Although Clacton was a last minute choice of destination, once I arrived I have to say I was impressed by the place. It is the traditional bucket and spade holiday, no pretensions, and seemingly enjoyed by all. On a morning stroll up the prom, I came across the Beaches cafe down by the shore next to the beach huts. The weather being uncertain, the tables, chairs and sunshades were still inside the place and not a soul was stirring except for the occasional dog walker.
After a false start, I decided I would go in and sat drinking my tea and eating my cookie amidst the parphernalia of a seaside shop - inflatable sharks, buckets, spades, cheap trinkets and postcards. I had the place to myself as I gazed over the grey sea. There was a gentle and poetic melancholy about the place and you just knew that when the sun came out, so would the tables and the holidaymakers and the whole scene would be one of bliss. This is what seaside cafes are all about.
Maybe I am invisible, or maybe people just don't see me, whatever the case once again I was privileged to hear the proprietor and another man discussing the state of the cafe trade in Clacton. They were gloomy. Are cafe owners like farmers I mused, never happy but you never see a poor one? But what stuck in my mind was the chance remark that there were about 290 eating places in Clacton. Wow! That's nearly a year's worth! I was only there for a day and a bit, but this was my tally: Georgina's Cafe for fish and chips; and the cafe at the end of the pier for icecream and tea.
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