The unique joy of being by the sea

During a day of meetings in St Andrews, there was an opportunity to break away and spend a little while by the sea. Sitting on the sea wall, looking out over two miles of unbroken sandy beach, I was reminded that there's nothing like sea air and a sea view.

It's hard to say quite what makes it unique; the wide open views... the negative ions... the sound of the waves... It's no surprise at all that Victorians used to be prescribed a sojourn by the sea to cure miscellaneous maladies. Research on UK Census data actually showed that living within 3 miles of the sea tends to mean you feel healthier, all other things being equal. It certainly worked, albeit briefly, for me.