Blakeney Point

Saturday, 14 January 2012

Blakeney Point

Blakeney Point, is a 3-mile-long sand and shingle spit, and a paradise for all kinds of wildlife. It comprises of an extensive area of saltmarsh, vegetated shingle, dunes and grazing marsh. Wide open spaces and uninterrupted views of the natural and dynamic coastline make for an inspiring visit.

Thinking the wind would be as cold as it had been on the other days on the holiday, I wore my insulated walking trousers, but the sun beat down on us as we ploughed through the shingle all the way along the spit. It became one of those days where you anticipate the weather doing one thing, then it goes and does the opposite. I was overdressed and over heating! In desperation, there was nothing else to do but get my knife out and cut my legs off - my trousers that is. Well they were old and tatty walking trousers. What a relief!

So enough of my rambling on and down to some painting. I like the way two of these landscapes seem to have been stretched sideways - flat marshy expanses made some interesting shapes in the landscape. It would be a wonderful place to stay, there are little wooden shed-like huts near the lifeboat house tucked behind the dunes just idyllic for a bit of solitude in nature (and painting).

We sat and had a lovely picnic lunch brought from the deli at the village. We were out of the wind, looking out across the marshes. On our walk back the seals followed us in the sea, just off the shore, their heads bobbing up at intervals ahead of us expectantly.