5. Muscle Beach.
Dating back as far as the 1930′s, just outside Santa Monica groups of body sculpting men and women have ben gathering to pump iron and soak up the rays. Now based at Venice beach (South California) the assortment of free to use equipment is now as much a tourist attraction as it is a place to work out. Gorgeous bodies, happy faces and not a dime spent on powering treadmills and air con, it’s all natural. Even if some of the hulks may not look as human as most of us.
4. The Pebble Man.
Beaches are about sand, not pebbles, but if you’re local Dorset artist, Adrian Gray then the more pebbles and stones the better. Adrian is an artist, but steers firmly away from convention, he doesn’t use paint, he doesn’t use brushes and he doesn’t even need a canvas. His art is all about balance. Perfect balance of rocks and stones to be exact. By finding the minute tipping point of each stone, Adrian fills the horizon with strange and beautiful sculptures. If you see a mini Stone Henge on your travels in the West Country, take a picture, it may well be one of Adrians.
3. Sandsculpting.
Forget your bucket and spade. Forget the making a little moat and sticking in a lolly pop stick as a make shift flag. Sand sculpting has become big business, with companies now providing sand sculptors for corporate events and parties, these guys are certainly giving the ice sculptors a run for their money. Although it would be great to see sand and ice sculptures on the beach together. My monies on the sand still being there in the morning.
2. Lightning Sand
“Fulgurite’s” (yes, catchy name I know) are what happens when lighting strikes the beach. As the energy bolt connects with the Earth, the silica in the sand melts at almost 2000 degree’s Celsius and instantly creates a shard of root like glass. So next time you on the beach with an umbrella in the rain, standing by a tree, if you see a massive flash keep your eyes peeled for a Fulgurite, or as I will now call them, “Lightning Roots”. Which sounds much more poetic.
1. Screen on the Beach.
Holidays are great, sun sea, and the other ‘S’ word if you are in a more amorous mood. Feasting on fine dining and sampling the local delights. Sounds heavenly yes? It does, but if you are lucky enough to be at a LUX resort, in Maldives, Reunion Island or Mauritius you will more the likely stumble upon something amazing. Especially if you love cinema classics (which I do). Screen on the Beach see’s a part of the beach transformed into an outdoor cinema. Huge white linens framed by local trees provide the silver screen and hand made local bean bags say hello to your holiday posterior. The chefs have also created something special when it come to the snacks. Say good bye to soggy old cinema pop corn, and hello to freshly popped cheese popcorn with a sprinkle of black pepper. Succulent fresh fruit as you would expect replaces the sugary alternatives so you can lay back, enjoy the delicious treats and lose your self in a film classic as the seas gently laps at the beach. A true magical event.
