Blooming lovely … Strete Gate beach

Last week Ben and I took a little stroll along the shingle beach at Strete Gate – two or three miles from home.  (I’ve added a little map above so you can see where we live – Strete Gate is on the long curve of Start Bay to the east of our house).  We don’t come here very often as the shingle is tiring on feet and paws, and there isn’t usually very much to look at other than Start Bay curving away to the south…

 But at this time of year, the beach at Strete Gate is well worth a visit …

as the wildflowers are in bloom.  I don’t know all their names, but here you can see Valerian (white and pink), Coltsfoot, Yarrow and lots more.  Above is the path onto the beach, and as you come onto the beach proper a sea of Valerian, both pink and white varieties, stretches away in front of you …

 Thousands and thousands of individual blooms ….

For just a few short weeks the beach is a riot of colour … 

But guess who’s not impressed … not one little bit and would much rather be swimming! 

Unusually I didn’t find many shells on the beach, but I did find this – can you tell what it is?  Looks like some lacy crochet perhaps?  Or could that be the teeth of a zipper running down it ….?  Is it the shredded remains of someone’s summer cardigan?

No .. it’s the skeletonised leg of a starfish!!  Surprisingly beautiful and delicate, it’s quite clean and has dried hard.   I know starfish can survive losing a leg, and that they can even re-grow a lost limb, so I hope that somewhere out in Start Bay the original owner of this leg is living happily!