Sunday, June 22, 2008

High Winds and abrasive sand

On reflection our blog is turning into a collection of weather reports rather than a blog about our walks. However the forecast wasn't good and equiped with waterproofs we set off to Ainsdale where this weeks walk began.
For once the start wasn't even near a pub! We had decided to walk part of the Sefton Coastal Path going from Ainsdale towards Formby and the 'Fisherman's Path'. I decided, in view of the high winds, to walk back along the beach with the wind behind us. Oh how pleased we both were.
The start of the walk took us alonside the Liverpool-Southport Merseyrail line before cutting through the Merseyside Forest (Red Squirrel country; sadly we didn't see any. In fact we saw very little in the way of wildlife). The woodland protected us from the worst of the wind but the thuds of pine-cones hitting the ground made us think that hard-hats would have been a good idea.
Once on the beach the full force of the wind was felt. As already stated, we were so pleased the wind was at our backs. As can be seen, the moving sand looked almost like smoke hugging the ground.
Sandstorm
Thank goodness for long trousers!
Dressed for high winds
Large container vessels struggled out of the Port of Liverpool, through the white horses, into Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea; and yet on the beach little shells and other objects protected sand from erosion.
White Horses and Liverpool Bay
We made good time with the wind hastening our progress; both of us surprised that we had walked 7.2856 miles. If you want to walk in our footsteps the map of our route can be found at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2010693;
PS Check which way the wind is blowing before you decide which way round you complete the walk!
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