On very hot days and days when it has rained in the afternoon, but cleared up in the evening, we have sometimes ventured out in the evening. The light is different for photography.
Here are a few views taken on three walks. The last one being after Storm Francis, when some adventurous folk were out on surfboards or paddle-boards.
As neither the weather nor my health have made trips out advisable, I have nothing more interesting to post today than something at the beach. The recent storms have left seaweed dangling from a fence. It was flapping. The movement caught my eye. I’d have taken a short video with my phone, but mp3 files are not allowed by WordPress. Instead this still photo turned out to be more interesting than I expected.
The breakwater (or groyne) the other side of the fence leads to a triangular sign marking the northern limit of the bathing area. I do know some people, who went into the sea on Christmas Day, wearing wet-suits. Conditions were much calmer then.
It is often very windy on the Cumbrian coast. The day before Storm Ciara arrived the wind was already blowing strongly. With the onshore wind a storm surge of 2 metres (over 6 feet) was predicted. The sea defences above the lower promenade are about 4 feet high. There are gaps where the paths and the lifeboat ramp cross from higher up the foreshore. The debris left after the storm shows the highest point reached by the tide. The size of some of the pebbles thrown up by the sea is frightening – a less obvious reason to stand well back than the chance of being swept away.
In recent months the beck has carved out a path along the bottom of the cliffs. Storm Ciara filled it in, leaving the beck to find a new route to the sea, percolating through the shingle.
The winds have continued for days. By the time this post is published we will be being battered by Storm Dennis, following a few days behind Storm Ciara.
My sympathies are with those living inland, who have been affected by flooding and/or disruption to water supplies or electricity outages. Surprisingly our power went off and was restored in the early hours of Saturday before the worst of the weather. We should not take the work of the engineers for granted. They work outside in some appalling weather conditions.
