Post by Graeme on Jul 11, 2005 21:24:52 GMT
On Friday, I headed up into Suffolk to explore the coastline.
After some time, I found myself in Aldeburgh. Here, the promenade and pebbled beach are totally flat. Not a cliff in sight. High, terraced houses face the sea, with seagulls perched on their roofs. The birds’ call provides the soundtrack to all atmospheric seasides.
I fastened my raincoat as the sea spray flew in my face, and walked north through the gloom. In the distance, something caught my eye - a sculpture. I cut a diagonal across the beach, the stones slowing my heavy stride. As I got nearer to the sculpture - a giant shell - I realised it was a memorial to the composer Benjamin Britten. He wrote a haunting piece called Peter Grimes, about a fisherman blamed for the death of his assistant.
With this melancholy music in my head, I began to return to the car. Suddenly, the most gigantic seagull swooped over a hut selling fresh fish, past my head and disappeared between two beach huts. This enormous beast was a Great Black-Backed Gull, the biggest of all British gulls. Its wingspan must easily have exceeded 5ft.
I jumped over the concrete partition and followed the creature. As I reached the ends of the beach huts, a breathtaking scene fell before me - a beach full of Herring Gulls and the even larger Black-Backed Gulls.
After some time, I found myself in Aldeburgh. Here, the promenade and pebbled beach are totally flat. Not a cliff in sight. High, terraced houses face the sea, with seagulls perched on their roofs. The birds’ call provides the soundtrack to all atmospheric seasides.
I fastened my raincoat as the sea spray flew in my face, and walked north through the gloom. In the distance, something caught my eye - a sculpture. I cut a diagonal across the beach, the stones slowing my heavy stride. As I got nearer to the sculpture - a giant shell - I realised it was a memorial to the composer Benjamin Britten. He wrote a haunting piece called Peter Grimes, about a fisherman blamed for the death of his assistant.
With this melancholy music in my head, I began to return to the car. Suddenly, the most gigantic seagull swooped over a hut selling fresh fish, past my head and disappeared between two beach huts. This enormous beast was a Great Black-Backed Gull, the biggest of all British gulls. Its wingspan must easily have exceeded 5ft.
I jumped over the concrete partition and followed the creature. As I reached the ends of the beach huts, a breathtaking scene fell before me - a beach full of Herring Gulls and the even larger Black-Backed Gulls.
