Winter Sun at Costa Del Cleethorpes

I feel the need to write a post in celebration of my home town after enduring numerous snide remarks and comments about the place where I spent the first 18 years of my life since moving down to Richmond.  Nobody chooses where they are born or the background they are born into but people can choose what they want to do with their lives with the right guidance and upbringing.  I had an idyllic childhood thanks to my parents and family and I have many nice memories of my hometown as a child.  I may have chosen to no longer live there but I still enjoy coming home for a visit and today was a perfect Cleethorpes Sunday.

The cold, crisp sea air mixed with the clear blue skies and a nice blast of sunshine provided my favourite weather combination as I wrapped up in a hat, scarf and coat with my favourite fashion accessory of sunglasses to add to the mix.  We headed down to Cleethorpes seafront to take in the sights and enjoyed the rare tranquility that the winter brings to the coastline before the daytrippers and holidaymakers start to arrive in their droves around Easter time.

Stepping out of the car, I heard the familiar choo choo of the toy steam train which ambles along the seafront from the Leisure Centre to the theme park ferrying young and old alike in a nostalgic voyage of excitement, and I was transported back to childhood memories of a heady mix of noise and steam combined with the chill slap of the wind on your face as the train chugs along the tracks offering tranquil and panamoramic views out to the North Sea.

 

We then headed to the boating lake which was busy with other locals taking advantage of the first signs of spring and walking their dogs and children around the man made lake full of ducks and geese as well as the odd fish.  The lake glistened in the winter sun and the tranquil atmosphere was occasionally interrupted by the echoing squawks of its residents waddling around its banks in hope of a few scraps of bread or bird feed thrown at them by children walking by.

We cut across to the back of the boating lake alongside the tracks of the steam train before heading onto the sand dunes to take in the views of the ferries and transporter ships taking their cargo across the North Sea to Holland and Scandanavia.  Out in the distance you can still see the old, disused forts that have stood empty for so many years despite constant speculation that they are about to be redeveloped into a hotel or a rehab unit or to hold asylum seekers.

It was at this point that I thought that I should stop and snap a few pictures of my outfit, much to my Father's embarrassment who informed me that on a scale of 1-10 of being self obsessed I currently sit at 8.99 (although refreshingly I am apparently marginally behind my brother!)

I am wearing:
Jeggings - Abercrombie and Fitch,
Boots - Ash
Coat - McQ by Alexander McQueen
Jumper and T-shirt - both H&M
Bag - Mulberry
Hat and Scarf - Anna's Boutique on Richmond Hill
Sunglasses - Miu Miu

Of course I couldn't resist getting in a cheeky little pose just to embarrass my Dad further infront of all the dog walkers!

I then stumbled across a piece of drift wood and just had to get in a couple of photos with the husband, by which point my Dad had walked away in embarrassment as my Mum took the photos....

This one was taken by Mum by mistake but looked so hilariously posed I couldn't resist fitting it in....

Finally we emerged onto the promenade, where I had to get in a shot of the beach, with the tide out, just to show you that Cleethorpes has one of the finest sand spaces in England...

 

I feel incredibly lucky to have been bought up in one of England's last quintessential seaside towns.  It may not have the glitz and the glam of London, the contacts of a Middle Class upbringing in Richmond or the cultured opportunities for music and the arts like Liverpool but it does have my family, my friends and my memories...as well as a pretty nice place for a Sunday stroll.