its that time of year again...kamikazie toads on the roads around here...
i was heading early down to the coast at tyningham-or as we all call it `the nam`...
an early ride being easter sunday as the beach here is busy most sundays but today it will proberly be choc a block by midday...this is my nearest beach for me to ride 2...around 3.5 miles nearly all offroad but by road today as the trails are swamps with recent weather...
onto the beach and alot of debris along the hightide line...i rode the loop out and back around sandy hirst point...
sheltered from the wind the water in the bay at tyne sands was flat calm...
must have been a duck race down the river tyne...`brian No11 your duck is here!`...
then into links wood to ride along the hidden trail above the tideline...struggled a few times here riding clipped in today...
out of links wood to ride around above the coastline past st baldreds cradle...
and the view over the rocks called bathans strand and beyond peffer sands to scoughall rocks (pronunced skoal) and seacliff in the distance...
onto ravensheugh sands and today it was hard and smooth and easy cycling....
the dunes at peffer sands are washed away at there base...bit too steep to ride down!...
never seen this before...sand washed away at the peffer burn exposing a complete WW2 coastal defence anti glider pole... beaches around the UK were covered in these poles to prevent german invasion gliders landing...they were all cut down after the war leaving the stumps and conctete often still seen but somehow this one is complete...
yesterday i came across a boat...today a paddle!...
the WW2 coastal defence machine gun pill box has slide down the dune which has mostly been washed away...shame to see this as stuff like this is part of the history of our coast...
on towards seacliff...passing alot more coastal erosion...
i love the chestnut brown colour of the rock and sand here...shaped by the tide and wind...
and the algae on the rocks here is almost neon green in colour...
at seacliff it was quiet with no visitors...the views here are priceless...
nearly midday...time to head for home...
A boat, now a paddle......
ReplyDeleteBetter take a body bag next trip {yuk}
Never seen a complete anti glider pole before.
You get a nice sense of scale at the hidden harbour with the bike on the rock. The last photo is a cracker.
Very nice.....Al.
great wee beach seacliff Al...often quiet too...
ReplyDeleteHi Bro - fond memories of home for me! Nice post! Shame about the pillbox - I might senda link to Historic Scotland so they can see our wartime heritage washing away! Fascinating to see the glider pole - I've only ever seen the upright stumps at Aberlady before now.
ReplyDeleteShame there were no actual toads you could take pix of :-)
ReplyDeletebigbro; do send a link...the AA battery at the reserve is nearly covered by encroaching sand!
ReplyDeleteneill; lots of toads mating last weekend in the Marl loch on aberlady nature reserve...will look next time im out for any for pics!..
I send emails to the pillbox study group and secret Scotland website.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they can place the pillbox back in the dunes or........in your backyard :-)
cool tommy...make a nice bivvy hut somewhere!, just put a stove in and it would be braw and cosy!...
ReplyDelete