Camber Sands In The 50's And 60's

A Memory of Camber.

CAMBER SANDS
When we first went to Camber Sands it was on my father’s motorbike and sidecar, it must have been in the middle fifties. It was a surprise for us as we had never been there before. When we arrived my Dad parked the bike on a knobbly hillside covered in grass and sand. We asked where the beach was and he told us to go up the hill and we would see it. Well, you can imagine our surprises when we got to the top. All we could see for miles was sand and the sea. We raced down to the sea, luckily the tide was in, to see how warm the water was, although it didn’t matter much to us in those days as we were at the BEACH. Racing back to Mum and Dad, we found they had unpacked the swimming costumes and towels and were heading up the hillside themselves. We had the most glorious time and Dad even showed us how to “catch” cockle shells. All we had to do was stand where the water was running out with the tide in a certain area and they collected at our toes when the water washed over them. We thought we were so clever. After a while we went back over to the bike where Mum unpacked the lunch and meth spirits stove tin to boil the kettle for tea. Once Mum had forgotten the milk so we walked along the only road towards the caravan park. On the way we came to Walkers Café, where we got a bottle of milk. I am sure that was the place as there were no shops there, not in that area anyway. We went to Camber sands for many years as it became a favourite, but every time we went it changed bit by bit. We used to park on the hillside for free, then one year we turned up and it was all fenced off and we had to pay for parking. By this time Dad had bought a car so the journey was not so uncomfortable. The fencing caused problems as they also fenced off the beach and I think you had to get there somewhere else. We were lucky enough that someone had pulled out a few of the fence stakes, that left a gap to get through to the beach. Once on our way back I was racing my younger brother back to the car. We tore down the hillside towards the car. My brother was in front of me as I chased behind. The next thing I knew I was knocked flat on my back and landed on the dune with a thump. I must have passed out for a while as when I opened my eyes I saw my Mum and Dad leaning over me. My throat area on the outside was very sore and I had a big line going across it. Apparently the gap in the fence that we went through still had the top wire joined together. My brother, being smaller, raced under the wire and I did not see it. Being taller I copped it right in the throat and was winded. Luckily there was no lasting damage. One year we did go to Camber for a whole fortnight and stayed in one of the holiday cottages, not unlike the one behind the café. It had a barrel out the back to collect rainwater and Mum used it as much as possible, especially to wash our hair. We used to go the café for our milk and bread, but I think Mum and Dad got most of the groceries from Rye, which was the nearest “shops”. I think it was one of the last times we went there, even for a day trip as my parents had decided it was getting too developed and busy. I have seen recent photos of Camber Sands and am so glad that when we went it was vitally unknown and unspoiled, not like today when people pay to be catered for and entertained by others and not rely on themselves for enjoyment of the place.