The part of writing that doesn't involve any writing

Discovering the Cumbrian coast, beginning a new project and trying to get words on the page

My biggest discovery of the summer so far is that Cumbria has beaches. Proper beaches.

I realise how stupid this might sound. It’s a county bordered by sea, of course there are beaches. But I thought the Cumbrian coastline was all like Arnside, which sits on the estuary where the River Kent meets Morecambe Bay. It’s a lovely village but the “beach” is sticky and muddy, with strong tides and quicksand ready to suck you in. It’s a place for strolling along the coast path and enjoying the fish and chips you remembered to order a day in advance (essential at Arnside chippy), not for putting your swimming costume on and building sandcastles.

When I ran around Cumbria back in 2016, I don’t remember any big, sandy, I’m-on-holiday type beaches. Although the official Cumbria Coastal Way was in pretty poor condition then, and I did spend quite a lot of time inland, running on roads. It also started snowing again, despite being nearly May. Perhaps that combination explains the absence of any memor…