Brean Beach

Sunday 28 June - Since it is finally starting to feel like summer here, Ian and I have been starting to dream of the beach. We decided to take a trip to the beach, with our friend Caryn and her sister. Trying to avoid crowded and touristy beaches we made our way south to Burnham on the Sea and then headed North along the coast road until we reached Brean. The beach here is protected by a spit of land called Brean Down. It was one of the most unusual beach experiences I've had. We parked literally on the beach and set up a blanket in front of the car. There were lots of people but not many had set out towels. The sand, if it can be called such was dark brown and proved to be muddy and clay like as the tide went out. When we first arrived the water was quite close to where we parked but by the time we finished are picnic it was several hundred yards away. There were no rocks or shells on the beach and very little seaweed. After eating we decided to walk to Brean down to explore a fissure in the cliff face. We then walked to the water which was no easy task as the mud sometimes rose to mid-shin. Once there, a beach patrol truck came along to announce that at this point with the tide going out and the sand being so soft it was no longer safe to be at the waters edge. We made our way back to the beach and decided to walk up the stairs to the top of Brean down. We tried walking to the end of the spit but every time we thought we were there we would crest a hill and see more land. As it was starting to rain we made our way back to the car. On the way back to Bristol we stopped in cheddar to peek in the shops and drive through the gorge. An unconventional beach outing but fun.