July | 2019 | Closer

Walking by the sea is magical, watching the waves rise and and fall and the tide pulling back to the horizon always gives me energy, inspiration and belief in plans for the future. Last week we went to Formby and thanks to a local who we met whilst walking Roma we discovered some interesting facts about it’s history and it’s nature, and of course we met lots of other woofers all crazy about running after balls…and I had the chance to try my new Hauwei phone camera out. (There is a mixture of images both phone and DSLR Nikon).

Many have walked along this shore and footprints have been revealed which trace back to the late Neolithic period (7000 years ago) where the sand has eroded, showing them in the sediment below. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/formby/projects/beyond-the-formby-footprints This may be a walk to be done with out Roma some time .

Towards the end of the nineteenth century plans were made to construct a railway alongside Formby beach and a promenade was actually built. The plan was to transform Formby in to a seaside resort with guest houses etc. However the railway never emerged but you can still see the remains of the steps in the sand dunes which went down to the promenade.http://www.formbycivicsociety.org.uk/200912formbybythesea.html

We also were introduced to the Devils Hole which was not as sinister as the name sounds. It was in fact a 10 meter deep sand dune which is believed to have been created by a German bomb explosion in the early 1940’s, and looks like a crater.It now is hosts a wide variety of both fauna and flora including different species of butterflies and beatles and 10 different types of wild orchids. http://www.formbycivicsociety.org.uk/devils_hole_2017.html

Now back to the future the smell of seaweed, wet dogs and having the freedom just to keep walking and watching those waves. Some of these images are from another rugged beach the West Shore of Llandudno which is just as wonderful.