Soul food

Going to the beach, says the wife, is very good for the soul. She's absolutely right of course and it's something we don't do nearly enough considering we live 40 minutes drive from some very nice beaches and an hour from some truly spectacular ones.

She also points out that it appears to be a very English thing to head for a freezing cold beach in the middle of winter. It is absolutely one of my favourite things. Given the choice of winter or summer, a winter visit would win every single time.

Today it was Wells-Next-The-Sea - no 'To' because, well, it's in Norfolk and that's the way things are done round here. It's a glorious place with a line of beach huts as far as the eye can see (incidentally, none being used today - wonder if you can rent one for the winter months?) looking out over a huge expanse of sky and today numerous seal pups basking with their mums (squint at the middle picture above and imagine seal pups).

Top it all off with fish cake and chips and a flask of coffee in the car and, well, life makes an awful lot of sense after a visit to the beach in winter.