Good to wake up and see blue sky and sea outside our hotel window. A few brief showers, and the same strong wind from the west, but basically a warm fine day, good for walking. After breakfast we followed a walking path across the dunes to the far end of the nature reserve, a path mostly parallel to the road before turning down to the shore. Interesting to encounter a couple of men with large butterfly nets out in the open heathland. They were probably checking on insect populations in this part of a special ecosystem.
Having walked more than usual yesterday we found walking hard going today. I wore my hiking boots but found they hurt my feet with an extra insole, so I had to stop and remove them half way along the beach as we returned. It gave me an excuse to stop at the beach cafe for a cup of coffee and a banana. Unusually the cafe sold fresh fruit among its snacks and fast food. I needed to rest when I returned to our room, paying the price for yesterday's extra mileage. Old age taking its retribution on me!
As the tide was in, Clare was determined to make another effort to go for a swim, so we went down to the shore, and this time at the second attempt she was successful. As well as banks of pebbles washed in by the tide, the sand of the foreshore is littered with smaller ones which are uncomfortable to tread on when barefooted, and not visible when wading out to swimming depth, so finding the least pebble strewn spot to enter the water is necessary, and this involved us moving further up the beach, hoping the breeze didn't spring up again. In the end she waded out painlessly, swam for five minutes and was satisfied.
I uploaded the day's photos after returning to our room. We listened to the news before going down for an early supper. Clare had the three bean chilli and rice, which turned out again to be mostly chick peas. I had roast chicken with spuds and peas in a wine and mushroom sauce. Clare ordered a chocolate mousse for pudding, but had to wait a long time for it to be served, as the dining room had filled up after us and there were half a dozen tables waiting for their main course, so it was eight o'clock when we asked for our bill on the way out. As there's been a school field trip party working from the hotel to be fed and watered this past few days, the staff must have been run off their feet with a restaurant to run as well. It's good to know they get used for educational groups, as well as being a wedding party venue. It helps maintain the hotel as a viable business concern way out into a rural area.
No evening stroll tonight, needing to rest my complaining ankle before returning home tomorrow. More reading of 'La Sombra del Viento' to finish the holiday.
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