Tucked away in Pevensey Bay

Determined to press on with the recall training, I did the school run and then drove on to Pevensey with Bruce and a large box of treats! Pevensey Bay is great for dogs because its never too busy and there are plenty of bins along the top of the beach for the mess. I like to walk towards Bexhill, partly because there is less access to roads (for when the recall isn't quite working!) and because it always feels a bit more interesting in that direction. Plus there are two cafe / bars along the top! 

We did have a quick look towards Eastbourne, and went over to chat to a guy setting up his fishing rods. Apparently he always catches a few fish, certainly more than when he goes lake fishing, but I reckon its just an excuse to spend a perfect day enjoying the beach and sunshine!

Lots of the groynes along Pevensey beach are just there for arty sake nowadays! 

(And for Bruce to tangle up in with his lead)

Even though the tide had been coming in for a couple of hours by then there was still plenty of sand to run along.

My eldest always used to call these the lampshades of the sea!

The ultra low tide part two!

After our visit to Cooden Beach, we decided to go on to Bexhill which also has beaches all the way along the town centre and onto Glyne Gap (mmm, delicious cafe!). Taking advantage of the free parking which runs along the east side promenade, we picked our spot by the beach huts...

The curves of the sand were very arty!

Looking back towards Bexhill town centre; all those lucky people with views straight out to sea!

It was such a clear morning, we could see all of Eastbourne seafront... and St Leonards & Hastings!

There is no more space on this rock. None at all!

The sand went on for miles and miles and miles. In the end, we decided to go 'up top' in search of a late breakfast!

How low can it go?!

On Sunday morning I woke early to a perfect sunrise, and couldn't believe my luck when I checked the tide times. It was an ultra low tide of 0.15m and not until 8.05am - a perfectly respectable time to get down to the beach for! Our nearest beach is Pevensey Bay, but this time we headed left and our first stop was at Cooden Beach. The road runs along the top of the beach, and you can parallel park (for free) all the way along but pick your spot wisely as the pebbles are not so compact in some areas!

This beach is never busy, even in summer, and there was definitely plenty of space for us!

The tide was so far out, I have never seen half the rock formations before, with so many different rock types, shells and pools...

I am not sure how often these little ones ever see the sunshine!

For anyone that doesn't expect sand along the East Sussex coast! When the tide is out, there is always a flat sandy beach to play on, and this morning the sand stretched for ever...

Who knew these little guys were under the water?!

Beach huts perfectly placed for all day sunshine!

As we started the long walk back up to the car we passed a lonesome lobster cage. 

Nothing but seaweed inside!

From here, we drove on to Bexhill - more later xx

Half term shenanigans

How could we resist the call of the beach, having done the girly shopping trip?! 

Perfect place to stop off on our way home is Pevensey Beach (especially with free, next to the beach parking till March!) and with the high street right next door, we could even pick up some chips for our trip...

One lonely seagull bobbed on the sea, enjoying the sunshine!

Today you could see 'the whole world' according to one little visitor, and certainly all the way to Eastbourne and Hastings...

And the tide went out a little bit more...

 We couldn't believe our luck yesterday, when we managed to catch an ultra low tide with some beautiful sunshine! Having decided to combine our beach trip with coffee and a dog walk, we headed off for west Eastbourne, as the cliffs start to climb. There is a reason for so many benches on the paths from the road down to the seafront - fantastic views like this!

We came out a little way along from the cafe, so it was just a case of deciding whether to join the flow east...

or west!

The tide was so low, the rock pools seemed to go on for miles and miles. For once, it wasn't too slippery or muddy, so everyone could hop, skip and jump across.

We spotted some beach art...

And then headed off to Holywell cafe (cash only guys!) for a coffee, to sip as we watched the tide come in.

Eastbourne's Sunbeams

Ok, so there haven't been many sunbeams around recently, which means when they finally get the chance to fill the sky, you have to make the most of it!

Not many people around - this could be because of the rather chilly breeze on the seafront! Perfect paths for jogging & roller skating though...

The views from the pier are always fantastic and Eastbourne looks glorious facing the sunshine! 

Of course, you have to pop to the pier, and I have no idea how this young man could wander round in shorts! Next stop is a blood warming coffee...

We all love a sunset

Most of us are fortunate enough to have witnessed some beautiful sunsets, some after a hot day at the beach, others after a much chillier day! Several friends took some amazing shots of the Sussex coast over Christmas 2014 and by all accounts, had some great times wandering over the pebbles. 

So, I was wondering... given that you can view a stunning sunset all over the world, with city skylines, palm trees, sand dunes and piers outlined against the reddening skies... what makes a magical sunset for you?

#ittransportsme