The beach in January

B, H and I went for a walk along the beach from Holkham to Wells this morning.  It was very cold and well below freezing in the early morning, but very little wind…thank goodness.
 
The walk was wonderful, lots of beach-combing, enhanced by the patterns the previous day’s wind had made in the sand (see extra).  The beaches are always shifting and changing with the winds and the tides, so every time one walks along them the features have changed, sometimes subtly, sometimes more dramatically.
 
We stopped at the beach café at Wells for a welcome, warming coffee and then walked back to Holkham via the pine woods.  We saw a number of birds, there were shore larks and snow buntings on the beach at Holkham, and Oyster Catchers at Wells.  Even when we got back to the car at Holkham, there were large flocks of Widgeon, some Egyptian geese and some red-legged partridge in the field next to the car park.  In addition, during the walk, at various points, we were treated to the sight and sound of large numbers of pink-foot geese flying low overhead…fabulous.
 
We walked about five and a half miles, and it was just glorious, even without any sun!
 
Smell the sea and feel the sky,
let your soul and spirits fly
Van Morrison