If the gym is not for you, and you have had enough skinner and coffee mornings to last a lifetime, ask yourself why you are not on the beach. We really are so spoilt on the North Coast for stunning sandy coves, and they go on forever, well at least until you hit Mozambique and run out of South Africa.
Within half an hour of the Ridge you can rockpool, take photographs, walk your dogs, surf, swim, run, sunbathe or fish. There are kitesurfers and clam diggers, beautiful birds to watch and benches to sit on.
Our personal favourite is collecting sea glass. I obviously cannot share exactly where we find the vast quantities of glass now filling every available vase in my home, or my husband will leave me, but I can tell you that it is free, it is lying on our beaches and the very act of bending down every couple of minutes to pick up a new piece is very good exercise when combined with walking on sand. You are looking for sea tumbled pieces of coloured glass, with no sharp edges. In England it is sold for vast sums in the form of necklaces and bracelets.
My son and husband are addicted to the search and ever since a beloved friend introduced us to this fun way to lose a couple of hours, my son has his eyes on the sand, looking for an elusive ‘blue’ or ‘pink’. They are more valuable to him than any jewelry or precious stones.
So whether your pleasure is sitting and watching the dolphins, having a cocktail or swimming out for crayfish, use our beaches. If you ever have to live far from the sea you will wonder why you didn’t.