Starting at Skegness Pier I am expecting this to be an uncomplicated walk up the coast passing more than enough holiday resorts along the way. I was right…

Having not had the urge to investigate the pier it is only as we move away from it that I realise just how short it is – apparently this was a deliberate move during the Second World War to make invasion more difficult for the enemy.

And here is the promenade stretching out into the distance – it is not very busy and we make good progress.

We pass the sign for the England Coast Path, which has now been renamed the King Charles 111 England Coast Path. This does not mean that it is complete – unlike Wales there are still many dots to be joined up.

https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/england-coast-path/

So down we go onto the beach for a while……

Just before the village of Ingoldmells, we pass the entrance to the first ever Butlins holiday camp, which was opened in 1936. Acres of static caravans and apartment blocks live in the shadow of giant fairgrounds and entertainment malls – these tent like structures house a massive indoor pool with high speed flumes and slides. The website describes it as “3000 meters of fun” Hmmmmm…..

And who are these floral tributes for? We pass bouquet after bouquet but there are no names or nothing to signify who they are for.

By now it is time for a snack so we stop at a cafe on the promenade and eat freshly cooked doughnuts and tea. I very rarely allow myself to eat a doughnut but I did make and sell them from a stall at Strawberry Fair in Cambridge many years ago. They are delicious…….

As we walk on through another village called Chapel St Leonard’s the wide sandy beaches slowly disappear and are replaced by scrub – the sea now miles away. And here we have the Lincolnshire flag – apart from Cornwall I don’t think I’ve ever noticed a county flag.

We are now approaching Chapel Point on which stands the North Sea Observatory. A striking building with dramatic views along the beach and out to sea. Apart from the marine observatory it also houses an art space and exhibitions of local history – binoculars are provided free of charge in the cafe.

At this point we finally lose the concrete path we have been walking on since Skegness and are diverted onto the beach.

Walking on the sand is a welcome change from concrete – I spend a long time looking out to sea at the lovely patterns made by the water and wet sand.

So much so that I lose sight of Damian and eventually find him inspecting this strange structure perched on the dunes. Inside, on the wall in front of you, is a narrow slit but when you try and look through it you see nothing. Later I discover that this is one of several small scale art works along the Lincolnshire coast that go under the name of Structures on the Edge. The website describes it is “a device that focuses and concentrates people’s senses and amplifies the windy nature of the site”

Well – today is not windy and if I can’t see anything through the narrow opening then I struggle to see how it focuses and concentrates the senses – it’s just a dark box – sorry.

On we go, through the dunes – a patch of red hot pokers is a strange sight, you usually see them in gardens.

The path now takes us away from the beach, along a narrow sandy path through a small nature reserve, punctuated by a couple of carparks.

It’s a nice change to be walking through trees and bushes after the many miles of promenade. We stop to admire the lurid colour of this tree – some kind of lichen I suppose.

And a little later we walk first into Andeby Creek, past a long row of expensive looking holiday homes.

And later a leafy lane – welcome shade from the heat……..

By now we are tired and the last three miles are a bit of a chore. When we arrive at a place called Sandilands we decide to call it a day and get a bus back to Skegness. On the way we pass this finely decorated postbox.

Distance: 11 miles