Jane Duran, Pennant 2

The Power of the Sea

The sea is a paradox. It is always different, sometimes calm, sometimes choppy, sometimes with huge rolling waves. It can display many shades and colours, produces different sounds. Yet the sea is also a constant. Tides come and go, taking with them, sometimes, chunks of the land but the sea itself is always there.

My mile, which starts a few yards from my front door, is one I walk very frequently throughout the year.

Walking by the side of the water I am acutely aware of the elements. Here, in Britain's most easterly town, we have the huge East Anglian skies. We have the wind off the sea; a welcome cooling breeze in spring and summer, it can become an ear-numbing nightmare on the coldest winter days. And the sea itself is a powerful reminder that nature is a powerful force.

The statue of Triton on the promenade, untouched by the water itself, is pitted and marked from constant exposure to the salt air in all weathers.

The sea has another power, the power to attract, the power to give joy. From earliest times men and women have called this patch of land home and for centuries it has attracted visitors as a place to bathe and enjoy the natural environment.

Family groups with bags of chips or ice-creams, swimmers, dog walkers, couples walking hand in hand by the water’s edge all share the enjoyment of a place where we live in the moment yet are connected to the past in a long unbroken chain.

This beach is a happy place – miles of sand stretching off into the distance, lined by colourful beach huts and backed by parks, gardens and cafes. It is a wonderful place to idle away a day, a week or a whole summer.