Escaping

We left behind so many village activities, like Church, Chapel, Brownies, Friends of the School, Embroidery Group, Youth Work, Macmillan nurses' coffee mornings, Yorkshire Countrywomen's Association, Reading Club, Fete Committee, a neighbour trimming her bush, gardening, barbecues, England football match at the pub followed by the Yorkshire Pudding eating competition (very dangerous to stuff your face in such hot weather).

The coast is always a good escape on these surprisingly sweltering days; there has been so little rain in the last few months that Cumbria (one of the wettest areas in England) is considering a hosepipe ban ! How will all the Sunday morning chaps keep their precious cars clean and gardens watered ?

We ended-up at Ulrome, south of Bridlington, where caravans are doing their best not to fall into the North Sea from the small mud cliffs. The road to Skipsea, or as the young lad calls it: Seaskip, has partially collapsed onto the beach and plenty of red signs are displayed warning that the road is no longer in use. I remember the Midweek radio programme many years ago with Libby Purves, featuring the battle of nearby Mappleton with the waves - inevitably lost.

It was good to feel the cooling sea breeze as we munched our cheese or tuna butties, gazing out at the few bathers or boaters. Our young lad was soon in the shallows, claiming that the water was almost tepid, presumably caused by sun warming the sand before the tide came in. There was even a small cafe and shop perched on the edge of substantial fortifications that have been constructed over a couple of hundred yards only - most of this coastline is left to the relentless ravages of the sea.

As my sister lives only a few miles away, we were foolish enough to leave the delights of nature in the hope of seeing a World Cup football win for 'mighty' England - the pain is too great to even begin talking about that.....