You cant fight a feeling and todays feeling was to ignore my holding pattern and run hard becuase my body told me it wanted to. I hit maximum flow(tm) almost immediately and as the weather was fine and the tide out I just let nature take its course. All of a sudden I’m running 7 minute miles on the sand without really noticing! After a while I eased off as I deep down I knew not to take too many chances but good to shake out the legs.
I saw some stuff too!
I saw a helicopter that did a lot of hovering
Perhaps they just do a lot of hovering practice
I saw people climbing at witches point
One fell off but sadly they had safety ropes
I saw the beach from the top of the ladders
For perspective the climbers are doing the safe routes at Witches which is the point at the top of the photo
I saw an even higher tunnel of rape seed oil
Pollen tunnel of doom
I saw what appear to be tulips growing wild (ok maybe big crocus I dunno)
All in all I ran some, I saw some and I came home happy. All you can do sometimes
As far as the tide here is concerned it’s this low …
A very low spring tide at Nash Point. Normally the darker reef on the shoreline is never exposed.
Which is awesome when you get to run on it all morning. It was a fun training type run of around 10 miles at an average pace of under 11 mins a mile which I’m really happy with considering it was cliffs and beach. I can definitely feel progression happening. I can comfortably keep up a quicker pace for longer now and the wheels don’t seem to fall off as quickly. In fact I positively raced home from the beach.
As the tide was so low I explored Witches Point at Southerndown for a while as I could get to bits normally cut off.
Caves in the cliffs.Wait what? Looks like someone has been practicing their underwater climbing techniqueThe erosion of the seabed here makes for some amazing rock formationsMore rocksLoved this one
Shook out the legs today after a few days following the half. Been out on the bike but wanted the foot to recover a bit. So off to the beach for the last day of my summer holiday – back to school tomorrow. I hope the kids are nice :p
Was a bit gloomy and grey starting off. If only I could get up at sunrise to get photos like SRG does.
Still beautiful though
As the tide was well out I came across this rock which seemed to me to contain it’s own little ecosystem and world.
A whole world on a rock
On my return journey I stopped where the cliffs get lower to have a quick hunt for fossils. Teh formations here are beautiful – They remind me of sedimentary tetris.
Layer on layer on layer etcThats a whole lot of layers
Then I started wondering about the greenery a bit further up – Mother don’t read this bit 😉
So off I went, I’m not entirely dull, I wouldn’t climb the cliffs in the photo above but there’s a section where you’re not underneath rock and the gradient allows you up with just a bit of scrambling. I also don’t like heights and so it’s time to kick that fear in the bollocks – So up I went (come on natural selection poke me in the eye)
The rocks on the right are climbable and stable enough.
I figured that if vegetation can grow and thrive up here then it’s all stable right? Plus it will bind everything together. Right? I found a whole new ecosystem up there that you can’t see from the beach.
Green ivy stuffVegetation everywherePlus these things which kind of looked like a cabbage like stalk thing (as you can tell I’m no botanist)
It was great to explore up there a bit and the different view of the coast was cool.
A different persepective
After I tired of my botanical investigations (it was also cold) I clambered down carefully and rejoined my run.
I spotted this ….
How?
I mean how? How the hell does a TV get onto the beach – in fact at least 3 miles from the nearest road over rocky terrain and not be smashed. Do TVs float?
My theory is that we have had a lot of trippers this year who come camping and miss their home comforts – But where do they plug it in?
Anyway I watched Homes under the Hammer and ran home.
Blue Green Gold Grey, Awyr Maes Tywod Aarreg 