Showing posts with label Winter Storms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter Storms. Show all posts

Tuesday 4 March 2014

Winter Exposure Westward Ho!

Arrived at Westward Ho! amazed to find that the tide was still ebbing as we had been looking forward to a long bracing walk. It was another huge surge with the tide refusing to go out and stay out. The Go Kart Track and Adventure Centre is still in disarray so if ever there was a time for the legendary Potwalloping Festival, this is it. Fortunately the Links beyond are no longer flooded. Across the Bay in the direction of Kipling Tors I can see the spray from the wild “White Horses”. A grey day with sporadic sunshine, there was even another fleeting rainbow. When it was finally clear to walk down the beach it was quite other-worldly as the sand, in parts, had been completely washed away revealing mounds of soft grey clay, the rest resembling a shingle beach. In the midst of the normal grey pebbles strewn along the strandline were some quite beautiful marble white ones, washed in from some distant shore. As we walked on down to Sandymere I took a shot of the concrete slabs, the stepping stones over the ridge, now a little askew to say the least. Along the way I took note of the newly exposed Groins, weirdly wonderful clay formations, the outline of a previously unseen wreck and a line of pier posts or were they old WW2 sea defences? The surf although on its way out continued to rush in and I watched as four little Sanderlings skipped the waves then became marooned on their own little island. In 2012 the Pebbles abutting the Dunes at the far end had been washed away and now they were back and it was a relief to see that the missing sand had shifted towards the Spit. I was pleased not to see any rubbish on the beach, although there were pockets of marine litter amongst the pebbles. Here at the Spit of the Northam Burrows Country Park, the Ridge, although covered in pebbles seemed much flatter and even the big boulders were seemingly battered out of place. On a clear day you can look out to the Bideford Bar and over to the Biosphere across the Taw Torridge Estuary from here. It was hard going against the wind on the way back, I did, however stop to take a shot for the records of a dead seabird. Another sad sight was a 4x4 vehicle perched atop the Ridge, exposed and well and truly stuck. Photos and Article copyright Pat Adams 23rd February 2014

I reported the dead bird to the RSPB via Facebook and it was identified as a Guillemot. Guillemots, Razorbills and other seabirds have suffered terribly in the storms and have been washed up in numbers around the UK coast.See also BBC  'Record number' of dead seabirds washed up from storms
If you come across any dead sea birds please send full details to SWseabirds@rspb.org.uk
RSPB If members of the public find live seabirds that can be rescued it is recommended they should contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999. We would advise you not to attempt rescuing the seabirds yourself or to handle them.
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Westward Ho! Potwalloping Festival was traditionally held each year on May Bank Holiday, the last one was held in 2012. Potwalloping. An old tradition when, in return for grazing rights, the residents in the Borough of Northam would throw back the pebbles that had been washed down from the Pebble Ridge after Spring Tides.

Monday 10 February 2014

Pebble Dash and Rainbow over the Ridge, Westward Ho!

February roared in like a lion as the UK, the South West and the North Devon Coast in particular was pounded once again by gale-force winds and thundering seas which coincided with high Spring Tides on Saturday the 1st February. The waves were so huge that sea walls cracked on the promenade at Westward Ho! and the Pebble Ridge was breached for the second time. The area behind the Pebble Ridge, known as the Northam Burrows Country Park was therefore flooded and this included the links course of the Royal North Devon Golf Club. The Slipway withstood the pounding, not so lucky was the Adventure Play Ground and Go-Kart Track which was decimated, splattered once again with marine debris and pebbles. Such was the power of the waves that the pebbles and boulders were tossed high and wide also filling in the passageway to the Southwest Coast Path section of the Burrows itself. Sunday the wind had dropped and the sun came out briefly enabling people to venture on the beach at last. Rain squalls were followed by a rainbow. It was a race against time and tide as the diggers dashed up and down the beach, scooping pebbles up from one of the Pebble Ridge and dumping them back down to repack the area which was breached just beyond the slipway. The car park and toilets were closed again but the Slipway Takeaway thankfully remained unscathed and was open for business as usual. Here is a slide show of pictures taken on the Sunday 2nd February, you can also view them on FLICKR .Article and photos 2nd February copyright Pat Adams


Monday 27 January 2014

Crash, Bang, Wallop. Surging into the New Year

I'm hunkered down writing this while the wind is howling outside, the birds have nipped off to the safety of the hedges and the trees so it’s a good job I did the Big Garden Birdwatch Survey this morning. Crash bang wallop, what a start to the New Year. The interminable rain caused rivers to break their banks, rainbows followed the rain, there were giant hailstones and lightning strikes, landslips and land-slides and that was before the storm Hercules arrived. According to news reports there were "twenty-one severe flood warnings, the highest level, issued in the South and West with 500 alerts in total across the UK" The great Atlantic surge began at the end of December when these photos were taken down at Westward Ho! a few days later the coast was bombarded with monster waves up to 10 metres high. The huge swell wreaked havoc along the coast, thundering waves "towering" over the Renish Tower at Lynmouth, breaching sea walls at Ilfracombe and Instow and even the mighty Pebble Ridge succumbed as the pebbles were flung up off the ridge and over the car park and Go-Cart Track by the slipway at Westward Ho! Diggers were brought in to repair the damage, the car park was still closed last week. As the swirling Atlantic waves surged and unrelenting high tides crashed onto our North Devon Coast, residents, local authorities, highways agencies and emergency services have been left counting the cost. In the aftermath tons of marine debris and litter were deposited on beaches in the area and the SAS (Surfers Against Sewage) community worked together as over 400 volunteers helped at BEACH CLEAN events including Croyde and Woolacombe. It’s amazing that we never tire of watching a raging sea, people stand in wonder, children delight in racing away from the surf, photographers will risk all for that one definitive shot, even surfers are not deterred by the possibility of being caught in a rip tide. However, it’s definitely a dangerous game as you’re never quite ready for that extra big wave so quite rightly the Police and the Environment Agency have urged people to stay away from the sea and rivers at such times. Great care must still be taken while walking on coastal paths, the ground is sodden making it more possible for cliff falls. The Southwest Coast Path Association urge people to “Stay safe and away from the shoreline and cliff edges if you're out on the Coast Path!” Click here for the latest news on cliff falls and Path diversions. Article 25th January 2014 and Pictures Westward Ho! 29th December 2013 PM Adams North Devon Focus
 North Devon Focus Picture Tour
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