Bright and breezy

This morning the weather looked good even though the stormy winds were still strong, a good day for a long overdue trip to the seaside . . .

We drove down the Colne valley to Brightlingsea on the Colne Estuary and after a warming pot of tea and substantial biscuit in a lovely cafe near the harbour we set on on a bracing walk . . .

We walked along a promenade lined with cheerful coloured beach huts, we remembered seeing these from our walks on Mersea Island on the far side of the wide estuary. This morning the tide was in and the wind whipped up waves that sent spray over walkers and dogs that got too near to the edge of the pathway.

The waves were crashing around Bateman's Tower, a WWII lookout post for spotting enemy aircraft heading towards London from across the North Sea.

Our route continued along the top of a high bank that protects the low lying fields and farmland from flooding. To our right and spread out below us was the expanse of reeds and grassland habitats of Brightlingsea Marsh nature reserve, the colours suddenly became vivid as sunshine broke through gaps in the the lines of clouds.

To our left were the huge blocks of stone making up the sea defences and the choppy water of the Colne Estuary. Between the water of the land are fragments of salt-marsh, you can see the spray from the waves hitting the muddy channels that cut through the low hummocks of vegetation.

We had hoped to see some wildlife but the wild winds meant they were probably tucked into the reedbeds and low scrubby bushes. However we did spot a small flock of birds which landed on the marshes, zooming in with my camera I managed to see they were Brent Geese and also some Curlew.

I don't think I've seen a Brent Goose before. They're surprisingly small, we spotted two Brent Geese in a field behind the sea wall, a rook landed next to them and was almost the same size!

Walking against the wind was hard work and trying to look at birds through binoculars was impossible as you couldn't hold them steady. So we took a route that turned inland along another high earth bank called The Great Divide!.

We circled round though fields divided by reed beds, the views were wide expanses of green and ochre.

Eventually we got back to the outskirts of Brightlingsea, through housing estates and then streets of Victorian red brick cottages. I made a mental note to return on a day when the interesting bric-a-brac shops would be open.

We decided to drive a bit further along the coast to Clacton-on-sea for lunch and a quick breezy stroll along the pier and the promenade gardens before heading home.

... It's almost time to watch the last episode of War & Peace ... Oh Pierre! so I'll sign off

C xx

May time on Mersea Island

You may remember that at the end of last year I blogged about our visit to Mersea Island in winter, today we returned ... it's our nearest seaside, an hour and a quarter drive away, and one of our favourite places for a relaxing day out on the coast.

Today we explored East Mersea, the smaller of the two villages on the island...

Our first stop was Mehalah's for lunch, a delightful relaxed restaurant specialising in local seafood. There were shelves of cook books and local history books to browse through while the chef prepared the food. 

The name may sound exotic but it's actually named after the eponymous heroine of a novel written by the local vicar Sabine Baring-Gould in 1880. I haven't yet read the whole story but it begins with a lovely description of the Mersea Island landscape - the whole novel is free online.

After our lunch, Cliff had crab salad and I had scallops and chorizo, we set off on a walk along the sea wall - an earth bank that prevents the North Sea from engulfing the island at high tide.

On the inland side of the bank, cows grazed on the lush meadows.

On the most easterly side the island are cliffs, we walked along the beach at this point as the cliff top path has been closed for safety reasons.

Can you see the wooden posts in the water? These are polders, brushwood fences which trap the silt which is suspended in the water and hopefully create mudflats which will slow down the waves and therefore protect the island from further erosion. It will be interesting to see how this landscape changes over the coming years.

As you can see, the cliffs are eroding pretty dramatically. The crumbly sandy silty clay layers contain fossils of animals which once roamed the area ... including hippos!

Past the cliffs and we were on a shingle bank with mud flats behind, another fragile environment... and home to adders.

We turned inland, through a caravan park (almost deserted, the lull before the Bank Holiday!) and walked along a leafy lane to East Mersea church, dedicated to St Edmund the martyred East Anglian king.

The palm tree in the churchyard is evidence of Mersea Islands mild climate.

Inside the church is surprisingly light and plain, but it's an ancient place - Roman building materials were reused in the walls. The first recorded rector was Martin De Bockinge in 1200 but the most renowned was Sabine Baring-Gould, if you hadn't heard of his novel Mehalah before today you will have undoubtedly heard of another of his works... the hymn 'Onward Christian Soldiers'. He also wrote a memoire in which he described his Mersea Island parishioners:

"Essex peasants are dull, shy, reserved and suspicious. I never managed to understand them, nor they to understand me." 

Charming!

Also in the church were some rather nice needlepoint hassocks depicting local birds.

Before heading home we went to another favourite place, the Art Café in West Mersea, for tea and cake. And a couple of treats - a plant (I couldn't resist a bargain) and a pork pie from the butchers for our supper.

Whatever you have planned for the Bank Holiday weekend I hope you have fun

Celia

xx

Eric lived here!

Never believe everything weather forecasters say . . . yes it was chilly, yes it was cold in the wind BUT LOOK it is SUNNY! the sky is BLUE . . .

Let's go for a walk . . .

After working this morning (there are a few photos on Instagram) and needing to visit somewhere after lunch we found ourselves in Castle Hedingham this afternoon. 

I'd printed off a walking route and we set off along the north Essex farm tracks . . .

. . . and sunken lanes glowing in the sunshine

About an hour and half later we were back in the village 

I wonder who lived in this elegant brick house near to where we parked the car?

OH! well well!

And just around the corner from Eric Ravilious's former home is a rather marvelous tea room . . .

. . . very nice cakes and a pot of Suffolk Blend Tea!

Perfect!

More photos of our walk can be found here.

Have a lovely weekend
Celia
xx

A Winter's Day on Mersea Island

Think Essex. Think Seaside.

You probably aren't thinking of a view like this . . .

Today Cliff and I drove down the Stour Valley along the Suffolk/Essex border and then South through Colchester and beyond to a causeway over The Strood to Mersea Island. On the way we stopped to collect Su (of Living on the Edge blog) who was joining us for our day out on the coast.

From East Mersea looking across the Colne Estuary you can see the coloured beach huts of Brightlingsea and yachts silently drifting by.

Then flocks of Wigeon took off from the marshes and gave us an aerobatic display accompanied by their high pitched fluting call and the low vibrating sounds of hundreds of wings (the RSPB has a lovely video here). It was an unexpected natural spectacle.

We then drove to the other side of the island to the village of West Mersea. After lunch at The Victory inn overlooking the Blackwater Estuary, we wandered down the lanes of the original fishing hamlet, the tiny cottages dating back to the 16th century.

After rummaging around an antiques and vintage emporium we were ready for tea and cake at the cosy Art Cafe before heading home.

A lovely day out on the frayed edge of Essex where the land and water mingle and time seems to stand still.

Celia

xx