The great British staycation
Have you settled on a staycation this Summer? It’s so depressing! I’m being melodramatic, of course a staycation needn’t be boring except places, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues aren’t open as normal or at all due to the gradual easing of lockdown and nervousness of an almost guaranteed second wave of the coronavirus. Even the usually predictable blazing hot Summer days in the South East of England are letting us down making this Summer even harder to come to terms with.
I took a trip to my family home in Scotland instead of my preferred Mediterranean destination. It is lovely to be home, eating mama’s loving home made food and we are even managing to hit the beaches a few times. Scotland has a notoriously terrible Summer season with rain-soaked Edinburgh festival crowds drinking their way through puddles and Winter jackets (I packed a few jumpers). However, when the sun pushes through the clouds it is one of the most glorious places to enjoy the weather. There are so many beaches to choose from it is almost embarrassing!
Most beaches in Scotland are rated excellent for cleanliness and as the population is relatively small there is ample socially distanced room for everyone. My darling nephew was given a list of treasures to find at the beach: a pink shell, a fossil, a hermit crab shell, a striped shell and stone.
Along the coast of Fife, Silver Sands, Lundin Links and Elie Beach are the best for families as the landscape is varied and there is much to explore, relax and splash in the water. St Andrews beach is also gorgeous but I think it is quite a trek to reach it. We went to the beach at around 11am and the tide was so low that we were walking amonst herons and seagulls catching fish stranded in the sand. As you can see we managed to find a beautiful pink shell and jelly fish instead of a hermit crab shell! My hands were turned into a beachside cloackroom for small crabs, larger crab claws, small fish (my nephew tried to resuscitate this one) and oyster shells.
Edinburgh is sadly missing the Summer crowds as lockdown nerves continue. Local journalists have been asking if locals will finally realise they miss the fesival tourist take-over they usually begrudge.
Some friends in London have been glamping and some of my Spanish besties in the UK even ventured back to Spain. Please let us know your staycation recommendations in the comments!