First light.

Finally I make it to the beach in time for sunrise. I have been wanting to do this for weeks, and, of course, the longer I leave it, the earlier it gets. It’s not that I don’t wake early; I sleep so badly that I’m rarely not awake at 5 or 6am. It’s just the early morning walk down the hill, and the inevitable walk back up that puts me off. And so today I take the car - strictly speaking breaking lockdown rules 

The prom is deserted, as is the beach. At 6.30, the orange glow over the Clwydian Hills is already burning ever stronger, but there’s no warmth yet from the sun and the beach is icy cold. The snow moon still hangs above Rhos, its white light reflected in the wet sand (in extras) 

It’s too early yet for many birds - just the odd crow or pigeon or gull, though unusually a pair of geese fly past overhead honking loudly, and the wind turbines emerge out of a pinky mauve on the horizon to the north. 

Almost imperceptibly, the orange glow turns to gold, and the sun peaks out above the distant hills, rays sparkling through the triangular supports of a tide marker. 

Immediately the sand is bathed in golden light, and the sun’s warmth breaks through the morning chill. It’s easy to stay a while longer now, exploring the shoreline, discovering a stranded starfish, watching a few gulls preening in tidal pools and following a few more turnstones foraging in the seaweed. before heading home.