The Book of Enitharmon

This morning I was overwhelmed by a sense that I wanted to be anywhere but in the house. So I went for a long walk. Although my steps didn't take me quite where I intended.

I was planning to walk up the mainland side of the Channel and see how far I could get, aiming to get up to Roanhead if I could. It looked a little murky when I set out, so I was surprised when I was climbing the first, landscaped, bit of the slag bank (remnant of the long-defunct iron and steel works) to see the Isle of Man appearing, clear as you like, above Walney. From the top I was even more surprised to see that, even though the nearby Lakeland fells were somewhat hazy, the mountains of North Wales could be seen distinctly. Seeing Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) is a rare sight indeed up here. With a bit of imagination one could also make out the Mull of Galloway beetween the IoM and St Bees Head.

I had a wander round the further slag bank - not landscaped and without much evidence that it was open to public access beyond the undoubted fact that there was nothing to stop anybody scrambling up and down the scree. It really is a weird place, one that is a local landmark seen froma distance, but which I had not hitherto visited and explored. YOu can pick up bits of native iron very easily.

From there I made my way up the path by the railway - again no obvious right of way but also no obvious attempt to prevent me - until it petered out and turned sharply to a dead end at the shore. The tide was right out, and I was feeling reckless, so I strode out across the mud and sands for the North End of Walney. I had to wade the last twenty metres - despite what some sceptics might say Walney is an island even at low tide! From there I walked round the dunes at teh North End and back down the beach to West Shore. I good opportunity on what was by now a splendid, warm and sunny day to call in on my friend Lilian for tea and a natter on the deck!

Now here's an unusual one.

I don't like using the digital zoom on the Nikoff, but I used it today to supplement the optical zoom to capture the ship leaving Barrow Docks on a very high tide - one of those high enough to have waves over the marshes and lapping up to Ocean Road, where the picture was taken.

The buildings in the background are on Roa Island - not quite a real island as it is connected to the village of Rampside by a raised causeway, but it feels like a small island and is full of boats and nautical (at weekends) folk. On the far right is the Roa Island lifeboat station, which patrols the notorious sands and tides of Morecambe Bay.

Behind is the Forest of Bowland: the uplands of Lancashire, west of the M6 between Lancaster and Preston and north of Blackburn. I think that is Pendle Hill, home of witches, peeking over the shoulder towards the right. But I may be wrong...

You're spared the beach today.

Not halfway through February yet, and the gorse is in bloom!

It's been a while. It's been a difficult time, ok?

Today the temperature rose slightly, and the sun came out after a week of bitter winds, rain and snow. And people came out onto the beach - albeit wrapped up warm. It was glorious!

After another grey start the sun broke through for another glorious winter day (although 11 degrees is ridiculous for January.) And you know how I can't keep away from that beach. Neither could these two, it seems. Fresh mackerel for tea - yummy!

You never see anything like this in London...

A high tide and a high wind mean that the sea is in tune with the state of my brain. We just had to get together didn't we!

Mor pictures here.

It was very cold when I got up this morning, and cold for most of the day. But it was so glorious I just had to take a break from NaNoWriMo writing (I'm using the project to discipline myself into finishing A Voice Less Loud) and walk down to the beach.

It was still and bright, the beach is taking on its winter aspect, and the air was very, very clear. So clear that the Isle of Man stood out gloriously on the horizon, 80 km away. I could even see the Calf of Man. Of course, I cursed the camera because I can't put at skylight filter on it, so you can't see it a fraction as well in the picture as you could in real life. Grrr!

I had a call at 9.40 this morning. As a result, tomorrow morning I'm off to see somebody who may well be my first paying client.

To mark the occasion I felt entitled to unchain myself from my desk and go down to the beach. It was a real wild, woolly, windy Walney day and the sea was doing just what the sea does best - sending the spume flying and the waves crashing on the sea defences.

No photo because it was hard enough to stay upright, but it's impossible to feel depressed in such magnificent conditions!

By way of contrast, here we are just a few hours after that high tide, looking across to the Ferry Hotel from the other side of the channel.