A Vanished Beach

Normally at this stage of the tide's cycle, with low water in the late morning, we're taking advantage of the miles of golden sands which stretch from Golspie to Littleferry but we're still in the thrall of bitter easterlies which, last night, were gusting to gale force and hadn't dropped much when we set out....

....for the beach. Below Golspie's deserted 'promenade' with its scattered seaweed from the breakers of recent high tides, there was some sand left so we were happily blown along that but when we reached the main beach we were amazed....

....to find that almost all the sand has disappeared, leaving a wasteland of shattered rock which resembles the surface of Mars. Whether the sand will all return is a question. Long-time locals whom we've asked have assured us that much of it has been shifted to Littleferry and will, in due course, find it's way home.

However, when we were at Littleferry on Monday, our first visit for some weeks, much of Littleferry's sand was missing and what is usually a vista of sand was marred by extensive patches of rocks.

One of the reasons a sand beach is so much more fun is that it often holds a record of recent events. This picture was taken to record the strange marks which ran parallel for some distance. It might have been some sort of sledge which had passed but a close look at the tracks showed....

....that the two sides are quite different and there were no footprints of the man or dog who pulled it. Any suggestions?

So we gave up on the beach this morning and, to avoid walking into the teeth of the wind, made our way back along an almost deserted A9 and Main Street where Mrs MW made an important stop, at the local Co-Op to replenish our supply of red wine.