William Austin-Lobley Photography

Five boys dig on the sands of Portobello Beach. 

We were visiting friends and they took us to Portobello Beach. It was a quiet day – maybe a Sunday. It wasn’t long after a jubilee, as there were still flowers littering the walkways in tribute to the Queen. 

It wasn’t a warm day, but there were locals out on the beach as though it was the height of summer – shorts on, deck chairs out and chips in hand. Among these pockets of relaxation, proudly ignoring the bitter wind, five boys chose a more industrious task for their day on the beach.