Shoes and socks off, trousers rolled up. .....  One, two, three, quick, run!  …. 
The tide was coming in and to save a scramble up a sand dune, then over the cliff top, through woodland and down the other side, the 40 metre dash seemed a good idea if we timed it between the larger waves.   …     Fortunately the sun and wind helped to dry our soaked trousers and splashed shoes as we sat watching the birds.

Edit: we knew the time of the high tide and that the sea would not be more than several cms deep at that particular time so were never in danger. It's a beach that we visit frequently and even at a high spring tide can walk along much of it.