Sun, sand and sea

This morning a visit to the Alvor River estuary.
The EEC, that is, us, have paid for the building of five miles of boardwalks down the sand spit between the estuary and the sea.
This means the locals can use the area for exercise without destroying the dunes.
I think in general it is a good thing, if a little unsightly, and you are continually passed by health seeking joggers etc.
After lunch we had a little excursion to the nearby cliffs and orchid rich macquis valleys. The Atlantic Ocean is continually eroding the cliffs here, with numerous sink holes and boulder falls. It makes a great nesting site for swifts, martins and kestrels, all of which are arriving every day. It is certainly spring here, though I expect we will get home to Cumbria before they do!