Beach days banish lockdown blues
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WITH the government restrictions of lockdown being gradually eased at the end of last week there has been a tentative return to local beaches.
Friday marked the first day that Wick residents could safely visit the sands at Reiss for walking, exercising their dogs or sunbathing – or playing a round of golf at the adjacent links.
Cat McLeod, captain of Wick Golf Club, said: "All the members are delighted to have the chance to be back out on the course and the weather has been wonderful as well. It couldn't be a better day."
Numerous golfers were seen coming from and going to the 18-hole links course.
Michael Macallan said it felt "better than Christmas Day" to be back.
"I'm just waiting for someone to come [to play with] but I've been down on the practice area for a quick hit already," he said in the Friday midday sunshine.
"We've got our tee-off times and we've got to stick to them. [Before lockdown] we played competitions every Sunday and in all weathers."
Meanwhile, down on the beach there were fewer than might have been expected on such a sunny day.
Perhaps it was a cautious return to the "new normal" of social distancing and being vigilant or it could have been because the "closed" signs were still up at the car park and the road leading down to the beach.
Though households are now allowed to visit areas within a five-mile radius for taking exercise, members of the public are still urged to stay at home as much as possible and maintain strict physical distancing when outdoors.
From Friday, two households are allowed to meet in outdoor spaces up to a suggested maximum of eight people.
The coastguard service also sent out guidance on coastal visits and warned people not to take risks.
A spokesperson said: "Anyone going to a beach should take personal responsibility, avoid the dangers and keep themselves safe."
Social distancing was at the forefront of the minds of the various beach-goers we spoke to on Friday afternoon.
Jan Haines said it felt "sensational and absolutely amazing" to be back on the beach with her two dogs.
"The dogs totally love it and it's fairly straightforward to keep your distance from people. It couldn't be a better day," she said.
Also at the beach were Grant Mackenzie, his wife Diane and children Emily and Joshua along with Daisy the dog.
Diane was celebrating her birthday and the children built sandcastles, paddled in the water close by and played with Daisy.
Grant said: " In normal times we came a lot to the beach. It's just great to be out and have that freedom again after all those weeks."
With the sunny weather at the weekend and the easing of restrictions, many local people took the chance to catch up with family and friends after 10 weeks of lockdown.
Harrold Bros butchers in Wick struggled to keep up with the demand for burgers and sausages on Saturday as people fired up their barbecues while staying within the rules.
Geraldine Harrold said: "We were really busy, the busiest it has been since lockdown began.
"We were struggling to keep up. With it being such a good weekend people were taking advantage of the weather."
At MacDonald's Bakery in the town it was also very busy with customers queuing outside the shop in Francis Street, from 7am to 1pm. At the busiest they were queued as far back as the junction with Loch Street.
Ashley Anderson said: "It has been fantastic and we are over the moon with the support of the customers.
"We are really grateful to our customers for supporting us since day one of lockdown in such worrying times."
She explained that the bakery had been doing some summer specials with fudge cake being popular along with blueberry pancakes and scones complete with strawberry jam and cream. Big strawberry tarts were also a favourite among customers.
