A stretch of coast so close to home

I’ve lost count how many times we’ve walked this stretch of the Welsh Jurassic coastline and each time brings its own adventure. I’d mentally gone through the list of jobs and deadlines I’d been ignoring the past few weeks. So when we woke that Sunday morning, I lay in bed planning which ones to strike off first.

Then he said “let’s go to St Donats, it’s been ages.” So I trashed the To-Do list and we left the house for the day.

The great thing about this magnificent part of the world is that we get to call it home. It doesn’t matter how many times this well-trodden path has been trodden, we always find a new route, a new piece of the story to add to a 300-million-year-old one.

We walked through the forest to get down to the beach, seeing an overgrown path below the usual one, we decided to take this instead. Until it came to an abrupt end where the cliff had eroded and the path gave way to a vertical landslide of scree.

Eventually finding our way back up and then down to St Donat’s beach. Unprepared, with only a bottle of water between us, as we were only going to be out of the house for the morning. We ended up walking east along the rocky shoreline to Tresilian Bay.

Being seduced by the sound of the sea coming out of the cliffs and the feeling of being at a natural open-air theatre, with the very best acoustics playing out as we walked.

Continually mesmerised by the rock formations that forever keep on changing and adding new chapters to this 300 million-year-old story each time we visit.

40 minutes from home, I’m reminded that the greatest wonders in life can often be on my own doorstep.

“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach—waiting for a gift from the sea.” Anne Morrow Lindbergh, from A Gift from the Sea.
Welcome to our Coast to Coast loop. We are a group of photographers from around the world, from timezones as far flung as Australia to Canada and in between, each with a different seascape. Coast to Coast aims to document our changing sea views and perspectives – both literal and philosophical – of what the sea means to us, month to month through the changing seasons. To follow the loop, go next to the talented Ann Owen and experience her coastal adventure for July 2021.