Introduction


When we started walking the coast of England we had no intention that this would become a major lifetime project. Having to make a last-minute arrangement for our summer holiday in 1987, we said "Let's go to the nearest piece of coast and see how far we can walk along it." It turned out well and we started adding further stretches of coast, initially once every two years, but soon annually, or even twice a year.

We had always enjoyed the coast - there is something refreshingly "edgy" about having the sea always at our side, and one of us was into marine molluscs. We also enjoyed long-distance walking and had long been involved in general natural history recording. This project enabled us to combine all three interests.

You soon discover when embarking on a project like this that you need a few rules, which evolve from the first experiences. Our main rule was that we should walk as close to the coast as possible, which meant beach-walking whenever we could (unlike the official coast paths that largely remain above shore, recognising that at high tides the beach may be inaccessible). The route should also be capable of being a continuous walk, so that when we came to an unfordable river we walked inland along its banks to the first place at which we could cross, whether a bridge or a ferry.

We only carried light packs, so that at the end of each day's walk we had the problem of getting back to our car where we started. Initially we walked back, but soon realised we would be walking the coast twice this way! We used public transport whenever this was available - buses or trains, sometimes adjusting our start and finish points to make this easier. Failing this - and it was often not possible - we would phone for a taxi (an increasingly costly option over the years). Having our car with us gave us more freedom as to where we could stay at night - and after a day walking and only light food we were usually ready for being spoiled by a good meal and a comfortable bed! Even so, we stayed on the coast itself whenever there was a decent option.

Each walk was made for enjoyment, it was not a route-march to see how quickly we could get it finished. We therefore took it gently at times when passing through pleasant scenery or where there were many plants or creatures to record.

In terms of biological recording, we systematically noted every bird, butterfly, creature or sea-shell that we came across, sometimes spending time searching for the shells. We could not record every plant in the same way - there are too many common ones - so we were more selective, noting all coastal plants and any others that were not run-of-the-mill.

In our daily posts, edited from our original diaries, we include a star-rating from no star to **** according to our subjective estimate as to how special that day was from the point of view of natural history. This score (and our daily records) will, however, have been affected by the weather - it is difficult to appreciate the environment fully, for instance, in torrential rain, and there are many more butterflies and other insects to be seen in warm sunshine!

A summary of all our natural history records on the walk can be found using this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1LLGD55lKRHYXd1SGU1QndrcUU/edit?usp=sharing





Friday, 24 January 2014

Lancashire: Overton to Morecambe 19 June 2004**


 

6-spot burnet
 
Common spotted orchids
 
Sand leek
Near Overton a hilltop gave fine views of the Cumbrian mountains and Morecambe Bay.  After circumscribing the peninsula south of Overton we arrived just beyond the west end of the village to take the road south across the saltmarsh, flooded at high tide, but presently clear.  This led to the tiny settlement of Sunderland near the corner of the Lune estuary, whence we could turn north along the main coast once more, finally leaving the Lune behind, after it had dominated our walk for three days.  There was particularly good saltmarsh for a variety of plants, but it became increasingly sandy.  The coast here is dominated by caravan parks, with the only inland route being by road and very circuitous.  We therefore took the chance that by walking along the beach we could find an exit further north.  A fence barred most of the way the inland, with industrial sites beyond.  We had to carry on further along a rocky shore, the haunt of cormorants, to an outcrop known as Red Nab, at the start of which a path led steeply up the low cliff to the caravan site at the top.  We walked through this to the end of the road at the eastern side of Heysham Nuclear Power Station, following this north we soon branched left into an area of grassland that has been made a nature reserve within the power station site, accessible to the public.  Ponds had been constructed and wildflower meadows planted.  We found six-spot burnet moths among bee and common spotted orchids, sand leek, common centaury, sweetbriar, and yellow-wort here (reminding us of Hinkley Point in Somerset).  Paths through here eventually led to the A589 coming down to Heysham docks.  Large container depots and other dock facilities had to be avoided, as they prevented access to the coast here, so we followed the A589 east a short way until it crossed the railway (where there was some rosy garlic at the roadside) and we could branch left on minor roads down to Half Moon Bay (more spotted orchids at the roadside).  The beach was a mixture of stones and sand.  We walked at the edge of the low cliff north to Heysham Head, through heath grassland (tormentil, heath bedstraw, wood-sage), the town itself lying further east.  At the head were the fascinating remains of St. Patrick’s Chapel, originally built in the C8th, including some clear graves cut directly into the rock, uniquely surviving here from Viking times.  Below to the east was a small church and we continued along a grassy shoreline until we entered the suburban edge of Morecambe, when we followed the asphalt promenade for about 3km to the centre of the town, stopping just after the pier and “pleasure ground” of funfair rides.  We headed into the centre for a quick snack and coffee at an Italian ice cream parlour, and caught the hourly bus back to Overton, where we were staying at The Globe.
Rock graves at St Patrick's Chapel

 
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