We do like to be beside the Seaside

Folkestone boasts that it has the best free adventure playground in the County of Kent, and while we haven't been to other contenders, this one is certainly very impressive.

There is a massive complex of climbing frames, walk-ways, tunnel, rope bridges and enclosed metal chutes or slides.

This is the biggest slide, and I was made to promise I wouldn't "have a go", although we did meet Heather Chantler, who informed us that a senior member of the Bockhill Birders had tried it out, when there with his grandchildren, and had got stuck in it!

Sam's four and three-quarter sized girth ensured that he had no such trouble, and he seemed to enjoy the experience.

The whole complex is beautifully designed, and it is easy to sit and follow the progress of your charge with out having to expend too much energy (other than the long walk down the Zig-Zig path.

After the playground the sea beckoned (not for Pam or me) and Sam went for a paddle. Quite why he was practising his Irish Jig I don't know.

First it was a step on the left foot and then one on the right, may be we're in for a revival of River Dance.

It was when Sam was coming out of the water that he really discovered the joys of walking on a stony beach with no shoes on. As I was photographing these antics I managed to drop my lens cap. When I bent down to get it, I discovered it had found it's way through a gap in the large rocks and it was now well out of reach under the concrete groyne.

A few feet further along, a larger gap enabled me to slide along the six feet or so, on my Darby Kelly, in a gap about 18 ins high. I have never fancied trying pot-holing and after this experience I certainly haven't changed my mind.

After all this we decided a hot coffee for us two and an ice cream for Sam would round of the excursion. The Mermaid Cafe and Bar is right at the bottom of the cliff, surrounded by a lot of Tamarisk and other vegetation. I was surprised to find that there was a really healthy looking flock of House Sparrows down there.

My garden flock has certainly dwindled over the last few years, the birds here obviously do well out the the customers dropped crumbs, and of course the peanut feeders provided for them by the Cafe.