Season: winter
Roome Bay and its sandy beach lie just east of Crail and its little harbour. You can easily walk there from Crail, dropping down to the beach from the grassy park behind. The bay lies on the Coastal Path and the beach is ideal for swimming, rockpooling and fishing. The geology here is well worth a look, particularly the eroded sedimentary layers in the soft cliffs. Plenty of facilities are at hand, including cafes and restaurants. There is a caravan park and a campsite nearby too.
What the beach means to John and Elaine.
Jacquie looks back in time at Roome Bay.
Looking down on Roome Bay, near Crail.
Season: summer
The beach at Roome Bay looked picture perfect on a fine summer’s day for this seasonal visit. Above were blue skies, with children playing in the beachside lido and relaxing visitors scattered along the strand line. There’s a theatrical feel to the setting, as you approach via manicured grass parkland. Interesting soft sedimentary cliffs are the backdrop for the beach, affording privacy and seclusion.
Ursula’s literary reference to the tide’s motion.
A warm summer’s day by the beach at Roome Bay.
When you live in the centre of a city, even one as beautiful as Edinburgh, it’s difficult to see a horizon. So first and foremost the beach is an opportunity to see the horizon. You arrive with your head buzzing with thoughts of what you have been doing in your hectic life and a visit to the beach is a chance to take some time out. Take a deep breath… and relax. Breathe in the sea air and feel the breeze on your face. It starts to become a meditative and contemplative place to spend a few moments, regaining some inner peace. Then you start to become aware of your natural surroundings. The quality of the light can change in moments at the beach as weather systems swirl around and bring rain, sunshine, clouds and breezes – sometimes all at once. Having a camera in my hand, I start to look around to see what is of interest. Sometimes things have been washed up. Pieces of ancient rock, grains of sand, feathers, sea glass, pieces of wood – all are potential subjects for my lens. Sea birds and creatures are there to be identified and later photographs to be pored over to see if there are any unusual visitors. Rocks remind me of the ancient times when ice swept pieces of granite from distant mountains down to the sea. Sometimes there are fossils to be found. Taking time to see the beauty in the smallest things or the vastness of the horizon is what the beach means to me. A place where I find peace and joy in my surroundings.