Breathing

*Warning - this posting contains excessive amounts of photos!*

While we were away, Himself asked me if there was something specific I wanted to do on my birthday. Oh yes there was. For two years I have dwelt upon a walk we'd done before and yearned to do it again. It encapsulated all that I love about a coastal holiday. Ragged cliffs and screeching gulls. Sunny rolling hills and secret dark green valleys. Beach combing on sandy stretches and rock pooling in tiny tiny sparkling oceans filled with mini-beasts, pebbles and seaweed. I really really wanted to do this soul-satisfying walk again.

The first part of 'my' walk took us through dark cool rhododendrons dripping in sweetly scented purple and pink blooms. Every now and then a break in the densely packed foliage gave us flashes of sunshine and glimpses of the sea.

I love the way Heston island sits in the bay - Himself told me that during low tide you can walk to the island and we could just make out that it was covered in grazing sheep.

Suddenly we escaped the dark cavern-like path and burst out onto high craggy cliffs. I love this next part, lichen covered rock with sea-thrift hanging on precariously to non-existent ledges. Their papery pink heads bobbing in a delicious lightly salted breeze. We found ourselves a large enough ledge for lunch and sat and just absorbed the view.

It was a wonderful euphoric feeling high up with the wheeling gulls. 

 We were the only ones out on the narrow pathway that led us through sea-thrift and foxgloves.

Suddenly this airy path drops down to the sea to a pebbly beach - a beach combers delight. Sun bleached, sea washed wood litters the way. The occasional bright Wellington boot or fisherman's glove added a bright splash of man-made colour.

There is something about coastal light the lifts my soul.

The boys delighted in hunting for treasure and to see them enjoying themselves so much gave my heart such a happy squeeze.

At the end of this beach, a small hamlet of wooden houses nestles in the lee of a  protective forest.  Some are holiday escapes and others, well we think are occupied as homes and on a day like today, a hot and sunny afternoon - what a wonderful retreat, but in winter wet, I am sure it would be wild and cut off.

We followed the path around the forest and then turned into its dark and cool interior. I was surprised to see that there were still carpets of bluebells. Only just beginning to fade but the air still filled with their delicate scent. We emerged from the cool forest into early evening air to find a lochen surrounded by wild flowers, wild looking ponies and swallows.

Try as I might I could not capture the swift darting movement of the birds as they swooped low over the water to catch insects.

We lingered a while, watching and enjoying then set off to return to the car. I was feeling really satisfied by 'my birthday' walk but was not prepared to 'give it up' just yet, so asked Himself if we could drive a little way down the coast and park up and have a tea and watch the tide turn.

While we were sitting on the rocks, drinking tea and finishing off the remains of our picnic lunch, something caught my eye......  

The sheep that had been grazing on Heston island were being herded back towards the mainland. We sat and watched, amazed as four modern day horse-powered shepherds brought back their flock across the wet sands just ahead of the returning tides.

It took them a long time to cross the sands and as they drew closer you could just make out the sounds that sandy wet hoof steps make. There was the occasional shout to the dogs but on the whole it was a quiet event unfolding in front of our eyes. One of the outriders, once they had almost reached the shores, cantered ahead and open the gates to the coastal field. Then in a well oiled operation, the sheep returned to mainland and began to graze as if nothing had happened.

What a wonderful way to end a wonderful walk - it made it a perfect gift and it made me so very hap-hap-happy.

*happy sigh*

PS told you there were lots of pictures!