Down by the sea

I have always considered myself so lucky to have grown up in a seaside town, where a love of fishing, swimming and all things nautical were always going to be deeply etched into my DNA.

As a child, the seaside meant buckets and spades, rock pools, running into the sea whatever the temperature, ice cream and the joy of seemingly endless summer holidays.

As a keen photographer, the seaside means textures and colours, fine golden sands or weathered shingle beaches, the sights and sounds of happy holidays and ….. ice cream!

Torbay, or the English Riviera as it was once so named, became a part of my life in the early to mid eighties where I attended college one day a week as I trained to become a chef.

While I enjoyed the thriving nightlife it had to offer, with a myriad of pubs and nightclubs, the attraction for me was still the beaches and coastal paths in the bay and surrounding area.

So on a sunny Easter Sunday, there was no better time to walk the familiar sea front once more.

Torquay was thriving with the early season holiday makers, many of the and B&B’s and hotels now reopened and refurbished after their winter hibernation.

As much as I enjoy the solitude of a seaside town in winter, there is something about the way it comes alive for the forthcoming season, the gaudy displays of seaside toys, waiting to be bought, the hustle and bustle of the cafes and restaurants, the sound of excited children as they run from the still wintery water.

For me, the seaside will always hold these fond memories of my own childhood, it makes me happy to think in these days of games consoles, smartphones and such,  there is still a place for family time and a chance for another generation to build similar memories of their own.