I still can’t believe how beautiful the sunsets are here! As the sun sinks below the horizon, we enjoy wonderful views from The woollen Mill. The light takes on an ethereal quality as the sky at dusk is tinged by deep reds and astonishing pinks. But it is at the beach that the dramatic skies are most impressive.

Autumn evenings present excellent opportunities to give the dogs a run out and to watch the sunsets over the sea. In October, there is enough daylight left after work for a decent walk and yet the sun sets early enough to enjoy the entire spectacle before returning home to the mundane task of cooking dinner!

I am sure that the dogs couldn’t care less about what is going on in the sky! They just want to chase their balls and paddle in the sea. I revel in their enjoyment of the beach but the light show above us brings a special quality to our walks across the sand at Dinas Dinlle.

Doggie nights out

Bodie and Dougal never want to leave the beach, whatever the time of day or the prevailing weather conditions. I have spent many hours battling the wind and rain, trying to give them a decent amount of time where they are happiest. There have been a few occasions when I have been so cold that I have started losing the use of my limbs! Everything feels so different on a pleasant evening with a magnificent sunset providing the backdrop to my stroll.

I don’t have the time to go to the beach every evening but when the weather is fabulous,  it’s hard to resist the temptation. Needless to say, the dogs never complain if I decide that it is time for a paddle.

At the end of our walks I have to drag them off the beach and into the car. They don’t seem to register that it is almost dark and they won’t be able to see their balls anyway! Having said that, Dave bought them balls which glow in the dark!

The perfect location

As we are on the west coast of North Wales, we are ideally located for sunset viewing. If you stand in the garden at the mill or take a quick stroll up the lane, you can soak in the fabulous colours and the changing light. But do treat yourself to an evening walk on the beach at Dinas Dinlle. It’s less than ten minutes away and simply gorgeous at dusk. You can always park adjacent to the beach, the parking is free and in the summer, you can swim in the surprisingly warm sea as the sun goes down behind you.

When the clocks go back

As soon as the clocks go back at the end of October, our evening trips to the beach are over. Darkness comes too early and we have to confine walks on the sand to lunchtimes and weekends. The good news is that the beaches remain great places for walking the dogs throughout the year. Bodie loves swimming and will doubtless find it hugely frustrating that the water is too cold in winter. He will just have to wait for the spring to arrive and content himself with ball chasing on the sand. I love collecting shells but rarely find the opportunity to search for them because I spend most of my time on the beach throwing balls and wondering where Dougal is!

Dougal has a habit of taking off to investigate any people or dogs that he sees, no matter how far away they happen to be. He always comes charging back after a few minutes, running full-tilt towards me.  I have no idea how he manages to disappear without me seeing him leave!

In the picture below, you can see the look of consternation on the dogs’ faces as I suggest we might leave the beach.

Pampered pooches

Bodie and Dougal are always so excited to be at the beach that you would think they had never seen one before! It doesn’t matter how many times they are on the sand during the week, they always look at me as if I were a criminal when it is time to leave. Thank god we moved to the coast! Bodie would have suffered from a bad case of ADHD if we hadn’t escaped to the country.