Outfall

Wow - thank you so much for the wonderful response to yesterday’s ‘Technicolour Sunset.’ It really was an amazing sight - surreal in the intensity of colour. 

Today, it’s still West Shore, still low, low tide - but with far more subdued colours. Subtle greys, muted blues, slivers of pale yellow, a flash of deeper blue. I’m strangely fascinated by something I’ve never noticed before - some metal structures leading out to sea. At first I think it’s the remains of an old quarry track, taking stone to waiting ships. But then I realise these are just part of the support structure for the C19th Ganol Outfall - a sewage or storm outlet. Strange how something so mundane can look so beautiful - to me at least. At this point, the pipes are covered by the sand, but stretching out to the estuary, they emerge - ominously black and seaweed strewn. 

Back home, I do some research. The two pipes date from 1845 and 1876 respectively. They need to be dug up - or at least repaired, but nothing’s simple. Beneath them is thought to be the medieval Gogarth fish traps, and to the north, remains of a post-medieval jetty. In 2019, the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust were commissioned to carry out a survey. Since then, I’m afraid I’m unsure of the developments - but clearly this is an area rich in history.