She describes the decision as life-changing: “I think the power of the sea is completely underestimated. It’s immensely therapeutic.”
When she first visited the hut, it was off-season in October, but she could tell that the hut had been loved and cherished by its previous owners.
The hut also has glass doors. “In the winter, when it’s all stormy, you can go into the beach hut, shut the door behind you, put a blanket on, get your hot chocolate, and sit and watch the power of the sea,” she says.
The hut itself cost her more than £40,000, with renovations – all of which she did herself – coming to £500. She also pays nearly £2,000 in annual ground rent to the council.
The council doesn’t allow huts to be rented out, but Natalie often goes down in the evening after work once the beach is quieter. She has even launched her own podcast, Bonkers about Beach Huts, interviewing fellow members of the community.
Will she have the hut forever? She thinks so, unless her financial circumstances change and she can afford to buy a house that looks out to sea.
