Causeway

The pedestrian causeway across the Duddon Estuary links Walney Island with Barrow-in-Furness. It's only when you're half way across that you discover there's a slab missing in the middle. The flood tide encouraged a modest leap of faith from this non-swimmer and I survived to take this picture looking back.

After a quiet night where it seemed I was the only guest in the hotel, and even the hoteliers had left after checking me in, I walked through the old Vickers ship yard area, and current home of nuclear submarine building, before crossing to the west shore of Walney island.

Had I had more time, or transportation, I would have visited either of the nature reserves at South Walney and North Walney, but I was satisfied with walking a mile or so up the beach and the fine views over Morecambe Bay. There were further WWII defence structures, one of which was stable enough to explore (extras), and a few shore birds, but it was too overcast and cool for butterflies.

Heading back across the island I negotiated the mud (extra) to reach the causeway and spent an hour or two exploring Barrow, which had an unusually good crop of ghost signs, of which one example is in extras.

Given the recent spate of cancellations on the Northern rail network I caught an earlier train and spent an hour touring old haunts in Lancaster, my alma mater, before catching my final train of the day back over the tops to Shipley.