Loes had been invited to visit her ex-neighbours in St Bees
so they could exchange the latest news.
I took the opportunity to walk the dogs while she drunk tea
and would no doubt be chatting the afternoon away.
On the drive over to St Bees Loes diverted via Tarn Flatts
and dropped me off, so I could do a linear walk to St Bees along
the cliffs.
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The walk
forms part of the C2C and England Coastal Path. |
Parking at the farm,
now with an overflow parking field available. |
Beautifully clear visibility as I exit the farm
area and look north to Dumfries and Galloway over there in Scotland.
Ahead is the lighthouse, its outline is looking
a little fuzzy today.
The reason is that it is undergoing essential
maintenance.
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It looks like the guys are giving it a coat of paint
which may or may not involve
a little extra chisel work on the brick
at the base of the tower.
The light is one of the oldest in the country
due to the close proximity of Whitehaven Harbour.
When first built was illuminated by a coal fire
but now it is electrified, unmanned and fully automated.
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At the edge of the cliff is the old fog horn
that used to warn shipping of danger when the visibility was
poor.
Out to sea . . . that's the Isle of Man some
31 miles away.
To the north, views of Scotland once again.
I think it's the Mull of Galloway with the Whithorn
Peninsular in a slightly darker shade, alongside the coastguard
building.
The cliff top fence is being repaired and there's
an off-road caterpillar tractor to cope with the uneven ground.
Occasionally there's a gate and a viewing area
which allows you to get closer to the edge.
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It's August and relatively late in the seabird season,
consequently there are few birds flying today.
The information board gives an idea of the birds
you might expect to see normally.
Click
here or on the picture for a larger version of
the sign.
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Another viewing area and another set of red
sandstone cliffs.
The white is guano, the excrement of the birds,
is an obvious clue to their nesting sites,
however the only birds flying today were the
occasional cormorants, "gulls" and ravens.
In lieu of the birds, I photographed the most
westerly colony of Boletus
mushrooms I had found.
A steady walk along the coast path brings the
Southern Head and its sheer cliffs into sight.
Looking back at th last of the Northern Headland
and more potential bird nesting sites.
The rarest and most famous of residents, during
early summer, is the the Black
Guillemot
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An obstruction ahead.
Before we reach the Southern Head
there's a deep incised valley
which leads down to Fleswick Bay.
The dogs set off down the steps, tails up
and eager it seems to dip their feet in the sea.
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The bay strangely has mainly grey pebbles despite the fact
that it is backed by high red sandstone cliffs.
It has sand at low tide but at present the tide is part way
in and the sand is hidden.
There's a strong breeze and reasonable waves, but in the
sunshine the sea looks inviting.
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The whole beach looks inviting too,
so I divert from my cliff-top walk and head out along
the shingle.
The sea temperature was warm, but at the far end
the waves were stronger,
but not so strong that one couldn't take a dip today
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Washed and dried in the sun . . . it was time
to move on.
I turn my back and see Fleswick Bay and the
lighthouse for the last time on the walk.
My eye was caught by the late summer hairbells
growing close to the fence.
Close to the highest point of the head, the
fence takes a right angle turn . . .
. . . which leads down to some old earthworks
and foundations.
The clue is the squat remains on the other side
of the fence, which are all that remains of a war-time coastal
look out position.
The foundations are not roman but modern Anglo
Saxon, dating from the 1940's
and would have the base of an old barrack building
for Coastguard staff.
Nowadays the remains of the brick and cement
lookout have been commandeered as a tourist viewpoint,
with suitable information boards on three sides,
each highlighting the view.
"Looking south from the South Head lookout"
. . . a phrase I coined at the time and one that has stayed
in the brain till now.
The dogs appear to have left me and gone over
to greet the next visitors to this popular location.
The path now heads down to the coastal town
of St Bees, its size swollen by a significant caravan park situated
towards this end.
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The path seems to follow the line of an old wall
as it stands proud of the surrounding fields
on a significant ridge.
The dogs walk the line
despite the adjacent grass field
being an easier route down.
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The path continues straight until it can no
longer. On the turn we look down on the wide vista
of the bay at St Bees.
Below us is a rectangular gap in the bedrock
of the headland. This was a pre-war open air swimming
pool which in the olden days
held back the seawater and give the locals a
low tide swimming area. The cost of manning a lifeguard
service became prohibitive
and the outer wall was destroyed to stop the
creators of the pool from being liable for any problems that
might have occurred
should it be used by swimmers without safety
backup. Political correctness is not a new thing
it seems.
The stream that drains the land between here
and the hamlet of Rottingham reaches the sea at this point.
Rottingham beck has a shingle bank blocking
free access to the sea and the water drains away through the
stones.
Another legacy of the heyday of the town as
a major beach resort are the groynes.
These were designed to stop the sand being washed
away by the tidal currents, but have subsequently fallen into
disrepair.
The beach seems to cope perfectly well without
them. Like Fleswick Bay, there's plenty
of sand at low tide.
One thing which has survived better is the beach
side cafe . . . which sells local Hartley's ice cream.
This magical confectionary is only second to
Buttermere ice cream for those of you that need to know these
facts.
Despite the queue, I waited at the window in
order to purchase two cornets.
After all my lift had arrived and it would be
churlish to enjoy one on my own in her company !
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Here's something you can also enjoy together
with family and friends . . .
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Now
is your chance to have your favourite
web site pictures
hanging
on your wall all year round
and
to support a good cause.
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" We've
done it again.
We've brought you twelve months of Loweswater
pictures,
Lakeland scenes and your favourite mountain dogs."
Yes
. . . The 2024 Loweswatercam
Calendar is
now on sale
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Click
here or on the photos
for
full details of how to buy your copy.
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