Hemsby Gap and the nearby dunes had been the subject of a recent tv programme which was partly filmed early last December when a huge tidal surge washed away the lifeboat station and caused part of the dunes to collapse, resulting in three chalet-bungalows falling down onto the beach; as I walked along it was difficult to tell just which part of the dunes had collapsed and exactly where the houses had been, and on such a gloriously sunny day it was hard to believe that last winter's storm had done so much damage.
With Sophie and Sugar pottering about at the water's edge and paddling in the lagoon left behind when the tide went out I made my way along the beach back to the camp site. The whole walk from the site and back would normally only take about an hour but Sugar is gradually slowing down with age - she's 16 now - and though she still enjoys playing she doesn't walk as fast, so that one-hour walk actually took two-and-a-half hours. Not that it mattered - on such a lovely afternoon, and with nowhere else to go, time meant absolutely nothing.
Back at the tent I fed the dogs, made myself a brew and something to eat, and spent the rest of the late afternoon and evening reading my book and watching a dvd. Surprisingly it hadn't been as windy down on the beach but by 9pm it was blowing an absolute hooley on the cliff top so I clipped in the storm straps to help stabilize the tent then just before bedtime I went round and checked all the guy lines and pegs. The tent had stood up to high wind before and there was no point worrying about something which probably wouldn't happen so rather than fear the worst I went to bed satisfied that I'd done all I could to keep it safe.
