Just the other day I was extolling the virtues of getting away from the beach, and I really did mean it! But then on Monday we went to Armona, and of course all I can think of now is the sea and sand. In the words of Janet Norris Bangs;
Sand of romantic patterns
New for each passer fleet.
Here a flower has lain, there the leaf-like chain
That was marked by a sea-gull’s feet:
And the pebbled trace as of scalloped lace
Where the waves and shore-line meet.
For the full poem and other fabulous poetry visit the Poetry Foundation.
Visiting the islands on a Monday is a good day to do so as on Mondays most of our favourite restaurants and many of the museums are closed.
We caught the 12noon ferry, took a picnic lunch and then just strolled the empty beach and sand dunes. We can only assume the dozen or so tourists who were on the ferry with us remained in Armona’s cafes or the small beach on the western inlet, as we didn’t see them again until the return ferry at 5:30pm.
Parts of the beach were not as gleaming as perhaps they could be because of the odd plastic bottle or rope washed up from the sea. There is also a lot of seaweed around at the moment. The beaches of Armona though, particularly the southern one are lovely to walk along bare foot, and at this time of year you are likely to be the only ones. Well apart from the Sanderlings that is!
Watching the waders and sea birds as their sand bank disappeared under the incoming tide kept us entertained for a couple of hours.
We were intrigued by the many long narrow fishing boats speeding through the surf and disappearing off the horizon. There were nets or fishing pots in the distance but they were not heading for those. We never did work it out!
After a while we headed even further east along the beach before turning towards the centre of the island to walk through the sand dunes and sandy scrub. If you decide to visit Armona and have the time then we recommend doing the same.
There are, as I’ve previously shared in an earlier blog on Armona, wonderful views back to the mainland and plant life is stunning close up. We were also lucky enough to spot two Iberian Hares.
It really was a glorious day out despite the sunburn to one ear (I know, I know!!).
