Last time I walked the pier at Southend, it was cold and windy. Today when we walked the pier it was cold and windy. So, so windy. There may have been over three years and two seasons separating the two strolls down the 1.3-mile wooden walkway, but the weather was uncannily similar. We just made it back to dry land, literally, too, as the heavens opened just as we headed inside one of the seafront cafés for our fish, chips and mushy peas. With Katharine, Luke and Emilie up from London, we spent the afternoon winning at bingo, playing air hockey and strolling down the promenade before heading down to Leigh-on-Sea. An undiscovered jewel of a place, few would believe that Southend is in sight from the watery, boat-littered mud flats; two completely contrasting coastal resorts.
