Coastal Des Res

There has been talk in the media of late of the outrageous prices being asked for some beach huts- one went on the market for a mere asking price of £245,000 in Devon this year [although to be fair it had got some rather impressive modcons] but I could buy my modest 3 bed mud hut for that and I live in West Sussex which is not not renown for being cheap and cheerful! Each to their own.....

I have always had a soft spot for beach huts. As a youngster my Nana had one and I can remember going to the beach and spending afternoons there sometimes. I recall it as being tremendous fun but not erm exactly glamorous- in my day it did pretty much what it said on the tin ie a hut on the beach with no pretencions of it being a bijou home. Ours was a simple affair- a place to store buckets and spades, wind breaks and deckchairs aswell as a place to shelter in when getting changed after going winkling and cockling.One of the mysteries of my childhood was how did I manage to secrete half a tonne of sand about my person in my cossie and still remain standing upright. Naturally part of the ritual was expelling the said sand onto the beach hut floor! On our return home our "catch" would be cooked up and eaten for supper.

I am, I will freely admit, very taken with how people stamp their individuality upon their beach huts- there is a lovely row of them in Hayling Island which pleased me no end. How I would love to have rainbow stripes all over the outside of my mud hut- instead I have had to content myself with a pillar box red front door and garage and stuff as many rainbows inside as I can decently get away with. I shall leave you with a bright, bold splash of colour and once again I can only stand back and  admire the artwork of others.....

Arilx