We made regular trips into the Dales surrounding us and they
were not boring, rather breathtakingly beautiful. We would visit the
surrounding towns of Matlock, Matlock Bath and Bakewell for the lovely mix of
independent shops they had to offer and none were boring.
We went to the
family attractions ‘Heights of Abraham’, ‘Crich Tramway Museum’ and the steam
train from Derby to Matlock and each had its own character and interest.
Derbyshire,
however, had one major failing, it is a long way from the sea. The East
Midlands is as far away from the sea as you can get in this island of ours. In
fact I think Ashby De la Zouch has the dubious privilege of being the furthest
place from the sea in England. This is a problem if you love the sea as much
as I do. I needed to make trips to catch a glimpse of the sea, walk by it and
feel the atmosphere of a seaside resort.
Skegness
Unfortunately the nearest seaside to Derbyshire is Skegness and we went there a couple of times only to discover that there wasn’t much of interest and it became my ‘most boring place’ as summed up in this poem.
Skegness
I’m drawn
to places
where
nothing
happens,
that’s why
I love
Skegness
with a passion.
The air is filled
with mystery
and the sea can read
your thoughts.
I’ve been coming
here for years
and it never
disappoints.
Thanks for reading and apologies to Skegness, or if you are from there.
David Wilkinson
3 comments:
I agree with you about Derbyshire. My father grew up in Bakewell and we used to visit relatives regularly when I was a youngster. My memories of Skegness are two-fold. I've only been there once, on a Sunday School outing. The first thing that sticks in my mind is of a drunken man hurling a bottle at and smashing a plate-glass window on the main street. The second is of the half-mile of ankle-deep mud (probably treated sewage) we had to gloop through to get to the sandy part of the beach. I'll take your word for it that Skegness can be boring :-)
I didn't know that there was a steam train fro Derby to Matlock, so thank you for that info.
That balance between the inland beauty and the draw of the sea is a difficult one isn't it. Maybe Dorset gets it right. But at the price of Kensington tractors and second homes.
A pal of mine absolutely loves Skegness. Something to do with the light.
Excellent poem as usual.
I love the lines "and the sea can read/ your thoughts."
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