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Clacton in Essex

Clacton is a place I visit once a year. Around 120 miles from London. If Iam lucky the sun shines, there is no rain and the few hours I am there I can spend walking the promenade and eating chips on the pier. Today I had maybe more than a few hours and the cracks are starting to show in this quintessential seaside town. Firstly there are few people around, secondly those people had a median age of maybe 70 years and lastly places are starting to close down. Gone is the Comfort hotel. Closed was the restaurant at the end of the pier ( it will open but last year was open this time). The wooden pier looked not only ramshackle but in parts unsafe. Some of the cracks between the wooden planks were maybe a touch too large, and should the planks have moved as much as they did?

For 5£ Sausages and chips were mine, although the interpretation of the server as to what constiuted a ” little milk” in my tea did not match my own view. The day was cold, sunny and hazy. The wind farms could not be seen out at sea. The shops all looked a little jaded. I enjoyed my day but would I go back in the summer? Probably not.

A few things did stand out though. The Graffiti was good!