Out in the Dunes on an Ordinary Sunday

It's nice to be out in the dunes on a sunny Sunday. In a way. But there are some distractions, it isn't all silence, sunshine and birdsong.

In the morning you are usually accompanied by all the joggers, arriving in their cars and then running some distance in the dunes. Some run by themselves, some with a friend or a co-worker, others run in bigger groups. Many wear the latest gear. Running like this often involves a lot of noise, as it can be a social event as well as a sporting one. As the day grows on you seem to see fewer joggers.



In the course of the day you get different people out there. We get the kilometrists, people who are in the dunes to walk for exercise, who walk at some speed and sometimes forget to look around them. Today at one of the viewpoints, while I was having a look round for birds, a man walked past me without stopping one moment or even looking up. I'm sure he enjoys his walks as much as I enjoy mine in his way, but I really like to take my time and to have a look round. The light was so beautiful today, it seems such a shame not to take time to enjoy all that.

In the afternoon you are joined by the young families, people with young children, on bikes or in pushchairs, the older children wearing their boots. And you get the social walkers, couples, groups of friends, catching up on all the news or xchanging experiences on mortgages or gadgets, or just sharing the latest gossip. Some are really nicely dressed, with nice shoes and Sunday clothes, and without a bag or rucksack. I always carry a lot of stuff as I am walking all day, so I have a rucksack filled with coffee, water, sandwiches, fruit, chocolate, camera. And in the course of a lovely day like today my jacket goes in there as well.



The dunes are a no-go area for dogs, so dog owners take their pets on to the beach. Today there was a meeting of dog owners, a big group of people and animals near the beach pavillion, so it was a little hard to get onto the beach.

On the south side of the dunes you have the race track, providing me with some background noise. It is mainly the sound of engines, but at some point around lunchtime the party sirens started to go off and accompanied me on my walk for about
half an hour. My hearing isn't very good to start with, so it got harder and harder to hear the birds. Those sirens can be very distracting.



And this is the time of year when the place comes alive again, when the new leaves start to appear, you can see the first signs of new berries. So many birds singing everywhere. It isn't too hot, so you can walk all day, and it's warm enough to take a break to sit down somewhere and enjoy the sounds and the views. The Lapwings, Plovers, Stonechats, Finches, Woodlarks and Woodpeckers. The Nightingales are back, and the Cuckoos, though I didn't hear or see those, but it's a nice idea that you might. And then to remember that it's only just over two weeks since we last had snow here....