The Adventures of Brandy: A Very Fitting Day Out at Home

OK I admit, I have been a naughty little blogger... I missed yesterday's blog post which was supposed to be all about my fortnight with my Zaggora Hotpants! To be completely honest, I haven't really stuck to my fitness routine over the past few days for the same reason as missing my posts - I've been taking full advantage of the Bank Holiday Weekend!

After having a few drinks on Friday night with some work people, I packed my bags and joined @ultimatecoddy for a long weekend of dog-sitting the lovely Brandy! To help clear my head of pink wine and cocktails, we went for a long walk right up to the other end of Cleethorpes, known locally as The Fitties.

For any of you who are not familiar with the area, The Humberston Fitties is a conservation area right along the coast which is home to around 300 quaint chalets - from 'Grand Designs' style miniature homes to decades-old shacks - where people can live from March to December each year. It is believed to be one of the oldest plot developments in the country, beginning as a lodging site for soldiers stationed nearby in the First World War - for more information about the history, please go to the North East Lincolnshire Council website.

With protected salt marshes and a quiet beach (compared to the other end of Cleethorpes!) it is a lovely little area that, I think, is sometimes forgotten. This is a place my dad used to bring me and my brother and our dog, Sandy, for long walks and has to be one of my favourite places in my hometown. So, for a little bit of nostalgia, myself and Coddy decided to bring the monster for her first venture on the Fitties.

After parking the car, we walked along the beach and passed Haile Sand Fort which was built in 1915. The tide was out, but I was too chicken to get any closer for a photograph! As you will see from the pictures, despite the weather being OK and it being the start of Bank Holiday weekend, this part of the beach is really quiet - just the way I like it!

Haile Sand Fort.

You will often see kite surfers on a windy day.

A view of the Fitties from the beach.

From the beach, there are plenty of pathways to the Fitties; it really is like a neighbourhood you would find in a film. There are chalets painted in pastel colours complete with picket fences (imagine a mini Wisteria Lane), some in the style of log cabins, beach hut inspired homes and some which look like they haven't been touched since they were built! All around there were signs for Bank Holiday celebrations, British flags and even bunting ready for the big Diamond Jubilee - you really get a great sense of community here; no wonder my parents always wanted to own one!

One of the extremely old, almost untouched chalets>

Who's walking who?

Even though there isn't really much to do here, it is such a nice place to walk around; across old wooden bridges, along the beach, through open grass. I have so many great memories of here and I am so happy that it has not been spoiled in anyway - it looks exactly the same every time I come... only with a bit more salt marsh! Oh, and Brandy loved it too; she was worn out by the time we got home!

Recently, I have been writing about 'Staycations' for Lincolnshire in Focus magazine and it is places like this, and others which I visited as a child, which remind me of what a great place Lincolnshire is, from the castles and historic buildings to the areas of natural beauty; let's just say I am going to be doing a lot of exploring this summer!


P.S: My fitness post will be back next week when I will have completed my challenge properly!