The seafront walk, north of the pier. Best taken at half past eight.
The sea wall is Seabrook’s seafront walk. It follows the shore north of the pier, with terraced houses on one side and shingle on the other.
The promenade was extended between 1860 and 1900, when the railway brought the first visitors to the coast and the first boarding houses opened. It has been walked daily ever since, in most cases by the same people at the same time.
At low tide the sand is uncovered and the smell comes up from it in layers: salt first, then the older smell of the sea bed. Herring gulls stand on the breakwater and watch walkers pass with professional indifference.
There are benches, and a chip shop further along. Most walkers turn at the old lifeboat slipway, from which the way leads up to the High Street.
Spectators for the New Year’s Day sea swim and the Boxing Day swim gather on the wall. The walk is busiest from Easter onwards. Out of season it is mostly residents, dogs and wind.
Details
- Address
- The seafront, north of the pier
On the map
Named on the town map.
Appears in
- Book 0Prequel A Small Matter of a Missing Cat
- Book 1 Murder at Seabrook Pier
- Book 3 The Seabrook Regatta Sabotage
What the locals say
“You could set the church clock by Mr Penrose. Half past eight, collar up, most mornings since he left the police.”
