Yvie Burnett: The magic of our coastlines

By Yvie Burnett

July 31 2021, 6:00 am

This week, as we celebrate the wonderful coastlines of Scotland, it has brought back to me so many fond memories.

As a child, I mainly remember holidays in Perth, but I think my first holiday was to a caravan in Nairn. Sitting on the beach for hours playing with a spade and pail was how we spent the days, and I think we even got sunburned.

Now, as an adult, I see pictures of Nairn beach and that whole coastline and think how lucky we were living in the north-east, to have that close at hand.

I miss the sand between my toes

Balmedie was our go-to place for sandcastles and running up and down the sand dunes, and now living in Bedfordshire, one of the most land-locked places in the UK, I miss the sand between my toes and the sound of the waves.

I played for hours at Nairn beach when I was a child.

Of course, it can be bleak up there, and you have to be hardy to want to go there all year round.

There is something magical though about looking out on an angry sea while safely inside with the fire on.

Coming from that wonderful part of the world where the coastline is a short drive away for most people, I wonder if we spent enough time taking in the beauty of the sea.

Inspired to travel

This week’s magazine has most definitely inspired me to revisit Nairn, and perhaps some of the wonderful coastlines featured this week where I haven’t ventured as yet.

As you know, a few weeks ago I came across Crovie by chance and was absolutely blown away by its beauty – and the north-east winds of course!

I was blown away on my visit to the coastal village of Crovie recently.

My Auntie Margaret now lives in a care home in Banff, and so when I come up to visit her and my Auntie Agnes, I’ve been spending much more time at the coast. Walking along the beach taking in the beauty and the sheer enormity of the ocean is a wonderful way to destress and just be alone with your thoughts.

I’ve stayed in hotels right on the beach before where the waves were so loud I wondered if I would manage to sleep, but by the end of the week I was dreading sleeping without them.

There must be something particularly wonderful about living somewhere so close to the waves.

Could a coastal property be the answer?

I wonder if after this week’s edition of Your Life, there will be a huge surge in purchases of coastal properties and a rise in booking them for weekends away. I’m seriously thinking I might take a look.

We went “Out Out” this week for dinner with our old neighbours. Lesley-Ann, like Gordon, has been through cancer treatment, although she has had hers for 20 years so far.

Her treatments have been gruelling, and I’ve been to some of them with her over the years.

Gordon and Lesley-Ann having a lovely time during our meal this week.

Although she has had many dark moments, she hasn’t lost her joie de vivre and her wonderful spirit, she just gets on with life no matter what.

It’s a long time since we have spent the whole evening laughing like we did, and that for me is the best sign that normality is returning.

The restaurant we went to was in the beautiful village of Woburn, famous for its championship golf course. Woburn is a 20-minute drive from our house and it’s the sort of place you don’t mind spending a bit extra for a cup of coffee in order to soak up the atmosphere and stroll around the interior-design shops.

High street hopes

Unfortunately, all village and town centres haven’t been so lucky since lockdown. I live in a village just outside Bedford and I was shocked when I decided to walk into Bedford town centre this week.

Obviously, we all know that Debenhams has had to close, but we have also lost our branch of Marks & Spencer and our local department store called Beales.

All the well-known names like River Island and Miss Selfridge have vanished too. Some new charity shops have appeared but it’s mainly boarded-up empty shop fronts and very few people walking about. It’s very sad and quite worrying for our town, and many like it.