HOLIDAY TIME
Prices for holiday accommodation, flights to holiday destinations etc increase steeply when schools are on holiday. The accommodation I rented last week on the south coast will double in price when schools break for summer. In addition holiday resorts and beaches will be crowded, entertainment, food, ice-cream etc etc might also suddenly become more expensive. On Saturday morning I drove north, away from coast, to get home. In the opposite direction, all three lanes of a section of the M5 motorway between Bristol and Taunton was one long 35km traffic jam as too many people travelling from the north were trying to get to the coastal resorts in Dorest, Devon and Cornwall. In UK it was Late spring Bank Holiday - the normal Saturday, Sunday plus Monday. Because costs rarely increase for this short spring break, and if the weather is sunny and warm, many families will visit the coast. Everyone in UK knows the roads will be heavily congested, but like Lemmings they still make the journey.
Chesil Cove, Portland, 21.05.2019. Looking towards north.
Schools in UK will be working until first week in July. This beach is near where I was staying photographed Tuesday last week, only 5 people on the beach, temperature 20C, very gentle breeze as you can see from the calm sea. What you cannot tell from the photo is the sea temperature - it was about 11C, so nobody swimming! Also this beach shelves steeply, you can see the water becoming deeper, the blue colour becomes darker. Not a good area for children to swim or play . . . and the beach is composed of stones.
Two more Dorset beaches:
Ringstead Bay a few km east of Weymouth, 22.05.2019. I walked to the end of the beach where you can see the white chalk cliffs and rocks in the sea. I counted 6 people, none of them with any clothes on, hot sunny day, shallow sea so water temperature will be about 13C.
Beach between West Bay (on left) and Burton Bradstock (gap in cliffs to right), 23.05.2019. Photo taken from West Bay harbour, new flood defences being built. The cliffs are Jurassic Bridport Sands and this actual location featured in two BBC TV series - the 1970's "Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin" and more recently the crime series "Broadchurch". There are about 20 people on the beach, nodody in the sea. Despite the obvious cliff fall, in summer many people will sit close to the cliff, put down a blanket, get the picnic organised and doubtless fall asleep while sun bathing.
Both beaches have large areas for camping and touring caravans there are also several static caravan holiday parks, ca 100-200 caravans in each for holiday rent, but last week these are mostly empty. When schools start holiday, hundreds of families will occupy the camp sites, holiday parks and beaches.
Chesil Cove, Portland, 21.05.2019. Looking towards north.
Schools in UK will be working until first week in July. This beach is near where I was staying photographed Tuesday last week, only 5 people on the beach, temperature 20C, very gentle breeze as you can see from the calm sea. What you cannot tell from the photo is the sea temperature - it was about 11C, so nobody swimming! Also this beach shelves steeply, you can see the water becoming deeper, the blue colour becomes darker. Not a good area for children to swim or play . . . and the beach is composed of stones.
Two more Dorset beaches:
Ringstead Bay a few km east of Weymouth, 22.05.2019. I walked to the end of the beach where you can see the white chalk cliffs and rocks in the sea. I counted 6 people, none of them with any clothes on, hot sunny day, shallow sea so water temperature will be about 13C.
Beach between West Bay (on left) and Burton Bradstock (gap in cliffs to right), 23.05.2019. Photo taken from West Bay harbour, new flood defences being built. The cliffs are Jurassic Bridport Sands and this actual location featured in two BBC TV series - the 1970's "Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin" and more recently the crime series "Broadchurch". There are about 20 people on the beach, nodody in the sea. Despite the obvious cliff fall, in summer many people will sit close to the cliff, put down a blanket, get the picnic organised and doubtless fall asleep while sun bathing.
Both beaches have large areas for camping and touring caravans there are also several static caravan holiday parks, ca 100-200 caravans in each for holiday rent, but last week these are mostly empty. When schools start holiday, hundreds of families will occupy the camp sites, holiday parks and beaches.