The western tip of the British Isles is a land apart. Gentle rolling hills in Devon give way to a wild landscape on the north coast of Cornwall, where the North Atlantic breakers have come all the way from the Americas.
Early in 1998, when our Westie joined the payroll, Mrs IS decided that on no account were we spending our summer holiday abroad. Instead, we spent a fortnight on the beaches of the West Country. We have been returning pretty much every year since, latterly for this week in early October.
A regular haunt is Summerleaze beach in Bude, on the north Cornish coast. We have been lucky with the weather over the years. Often, when the cloud hangs low over Bodmin Moor and characters from Jamaica Inn might be about their business happily, the sun manages to show its face on the coast.
Bude sea pool and Summerleaze beach
Today, however, Storm Alex, which yesterday had made our journey to Cornwall extremely wet, continued to blow strongly. Walking on the beach this morning, we were soaked in next to no time. In the afternoon, we went on to Widemouth Bay, where the car rocked in the wind when we parked.
Our luck with the weather may be finished for the time being. Rain is forecast for the week. Luckily, we packed some books.
Idle thoughts from a mountain 