To 'Another Place' and Beyond

We've been up to the Lancashire coast and yesterday we visited Crosby beach where we found this fellow

Just one of the statues which make up the wonderful art installation that is Anthony Gormley's 'Another Place'.

There are 100 figures spread out across the beach some gazing straight out to sea, others gazing across to land in the distance.

We walked and gazed at the statues, the wind turbines and the passing ferries, no doubt bound for Ireland or the Isle of Man. We had the beach pretty much to ourselves at the start of the morning but as we returned from our long walk it was filling with coach loads of visitors all there to find 'Another Place'.

You can only walk up to one or two of the statues nearest the promenade as the sand around the ones further out was wet and quaked underfoot and going any closer would have been dangerous as you can see from the photo below.

In the afternoon we visited one of our favourite beaches - Ainsdale Sands. Here you can take the car onto the beach and drive until you find a suitable parking spot. We sat at the edge of the dunes and ate our lunch, the seagulls were waiting to see if there were any leftovers.

No statues to see here, just people walking dogs, flying kites, metal detecting and windsurfing

Although it was warm there was a strong wind

There were masses of razor shells in clusters all over the sand

and the odd jellyfish or two

This morning I was outside cleaning the mud and sand from Crosby beach off my walking boots when a flock of gulls passed over head - quite unusual for an inland midlands town - their mournful cry, plus the sand sprinkling from my boots, reminded of yesterday's adventure, of the smell of the sea, the salty air and the warm sun on our backs as we strolled across the sand.