Editor of discerning travel platform Made With Map, Sheila Lam recently stayed at Port and penned a little diary during her stay.

Spying our tranquil waters, Sheila took advantage of our seafront spot and headed straight to the shore.

Thanks Sheila for sharing your stay by the sea and your joy of sea bathing.

“The sun was already high above the horizon when I pulled back the drapes in the Studio Apt. I opened the tall bay windows to the balcony and looked out over the water. It was high tide. Back in Margate where I live, high tide means thrashing waves and a current strong enough to be carried away. But here in Eastbourne, as is the pace of the town, the water even at high tide was tranquil. Sea bathing feels like a seasonal passage and what better way to mark the coming of the autumn equinox than plunging in for a few late summers swims.

We were visiting on a particularly hot week, near 30°C weather and not a cloud in sight. The bracing cold of that initial plunge seemed like the only thing that could wake us from our heat lethargy.”

“Straight across the road from Port, it was how we woke up every morning and how we refreshed ourselves before dinner. Romance language countries have their siesta, we had a swim in the sea. Though we packed our swimsuits, we didn't pack beach towels and we certainly weren’t about to ruin the plush white bath towels at Port. So we walked along the seafront stopping in at various souvenir shops until we found some. It was at the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) museum gift shop that we were successful with blue and white striped ones, that turned into their own carry bag. Both a functional keepsake of our time in town and a good deed as the proceeds go directly to support their lifesaving efforts.”

“Even though the water most days is gently lapping at the pebbles on the beach, it is always important to be aware of the channel before jumping in. After all it has a mind of its own. In Eastbourne you can tell when the tide is at high or low simply by looking at the beach. Low tide means being able to see the sandy banks layered between the larger pebbles and the shore. You’ll also be able to see the mossy green waterline on the boardwalk post at the pier. But if you’re ever unsure, a simple search of tide times in the area online will clear it up. Conditions can change rapidly both in the water and above but with Port’s proximity, it makes it easy to rush back in an instance if necessary.”

“There is something about being in the sea at leisure that is transformative. The light glistens off the surface like a portal to another plane and that's exactly how it feels. You dance in the water, floating weightlessly and effortlessly. A sensation we landwellers are in short supply of. And when coming up for air after being fully submerged all of your senses are sharpened. Feeling more alive than ever. Nobel laureate Eugene O'Neill captured it perfectly when he said…

“I dissolve in the sea, become white sails and flying spray. Become beauty and rythym. Become moonlight and the ship and the high dim-starred sky. I belonged, without past or future, within peace and utility and a wild joy. And several times in my life, when I was swimming far out or laying alone on the beach, I have had the same experience. I become the sun, the hot sand, green seaweed anchored to a rock, swaying in the tide.”

Thanks Sheila for sharing your stay, dips in the sea and lovely binocular photography.

Map with Map

Wild Swimming at Port