Project 365 day 232: The Street

The Street is a natural shingle spit on a clay bank which extends about 800 metres into the Thames Estuary at Whitstable. We have walked along the seafront promenade below Tankerton Flats and towards Herne Bay a number of times, as it's a good wheelchair walk and is only about forty minutes drive from home, but it's the first time I've had a really clear view of The Street, which is only exposed at low tide. Today there were lots of families, cyclists, joggers and dog walkers out on the promenade and the beach, enjoying the sun, There were bright windbreaks, reminding me of childhood seaside holidays, women changing behind an outstretched sari, the smell of barbecues. The turbines of the Kentish Flats offshore wind farm sparkled on the horizon. Three rows of beach-huts cover the grassy slopes above the promenade, each a little different. Some are brightly painted in strong colours, others striped in pastels or deeper tones; some have peeling paint or simple woodstain. A few are embellished with bunting. Many have little verandahs above the path, where elderly couples sat with newspapers or groups chatted over teacups or wine glasses. Behind them, slatey sky, and on vacant slopes between groups of huts were tall swathes of wild fennel with yellow-green seed heads. 

It was good to be out.