A walk along the cliffs

Subject: A walk along the cliffs

One of the distinctive features of coastal Wales is the hilly topography, of cliffs and bays inevitably with a path running around the edge. Frequented by the serious walker or a family out for a days jaunt these footpaths are an emotional lifeline for many . The invigorating sea breeze, the sound of gulls  squawking,  the distant crash of waves colliding with the rocks far below are all a distant reminder of our island ancestry built on the shoreline in villages and cottages probably with a boat pulled up on the sand and a net stretched out for repair. The sight of a small boat bobbing on the waves and the industrious fishermen working their craft draws out from many of us the romance of that elemental barrier between the land and the sea. On the water looking landward those walkers and the cars threading their way from point to point are a modern contrivance so distant from the freedom of plotting a course across the bay and around the headland in a boat. There's no tarmac under your wheels only the uneven fetch of water generated thousands of miles away perhaps in some tropical storm the energy which tumbles out on the rocks as elemental as the heart beating in your breast. It's this elemental aspect which turns the walker on a they trudge mile on mile, up and down following the path. Often alone with their thoughts these men and women live to a different beat to that of the city dweller who destination might be the corner shop and a bottle of milk. The walker has other things on his mind, his surroundings a relief from the uniformity of the suburban housing estate form a background for other more fundamental rumination which in your hearty 'good day' you drag them fleetingly back into the present. Sometimes a dog will introduce the walker with a fussy tail wagging display as their owner hails into view a hundred yards behind, the talk for a moment is of dogs and weather, the view and the distance travelled each content to have briefly made contact and each equally content to be on their way. And all the while the sea pounds out its immemorial message as part of the planets living  pulse which has been responding to the urge of gravity for as long as it existed.
Time to turn around and retrace our steps and head for home. The lungs have been partially cleared of the pollution which we live amongst daily and more important, the head has been cleared of its mundane trivia for an hour or two.