SNAILS ON SAND

Thursday September 8

When I come down for breakfast I see nearly white sneakers!  I had expected dry ones, not clean ones!  I am prepared to give a tip to the person who had done all that extra work, but Neal (the B&B owner) says he did the job himself.  I can’t thank him enough. 

I ask him, “I’d like to go north of Ravenglass to see the Irish Sea and the big sand dunes.  Which way should I walk?” 

“It will be faster and safer if you take the train to the next stop of Drigg, then head toward the ocean,” recommends Neal.  So that’s what I do, following these directions from a flyer he gives me:

In Drigg, take the beach road to the level crossing over the railway, past the station and continue on to the beach. The road down to the sand dunes is a long circuitous lane bordering the nuclear waste repository, protected by lines of high fencing, but these are soon left behind as the beach draws near and the scale of the dunes becomes apparent. This is the largest sand dune system in Cumbria supporting species such as sea holly, sea bindweed and blue fleabane. The dunes and the estuary of Eskmeals and Ravenglass also support one of the largest seabird breeding colonies in the northwest. 

Wait!  Nuclear waste repository?  It is raining so hard my photos of the sign are soggy. 

I learn later from the internet:  During WW2 a Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF Drigg) was established at Drigg between the railway line and the sea. This is now the site of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority low-level radioactive waste repository. The site is 270 acres, holding about one million cubic meters of radioactive waste, approximately 3.7 mi south east of the Sellafield nuclear site.   The site stores waste from Sellafield, Ministry of Defense sites, nuclear power stations, hospitals, universities, medical companies and the oil industry. It has been operating since 1959.

 And this is what I learn later from Bill Bryson’s book, The Road to Little Dribbling, on page 324-326.

“…at Calder Hall at Sellafield, on the Cumbrian coast, it [Britain] had installed the world’s very first working nuclear power station.”

In 1944, as WWII was winding down, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt signed an agreement pledging to share information on the development of nuclear weaponry and energy after the war.  But after Roosevelt died, Congress (two years later) passed the McMahon Act, making it a crime punishable by death to give any information on nuclear reactions.  So Britain had to develop its nuclear industry and hydrogen bombs on its own.

By early 1957 Britain was on top of the world but in October, the Sellafield reactor overheated.  Nobody knew what to do.  They thought of hosing the core down but they thought possibly the water would cause a massive detonation.  There was talk of evacuating the Lake District. Fortunately there was not a nuclear explosion but their P.R. was hurt badly.

“There is still a lot of other toxic stuff at Sellafield, including the world’s largest stockpile of plutonium (28 tons of it), but nobody knows exactly what is lying around the place because record keeping was so poor.”

The red mark points out Sellafield.

 Very sturdy fencing surrounds the area with many signs urging me to keep away.  No problem there.

A farm is directly opposite the the repository.  If I knew the area better, I could cut across the meadow like a real British Rambler.  Unlike the U.S., walkers are permitted to walk across private land.

 One of the leftover WWII look-out buildings will be my reminder of where to head back once I finish walking along the shore line.  It is raining on me and my camera.

WWII Viewing Structure

 The dunes are huge and covered with grass.  I think the tussocks are marram grass.   A wicked wind blows the walk directions out of my hand but in short order the pool deepens where it landed.  Since I leave tomorrow, I do not want to soak my newly dried sneakers.  I leave the directions there.

Blown-Away Directions

 While I watch the horizon, I see flares or rockets in the distance.  [Eileen and Richard later do some research to find what that is about.  Turns out they are flares from the Eskmaels firing range.]  It reminds me of the gorgeous fighter plane we saw speeding loudly over us in Windermere as we ate lunch by the lake.   

Flare from Eskmaels Firing Range

Thoughts of military necessities.

Have I ever walked on sand this brown?  Because it is raining and very windy, I am walking by myself for a long time. Finally a couple with dogs and a solitary walker join me.

The wind is incredible.  There are some very beautiful stones on the beach which a geologist could enjoy.

 I love the dunes, which are huge and have snails on them!   I find two wildflowers which are new to me.

Have you ever seen snails on sand dunes?

Sea Holly, Carrot Family (Blue Flowers)

Possibly Portland spurge,  Euphorbia portlandica

This snail likes to walk on greens.

 'Reindeer Lichens' Cladonia ciliata

Sun is out!

I climb the dunes one more time before heading back.  And spot some smiling sheep.

All this grass is blowing in the huge wind.

Passing the farm on my way to the train station, I see cattle this time.  And more flowers.

Anyone know what this?

Bell Heather

Do all sheep smile?

 I notice red bumps on my legs while waiting for the train to take me back.  They don’t burn or itch.  I guess they are from my earlier encounters with stinging nettle.
 

Downtown Drigg Store Eleanor Would Love

Sign says "Stay Calm.  Enjoy The Journey."

Stinging Nettle Bumps?

Train to Ravenglass

When I get back “home” I treat myself to a double-decker ice cream in a cup.  What discipline I’ve demonstrated until now!   This is the first time I’m eating ice-cream sold on the first floor, right below my second floor room.  I sit outside to eat it while watching the Ravenglass estuary.  Poor judgement.  Gale force winds blow the ice cream out of my cup!

I walk around town waiting for the 6 PM dinner call at the Ratty Arms.

The Ratty Arms Train-Side

I learn which side of the track to wait for tomorrow's train for Carlisle:  right next to the Ratty Arms, where I enjoy game pie for dinner — pheasant, partridge, and venison.  Very delicious. 

 I enjoy a local specialty:  lager with lime and have a marvelous time talking with Bev and Rog, the owners of the Ratty Arms.  They love James Taylor and other American acoustic musicians and have traveled all over the U.S. following the music.  They have only 3 states left to see:  Washington, Oregon and Wyoming.  They’ll go there next year.  [Had I known they were going to sing/play after 10 P.M., I would have somehow stayed awake.]   I leave right after dinner to begin packing and to get a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s train expedition.

If you want to identify any plants or make any comments, please do so below or send me an email at rwoodel.woodel@gmail.com.  I love hearing from you.