It's not far, indeed! haha 😅 I had a great laugh reading this over and over because I can totally relate. In my country, once locals say that phrase accompanied by their lips pointing towards the path you need to take, that means it's far and not far is probably hours of walking.
I admit the sea might not be as pleasing as other beaches but the forest you've walked through looks really inviting to me. I could jump right in and camp there!
I would love to camp in that forest, it's amazing! I loved staring up at the trees. I kept having to be careful I didn't fall down ravines and the like :0)
I have now learned that everything is about a mile away and not far according to the locals regardless of how far it actually is!