A hot August day in Llandudno, North Wales, The schools are on holiday so there are thousands of families on the beach, on the pier and in the cafes near the front. What strikes me after spending so long in Australia is how tentative the English are in relation to the sea. We dip our toes in, paddle and occasionally swim, but this isn't an easy relationship. Children shriek when the cold water hits their feet, while a couple of bolder youths wade awkwardly back towards the shingle beach.