A socially distanced stroll
Blackhead Beach
IT’S great we’re allowed to go for walks during lockdown. When the announcement was made I was already in selfisolation, so was experimenting with finding walks with plenty of space and isolation.
Blackhead Beach falls beautifully in that category, even though it’s just over the Corstorphine hill from the city. You can walk for two solid hours in one direction and see so few people that everyone greets each other.
On a sunny day, with the blue sky and white sand, it feels as if you’re on a Pacific Island. Which, of course, we are. For the full tropical experience you can take off your shoes and wade barefoot through the sea’s edge as you travel. The sun shines through the waves and foam, making kaleidoscope shapes on to the sand below.
If you’re approaching from the city, drive past the Tunnel Beach turnoff until you reach Blackhead Quarries Ltd on the big corner. Access to the beach car park involves considerate driving across their yard.
A track to the beach leaves from each corner of the car park, leading you to a few rocks that need to be crossed, and then you’re away. It’s about an hour to Waldronville, where the
Kaikorai Stream crosses your path but in low tides it’s fine to cross. In another hour you reach Brighton.
If you’re lucky enough to have the physical ability, the feel of sand under your toes is a treat. Walking through it is also really good for balance, giving a solid workout to this fundamental part of our body that’s so often cramped in narrow shoes.