Murlough Bay is a beautiful beach and nature reserve between Newcastle and Dundrum in County Down. The area was made famous by Percy French’s song The Mountains of Mourne …
It is a beautiful sunny day and the kids have gone to play at the beach. After putting up their windbreak and setting out their beach stuff Issie relaxes on the beach towel listening to her favourite CD while David decides what he wants to do first.
The sun, sea and sand is too much of a temptation. Starla can’t wait to go and paddle in the water. “David will you come and paddle in the sea with me,” she asks. “Last one in is a…. oooh, I just adore the seaside…” she calls excitedly as she heads off to the water.
They run down to the water’s edge. “It looks very cold in there,” he tells her. “You aren’t wimping out are you?”
Issie appears. “Haven’t you gone into the sea yet?” she asks “I’m going to be the first one in” and off she goes at a run “Look at that Starla.” David points at something lying in the sand.
Starla comes over to look at it. “It’s a little dead crab. Look at its big pincher.”
Starla goes over to get the swing ball bat. She plays with it for a while until Issie calls her over.
“Are you hungry yet Starla?” Issie asks. She has been busy setting out their picnic on the rug. “David, what do you want to drink?”
David has been really busy building sand castles. “Will you play with the beach ball with me after we have finished eating?” Starla asks Issie.
Starla goes over to look at David’s sandcastles. Hmmm, she thinks. David goes back over to play with the sand and starts filling his bucket again.
“Will you come back down to the water with me David? I want to go and play in the water again.” Starla says looking down at the waves. “Issie is being boring again,” she says.
“Uh, okay,” David says “let me finish what I am doing here then I’ll follow you down.” In the meantime, Issie runs down to the water’s edge calling out as she goes “I’m going to be the first into the sea.”
“I love it here,” Starla says. “It is just so beautiful. Look at the Mourne mountains. Aren’t they amazing?” Issie shouts over to David “Will you please bring me a towel?”
“Thanks, David” Issie says shivering as she wraps the towel around her to warm up. She heads back up the beach towards their things.
But what is this? Someone has been stomping on David’s sandcastles. I wonder who it could have been Issie pondered to herself.
Issie settles herself down on the beach towel while she dries out. Who is that sneaking away from the squashed sand castle?
David heads back over while drying himself off with his towel. “Gosh, I am cold. Who did that? What has happened to my sand castles? Who would do such a mean thing?”
“Me!” Starla giggles as she stands on another sand castle. “Just one more to go. This is so much more fun than building them she squeals gleefully.” Squish goes the castle under her foot. “It is time to go home mum tells them.” As she finishes reading another chapter in her novel. “Will you help pack everything up please?”
“Wow, Issie, look over there,” David says tapping her on her shoulder. “Look at the horses riding towards us on the beach.” Everything is folded and packed away ready to carry back to the car. Mum starts taking the wind break down to shake the sand off it and roll it up.”
“Wow, the Mourne mountains really do sweep down to the sea, don’t they?”