Hottest Day of the year so far!

Aunty Em

Aunty Em

Well-Known Member
With the temperature hitting 36C we've just got back from a great day out at a local beach hotspot which most tourists don't know about at Brightlingsea about 10 miles from Colchester. We got there at 10am and while it wasn't heaving at that time there were quite a few people there already, but there was still a disabled parking space free in the car park right on the beach. They have a safe area at the high tide mark bricked in as a paddling pool for the kids, no more than 18 - 24 inches deep with a great little beach surrounding it.

So first it was into the kids adventure playgound for about 20 minutes, then it was onto the sand, pick a spot, set up camp and start building some sand castles. After a while we had an ice-cream, then Rachel took Katie for a paddle in the pool which she seemed to enjoy - not forgeting to slap on plenty of factor 25 suncream first. I took plenty of cool drinks with us 'cos of the heat and we all made good use of them. About 1pm Katie said she was hungry so we decamped to the cafe/shop at the end of the row of beach huts and ordered chips, tea and a soft drink for Katie, then found a nice breezy spot on the seawall to sit and eat them while admiring the yachts out in the estuary. We had to wait quite a while for the chips 'cos the queue was pretty long by now and the beach was heaving. So finally about 2pm we returned to the car, dumped the beach stuff, paid a visit to the ladies... all those drinks... and then went back to the play area for half an hour.

They also have the open air swimming pool down there - quite reasonanly priced - and a massive half pipe, skate park, bmx track and basketball courts, all of which are free for the kids to use. Plus there's a nice big field where several people were flying their kites... must remember ours next time. Oh, and did I mention the carparking is free? All in all a nice relaxing day, without any noisey radios or amusements, just sand, sea, sun and fun. :)
 
Yep, we all caught the sun a bit on our faces despite the suncream, probably cos of the onshore breeze. I've just had a nice relaxing shower because when we got back I completely drenched with sweat.

We've decided to make it a regular wednesday date throughout the holiday while the weather holds. I never go to the beach at weekends or on public holidays in the summer cos there are just too many people. Midweek is best.
 
The breeze makes it more bearable... in fact the land is so flat here (like holland just across the north sea) that we're rarely without one. You can feel the change in atmosphere just as you get off the old clacton road and onto the brightlingsea road at thorrington... you feel a freshness in the air. Riding in the car at 50 with all the windows open is pretty good too... it's an open country road so we don't have to stop all the way there. :D
 
Shit, in my car down THOSE roads! I don't think so! They have warning signs, rumble strips and compulsory 30 mph limits on the bends! :eek2:
 
I never said it was constant! Just on the dual carriage way up to the Wivenhoe turn-off and the first mile or so of the old clacton road which is fairly straight... after that if you fancy meeting your maker by all means continue... but I wouldn't advise it. I usually travel at 40 - 45 until I get to thorrington. If you're not local and don't know the road it can be very hairy! It's very narrow and there are also a lot of stables down there too, so meeting a couple of horses and riders along the way is not unusual. Plus I've seen the damage a horse can do to a car when it bolts!

Unless you'r a complete nutter it's really not advisable to travel much faster than 50, on the local roads around here.
 
woah, first time i know of a higher temperature than ours in England :eek:
 
plenty of colin mccrash roads out your way aunty, i miss them a great deal :D

as for my lovely boiling summers day - sat at my desk for 11 hours.

arse.
 
Well I'm suffering now... I've had a reaction to the suncream and now have a fine red rash all over my face! It itches like hell! :(
 
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