Shifting Sands

Its only a few weeks since I last walked down to the mouth of the river at low tide, but in that time the sand and pebbles at this end of the beach have been reconfigured by the sea. The river, which ran out to sea about 30 degrees from the rocks, now turns back towards the rocks, leaving a bank of sand and pebbles up to 3 feet high.

The power of the sea never ceases to amaze me and the shifting sands have created problems in the past here in Waterfoot. The talk on old Carradale at the village hall last night was excellent and revealed many things about a community that has always relied upon the sea for its livelihood. About 150 years ago there were plans to build a jetty on the east side of the river and parallel to the rocks, that would act as a barrier to the shifting beach and keep the river clear for the fishing boats that used the mouth of the river as a natural harbour. Plans for the Jetty were drawn up by James Watt, the inventor of the steam engine, and submitted by the local laird. However, the finance was not forthcoming and the plans were scrapped. I cannot help wondering what Waterfoot would look like today had the jetty been built.

One things for certain, there wouldn't be the same shifting sands to create new foregrounds for a Waterfoot Sunrise!