Burghthday boy

Today

Just returned from a weekend celebrating Paul's 57th birthday. I decided to take him to Burgh Island, which is situated just off the South Devon coast near Kingsbridge. The island is cut off from the land at high tide; at low there's a sandy causeway over which you can walk or drive. When the tide's in the Sea Tractor takes you. It's an amazing contraption, now in its 3rd incarnation.

The island has a hotel on it. It's Art Deco and many famous people such as Agatha Christie and Noel Coward stayed there. Agatha Christie wrote "Evil Under the Sun" whilst on the island.

The hotel's been refurbished and is now a luxury retreat. We ate splendidly, drank champagne and cocktails and actually danced the foxtrot & waltz on Saturday night, despite the very tiny dance floor. Other guests were very sociable and on Saturday night Paul rounded off the evening by conducting a small group in "Jerusalem", sung enthusiastically but with the effects of the many cocktails evident in the lack of tune or time.

We sat outside the Pilchard Inn in the afternoon sunshine, drinking cider and watching children play on the sands which were rapidly shrinking as the sea encroached from both sides.

In My Day

In 1957, my parents took a caravan in Challaborough bay, which is more or less opposite the Island. It rained nearly every day and Mamma & Daddy must have been at the end of their wits trying to keep us all amused. They organised many trips, one of which was to Burgh Island. The family album shows that Daddy spelled it "Borough" Island.

We did go on the Sea Tractor (an earlier version), but I don't remember the hotel at all. I do remember the Pilchard Inn - I probably found the name very funny - and also that everything was rather down at heel.

We spent plenty of time, as children should, clambering over rocks and playing in the pools left behind by the tide. I found the whole idea of possibly being cut off by the tide sort of deliciously scary. The day we spent on the island gave us the best weather of the week and my back got rather sunburnt as no-one had heard of factor 50 then.

I wrote a diary of that week and it's still safely tucked up in the album and I've always remembered that particular holiday as one of the best of my childhood.

Which gave returning to it an especial resonance as well as being a most enjoyable experience.