Monday, Monday

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Though very warm, even hot, weather is predicted for this coming weekend, on Monday, July 27 there were more people in the queue outside Jempson’s supermarket in Rye around lunchtime than there seemed to be on Camber Sands mid-morning – though it is possible more lurked in the far distance toward Lydd, where quite a few kite flyers were taking advantage of the windy weather.

At Jempson’s however, just after lunch, the queue snaked to the back of the car park, where delivery vans can often be seen in the very early morning, and then continued along the back wall towards Ferry Road.

And, while there were a few individuals and couples, there were also a lot of families with their trollies, keeping their social distance while trying to entertain their children in a very busy and very full car park.

Camber, however, was nearly the complete opposite, with very few cars in the two big car parks and very few adults or children on the beach – though a few could be seen in the distance as it was around low tide, and there was a lifeguard vehicle parked right on the edge of the sea between the two flags identifying the safe bathing area.

Ignore at your peril.

And, though not many people could be seen, there was a flurry of kite canopies lifting surfers above the waves at the far end of the beach towards Lydd. And Rother District Council’s coastal office was open with a couple of beach patrollers wandering about, but with virtually no children who needed armbands in case they got lost.

The lavatories at both car parks were also open, but the police station / office in the central car park was not – possibly because so few people were around.

However both lifeguard stations, by the West and Central car parks, were staffed with vehicles ready to leap into action if required. And the number 102 buses were trundling back and forth from Rye Station to Camber and Lydd in the absence of much traffic along the coast road, although there were many more cars in Rye town….with a lot of it heading for Jempson’s.

So the traditional services which appear at the peak times in the summer on Camber Sands are in place – and waiting for the weather to improve. And on Monday the Met Office was forecasting that Thursday would be sunnier, and Friday / Saturday would be even hotter (with Saturday possibly the hottest).

Given a lot of uncertainty around foreign holidays, particularly Spain, the weekend may therefore see a rush of day trippers to the coast from the Greater London area with traffic possibly (and predictably) brought to a halt.

On duty, ready for action

Image Credits: Nick Forman .

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