Monday 18 January 2010

coast riding


the snows 2 feet+ deep up on the lammermuirs!,so i decided will head up there next week so after a month of snow(biking) with just new years day on the coast at high tide it was back on the sand sunday under a clear blue sky-first sunshine since the thaw kicked in a week ago, low tide was 9.20am..perfect to get in the old favourite run down to north berwick,
riding out on a few trails it was lifting to feel the warmth of the sun when out the westerly wind...


riding out onto the beach at aberlady bay some volunteer`s were picking up litter along the tideline...i do my own bit further round the coast every spring...usually i burn it as last time i phoned the council it was never lifted...
as i neared the subs i saw something sitting on the beach ahead of me...

first time ive found a full size sea urchin shell unbroken...


i wrapped it in a sleevless baselayer in the framebag and would have to be careful to get it home unbroken...
sand was perfect too...flat and smooth,with the tailwind breeze and clear skys i was in my element...


up until i reached broadsands at yellowcraig i had only passed a few people but after fidra the beach was busy..

a quick bit filming i made at the submarine wrecks and near fidra lighthouse...



i still managed to get a few people free pics at broadsands!...


this is starting to become a lot more common sight...broken washed up creels...i really dislike seeing this...

from north berwick i usually ride home south via the john muir way trail but today i rode west using the trail back into yellowcraig to ride some woods before a roadride home...

heres why i go riding at daylight on a sunday..check all the folk out!...

once home the wrapped up urchin shell was still ok,a nice addition to the beachcombing collection...

UPDATE OF POST; harri asked about the WW2 spitfire shells size...heres a picture of a spitfire bullet shell next to a 303 rifle shell for comparison in size...

we found loads of these as greenkeepers in the 1980s lifting turf at a nursery now not in use due to rare orchids found there...the site of the old turf nursery is west of the 12th green of gullane NO2 course...the green you walk past on route to the nature reserve point..i had lots of these shells but gave them to friends over the years and now just have this one...
and heres the famous plane...nothing sounds like a merlin engine...

7 comments:

  1. Great stuff! How old is that sub wreck?

    Warm sun in the face? Sound like farytales! ;)
    It's slightly below zero degrees Celsius here, feel like a heat wave!

    ReplyDelete
  2. harri; the subs were WW2 training subs then tied up late 1944 for live target pratice by spitfires and hurricane fighter aircraft from a nearby airbase,i have a few spent aircraft shells found years ago in the grassland of the lagoon inland...

    ReplyDelete
  3. amazing how the snow is just..................gone!! lol

    Peace,
    Joboo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ah! Thanks for the info! Imagine the shells are of a somewhat large caliber?

    ReplyDelete
  5. harri; ive added a pic to the post of a spitfire shell next to a 303 rifle round to compare there size...
    20mm calibre (armoured piercing) and 303 rounds were fitted to spitfires

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great service! :)
    Thanks!

    There was a tv-show shown here with Robbie Coltrane (Planes and automobiles?) where he visited a fellow who had built a scale version of the Merlin engine and even when that small it sounded just like the real deal! But less, obviously. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. let's make the best of both

    a Surly Pugsley with a Merlin engine!!!

    Vrooeeeaaaaaammmmmm tring tring!! ;-)

    ReplyDelete