further inland some excellent gardens.

Tags coast, coffee shops, Rye, seaside

photography the sea

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside!

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date September 21, 2012
4 Comments on Oh we do like to be beside the seaside!

A day at the seaside in September is a real treat. The light is good for taking photos and there are few visitors. The holiday rush is over so even the busiest resort becomes a peaceful place.

And of course the tides are powerful at this time of the year.

Today was Jude, the Undergardener’s mother’s birthday, so we took her for a day at the seaside. We chose Rhos-on-Sea on the North Wales coast as it has a flat, level walk along side the sea. Just like me, Jude’s Mother is awaiting a new hip so level is good at the moment – or perhaps even essential. Equally essential is an ice cream and cups of tea purchased from the refreshment cabin along the waterfront and relished while overlooking the sea.

Enjoy the sea views with us and imagine the sea air getting deep into your lungs accompanied by the smell of seaweed and fish and chips. Imagine the sound of the sea splashing against the sea walls, the screeching calls of gulls and the swishing of yachts cutting through the waves.

Some of these may take a bit of working out! Bits of boats and beach finds.

September is the time for big tides. When we arrived at the sea front the waves were crashing over the sea wall and washing over the path and cycle way. As the tide receded it washed over the steps down to the beach and frothed around boulders and pebbles.

The power of the sea and the eroding effect of salt spray shows itself in many ways. It rots away table tops and eats away at concrete walls making rust leak out.