The Dunes of Roanhead

I was in two minds about what to do with the wee ones today.

The Eldest had already made plans with a friend, so it was just the Fearless Three in need of an adventure. I packed a picnic and with a wary eye on the weather, we headed for Roanhead in the hope that the clouds wouldn’t break.

I’ve tried to drill into the children that as long as you select the right clothes, the weather can’t spoil your day, so with their wellies and coats on combined with waterproof trousers (that have no right to still fit them) to combat the inclement weather we hit the beach.

At which point the rain stopped, the sun came out and they were instantly way too hot. We cleared the beach of sea shells, which were deposited back in the car along with the unrequired additional layers of clothing and exchanged for the picnic before we set off in search of dunes. Finding a place out of the breeze, we set up camp on top and had a most enjoyable lunch staring out across the bay, listening to the wind blow around us and marvelling at the speed of which the tide came in.

The wee ones started building a small sand fort and were playing quite happily (which always relaxes me), so placing my jacket behind my head and enjoying the warmth on my face, I laid my head back and just for the sweetest moment, gently dozed.

We continued our walk along the sandy banks until we came to a point where we had to descend. It was a steep drop and they were a little wary of how to get down, so I showed them by charging down the bank at speed, throwing my legs out either side of me for stability. It must have been quite a sight as I could hear their howls of laughter chasing me down the slope. They followed me down and both fell over laughing as they pencil rolled to the bottom.

Dignity is not a pre-requisite for The Fearless Three.

The remainder of the day was made up of some quiet time and baking of cookies in advance of the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Leicester, which unfortunately meant tears before bedtime for the boy who saw his team lose in the final for the second year running.

It was the only bum note of a rather lovely day.