After a failed attempt to get to the beach over the bank holiday, a return visit to Camber after the crowds had left was just what was needed says Heidi Foster.
My family insisted, though I warned them not to, on making the trip down from London and could I meet them there? Quite a few hours later they had found a car space and a big enough area on the beach to unpack. The children, 11, 4 and 6 months, looked forward to swimming but their mother had not checked the tides so initially the water was way, way out. They stayed until late to avoid the traffic, (which didn’t work of course), but at least the second tide came in.
Thinking 4pm would be a good time to go to Camber and meet them, I headed out hoping for less traffic and heat. Not so.
Cars were still parked everywhere on the verges, and others snaked very slowly along the road. A rumour has it that wardens along the Camber Road gave out a lot of tickets. By 5pm, half way there, a lot of cars turned round, including mine.
A few days later, it was still warm and with the tide in during the morning, it was a good time to try to get to Camber again for a swim. There were few cars on the road, a parking space was found, and both the sea and sand looked very inviting.
After a lovely swim, the challenge was to get out as the waves hitting the shore were quite strong and balance was difficult. Back to the towel to read but it didn’t take long to get uncomfortable as the sand blew all over my face, blanket and folded clothes. Surprisingly, the parents were very patient because the children absolutely loved digging and throwing sand. It took me back to family outings on the beach, although I didn’t like it then with sand in the sandwiches, bags and swimming costumes – which always got brought back into the house.
Coffee was needed and Leo’s was just the place! Rye News wrote about it when it opened in February, but it was a first for me. it was bright and clean, with no sand on the floor and very friendly staff serving wonderful coffee.
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Image Credits: Heidi Foster .