Almost like going back in time, a visit to the British Seaside, (in this case the sleepy town of Teignmouth in the County of Devon in the West Country) is evocative and redolent of the world before globalisation, package holidays and the image soaked beauty of exotic destinations via the medium of instagram.
As air travel became affordable, British holidaymakers began their annual pilgrimage to Spain in the 1960's in search of guaranteed sunshine and a taste of the Mediterranean. This was the beginning of a new age in the British Seaside. Many people still come to the seaside: those who remember their own childhood holidays. Also the ones who fear / dislike foreign ideas, travel, food..hot weather and the difficulty of other languages. It looks like the weather is pretty dismal here but in fact it was quite pleasant with a stiff breeze. Later that day as the clouds rolled on, it was actually bathed in glorious sunshine... for a while.
The English Channel is not often a bright blue or clear. (I have seen clear water on occasion), but here in Teignmouth at the end of a river, the water is a chocolate brown like the sand. It looks impenetrable, foreboding, dark and quite intimidating. It's never that warm but it doesn't stop swimmers, surfers and paddlers from embarking upon regular entry. Don't expect to see many snorkelers here. Not that there isn't anything to see, far from it.. the waters are rich with life, but you'd do well to see anything.
In times of trouble, people hark back to earlier, safer memories. The British Seaside holds vast amount of collective memory, most comfortable treats, getting away from it all. Ice cream, fish & chips, sandcastles and the ever present penny arcade on the pier, where £'s are exchanged for tuppenies (two pence pieces) to feed the cascading penny falls machines, which provide a mesmering and cheap form of entertainment for kids and adults alike. The precarious promise of a cascade of pennies and the occasional sweet which eventually drop into your lap.
Seaside towns have had to reinvent themselves to appeal to a modern audience and one particular segment which has helped the survival if not full on revival of the British Seaside is affluent, retired folk who move to be near the sea. They breathe a new life into often hollowed out seasonal business. Coffee shops and cafes thrive with a group of people who have plenty of time on their hands to relax and enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Older people, often still very active, have the kind of flexible schedule which support all manner of clubs, classes and social events. The other benefit is that their families often come to visit in the warmer months. Especially those with children
21st Century, media savvy kids get to experience the kind of leisure that their parents and grandparents enjoyed without the constant clutter of internet, video, gadgets and games. My daughters love the beach, the sand, paddling in the sea. Fish and Chips, (a real seaside treat) often when the quality and freshness is markedly different from the city, perhaps it's the added sea air imparting an authentic seasoning or more likely, it's the instant eating.. as it should be. In my 20's I saw the seaside as crass, dead and a thing of the past. Now that I have kids, I can again enjoy it's simple pleasures. I forgot to take a jacket and although it didn't rain and the weather was on the whole, quite pleasant, the wind can bite around the neck !
