Tuesday September 3rd 2013 - Horsey Mill and seals

The morning arrived with lots of blue sky and sunshine and though there was still some clouds around there weren't as many as the day before. After a dog walk on the beach and a chill out morning I took myself off to Horsey Mill; several times I've intended to go in there and climb to the top but never have so this time I was actually going to do it, and as it's a National Trust property I could do it for free. Unfortunately dogs weren't allowed in for obvious reasons but I managed to find a parking spot under a large tree which gave plenty of shade, so with the windows open, blinds closed and their fan on I knew they would be okay for the short length of time I would be away.

Each floor of the mill was accessed by a steep staircase ladder, with the top floor having a viewing platform on one side. Looking south there was nothing much to see except miles of flat land but there was a really good view looking north over the staithe; unfortunately though, part of the platform had no public access so no matter where I stood I just couldn't get a photo without having part of a sail or the balcony rail in the shot. Back at ground level I took a couple of shots along the staithe then returned to the van, released the dogs, and set off for the beach.

It was a very pleasant walk along the path between the fields and when I reached the beach I found that the seal colony wasn't as far along as it had been on my previous visit. After walking as close as I could without spooking them I sat down on the sand and slowly inched my way a bit closer, then with the loop of each dog lead firmly round my feet so I could use both hands for the camera I just sat there quietly watching them. Now unless it's mating season seals aren't the livliest of creatures and if they aren't taking a dip in the sea they just lie on the sand in semi-comatose lumps, occasionally waving a flipper or lifting a head to see what's what, so any sort of 'action' shots were out of the question but it was nice just to sit for a while in the sun and watch them, and I did get some good shots of the ones who took an interest in me.

Eventually it was time to go and I inched my way back along the sand to a safe distance before freeing my feet from the dog leads and standing up. The sun had been getting hotter by the minute and by the time I'd got back to the van all three of us were ready for a drink so I got a can of Coke from the nearby kiosk and gave the dogs some water then we headed back to California, making a slight detour on the way and stopping off  for coffee and a Belgian bun at Latham's.

Back at the camp site I found that my camping friend John had arrived in his large campervan and had pitched over the other side of the field; he'd come down for three nights, which I knew he was going to do, and though I would still be out on my travels during the daytime we would no doubt get together a few times for a chat, which we actually did a couple of times later on. As darkness fell I took Sophie and Sugar for their pre-bedtime walk round the site then with a mug of hot chocolate to hand I retreated to my bed to watch tv for an hour or so before settling down for the rest of the night.