A Big Fat Sky

  • Max Miechowski

Growing up in Britain, none of us were ever more than 70 miles from the sea; the quirky coastal towns, arcades and candy floss, naff looking rides and fish and chips. A brave swim in the cold and murky waters if we fancied it. When I was a kid we would always take trips to the east coast. Mostly to Skegness, but sometimes Norfolk or Yorkshire. Recently, I have found myself going back. Taking long trips along the country’s edge, exploring the towns and landscapes overlooking the North Sea. Surprisingly, these trips have given me the same sense of fascination and wonder that I felt as a child - they have served as an escape from the city, and an opportunity to find beauty in scenes that seem so familiar to all of us. Often it has felt like stepping back in time, to an atmosphere and pace that feels different to what I’ve grown used to whilst living in London. The seaside plays an important role in British leisure time, with many families and individuals relying on it for a break from stressful work routines and city life. This has recently been emphasised by the restrictions on international travel brought about by the global pandemic. Where many of us had grown used to finding our fun in warmer, more exotic destinations, we have now been left with the coastal towns and resorts that many of us left behind as children. The stress and anxiety caused by the current global situation has us all looking for opportunities to unwind. Despite overlooking it for years, the British seaside has provided us with the space to do that - an opportunity to reconnect to the sea, and in many ways to ourselves.