A chilly winter Sunday walk in Grange-over-Sands

On a chilly Sunday in February, we took a trip to Grange-over-Sands.

Like many coastal villages here in Cumbria, Grange started out as a fishing village but became a popular seaside resort after the railway was built in Victorian times.

While the village still has a lovely promenade along the seafront, the previous beaches have turned into saltmarshes, and Morecambe Bay has silted up substantially. Grange is perhaps not ideal for swimming anymore, but it is still worth a visit.

On earlier visits to Grange, we enjoyed feeding the ducks in the park next to the railway station.

This time, however, the seagulls outnumbered the ducks 10-to-1 and completely took over the show (and the food).

Despite the chilly weather, we saw some signs of a coming spring: snowdrops.

My strongest memory from Grange-over-Sands, however, is from a much hotter day. On the 7th of September 2021, I had visited my wife for the first time. Well, technically, we were married one year later. But we first got to know each other online in the summer of 2020. At the beginning of September 2021, I had finally had 2 Covid jabs and could travel without being quarantined. So, I decided to visit.

A short visit. Too short. Few things have hurt more than leaving Grange-over-Sands railway station on the 7th of September 2021. It hurt so much that it was apparent we had to ensure departures and separation wouldn’t be a part of our lives in the future. And so it came to pass.