What Port Gaverne beach means to me..
18 December 2016
Many things, but I’ll pick out 3 words: memories, solace and fun! I grew up just over the road from the beach, so it’s always been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
It was my playground as a young child, and I spent my summers swimming from the beach and winters playing on the beach and exploring the cliffs.
As a teenager, it became a social place, hanging out with friends, sun bathing, swimming and watching in awe, when the guys jumped off the top of Tags Pit – I was only brave enough to jump from the cave, carved out of the cliff half way up, which you can only swim up to when the tide is in. I know every nook and cranny, rock pool & cave. It’s a wonderful beach for swimming, when the water is clear and the tide is in, you can see the amazing colours of the rocks beneath you. When we were growing up, my brother had a fishing boat and we spent many a day fishing for mackerel just out to sea, through The Gut and out past Gulls Rock. The best days were when the sea was as still as glass, and bird feathers would float on the surface. We used to jump overboard and swim. Sometimes you would see Basking sharks. He would then sell his catch straight from the beach to holiday makers, or my parents (who owned the local pub & restaurant, where we lived) to put on that night’s menu.
My own children have spent many summers on Port Gaverne beach too, and I have lovely family memories of rock pooling with them, making dams and just generally playing about on the beach as a family, including our dog, who loves it as much as we do. Now the kids are older, they love the thrill of jumping off Tag’s Pit too (they go off the top).
We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with family and friends in Port Gaverne – and of course, the beach featured – the venue for beach games, a swimming competition and BBQ breakfast.
Port Gaverne beach is such a special place, whatever the time of year, if I’m feeling happy or sad. I love the beach in winter, when you have it all to yourself. It’s exhilarating standing at the water’s edge or sitting on the rocks during a storm, watching the sheer majesty and beauty of the sea and the waves crashing onto the rocks, when it feels like the sea is towering above you.