We Were First!!

A Memory of Bletchley.

I can't see what all the fuss is about, about having an 'inland seaside', its a bit 'old hat'! US LOCALS had a real one, well over 50 years ago, it was great, wherever you dug there was almost pure white sand, where was it? BEACON LAKE, we used to swim or just walk across to a lovely clean 'beach'. You outsiders probably think I'm 'a mad liar' but if our calm little town wasn't ruined it would still be our 'getaway'. The only thing that wasn't very nice was that we had to get changed in bushes, but most of them were gorse bushes, very prickly. We couldn't  go to the end part (where ARGOS is now) because it was thick clay underfoot, and was overgrown with bulrushes and it was really cold water. Down the main big part of the lake was also dangerous because it was really deep, some older people used to swim  right out, but only if they were strong swimmers, because they used to say it was sometimes a bit scary because of a 'pull' in the currents and in places it was very cold. BUT, YES. IT WAS OUR REAL SEASIDE, and we had many, many happy hours there, we all went mainly together, from the Western Road etc areas, and the older people always looked out for the younger ones. It was safe then, parents never had any cause to worry about their children, not like today! It must have looked weird for anyone driving down the old A5 to see us all crossing the road with big black blown-up innertubes over our shoulders - crossing to where T K Maxx is now, that site used to be a brush factory, called 'BEACON BRUSHES'.
I don't think anyone is allowed to swim in the lake now, it's so very deep. But we've had our lovely times there, and it was a long time ago - but yes, we had one here first!.
Bye for now.
Margaret Hogg, nee Margaret McCracken.

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