The Sea Islands of South Carolina 2

Another gorgeous morning on our Dixie roadtrip. The sun was shining, the sky was cloudless and the temperature was due to hit 75 degrees. We were nowhere even near to feeling homesick for wintry Manchester, not when it was time to hit the beach!

We drove into Beaufort for breakfast, stopping at Blackstone's Cafe which proved a welcoming spot despite the proliferation of military insignia, army pennants and photos of war vessels.

We had a short stroll along the seafront where porch swings line the sea wall, overlooking the drawbridge and marina.

Christian sits a spell

Back in the car, we crossed the drawbridge and headed out to the end of the road, to Hunting Island. The islands in between were flat and featureless, almost indistinguishable from the grassy salt marshes. Suburban sprawl had spread even here though, the islands paved over with strip malls, houses, schools and fire stations.

Then Hunting Island rose on the horizon, like the crest of a green wave. Driving under the canopy of tall pines and palms was like escaping into a jungle.

Entering the state park cost a few dollars but it was worth every penny. The broad beach had the whitest of white sands, backed by palms and overlooked by a lighthouse.

Where's my hat??

The tide was out and gulls were stood in the mud, stirring up the sand with their feet to work up some grub.

The whole beach was almost empty and we climbed the lighthouse on our own (a couple dollars extra, but worth it for the views).

Time to hit the hiking trail which ventured along dunes covered with palmettos, ivy and undergrowth. At one point we emerged at a channel plied by kayakers while fishermen threw nets out into the shallows. The crooked palms and the heat shimmering off the sands made me think of Africa, not America.

No surprise the place featured in the live action version of The Jungle Book and doubled for Vietnam in Forrest Gump.

All too soon we were back in Beaufort for lunch, at the Magnolia Cafe. Conveniently located next to the visitors centre and coach car park, the food didn't seem to suffer from being so firmly on the tourist trail although the prices were a bit high.

I had a bean burger with salad on top for a bit of roughage, Christian had the chicken sandwich and we rounded off the meal with a slice of pecan pie, a brownie and bottomless glasses of iced pink lemonade.

Time for a short hop...to Savannah!