Ancient
fossilized sea-life disintegrates under the deluge of rain we have had this year,
along with the pounding surf ... through time this continues on ...
 |
| Crashing rollers - at the left there used to be 12 cottages .. now there are four - over the years the cliffs have crumbled: Birling Gap, Sussex (I live near here) |
... the
chalk limestone erodes from above, pebbles dash away at the cliff bottom, while
borers worm their way in any which way they can ... causing crumbling cliffs
...
 |
| Collapsing coastal path, Dorset |
... and
collapsing coastal paths as here in Dorset.
...
paths disappearing into the abyss, houses slipping over the edge, and history
being made ...
 |
| Crumbs - cracks at Birling Gap, Sussex |
It is
estimated that seven years’ of damage has been caused by the storms and heavy
rains we have been having during this past winter ... great cliff slips have
happened around the country ...
 |
| Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast |
Causeways
connect us, or give us magnificent scenery ...
 |
| St Michael's Mount, Penzance Bay, looking towards Marazion east along the coast from Penzance; the low-tide causeway connection |
·
the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
·
Lindisfarne Island Causeway, Northumberland, or
·
St Michael’s Mount Causeway, Cornwall that I know well ...
 |
| Ilfracombe, North Devon |
Coves ...
hidden beautiful tiny bays ... some where towns or villages have maintained a
foothold, a tourist paradise, a fisherman's living ...
That is
C for crumbs Crumbling Cliffs, Collapsing Coastlines, Connecting Causeways, Cosy Coves from Aspects of British Coasts ...
Hilary
Melton-Butcher
Positive
Letters Inspirational Stories
59 comments:
Nature builds and nature rearranges the landscape at will. It is sad to see such beautiful areas destroyed, though.
The earthquake in Chili brought up the topic of tsunamis again in Hawaii. Whether it is Mother Nature or Madame Pele, we have to just step out of the way.
Gail visiting for AtoZ
Love your A-Z theme, Hilary! I hope the coastlines recover quicker than anyone expected!
:-)
Deniz
Nicole's Mighty Minion for the AtoZ!
Wonderful words for A-Z challenge! Sad to see the wonderful place gets destroyed!
I sometimes wonder if this is still due to climate change stuff! Good to learn from your posts!
When we used to holiday in Somerset some of the paths used to be closed each year because they had caved in and fallen to the sea. Was always a bit hairy finding one that no one had marked yet :)
Tasha
Tasha's Thinkings
See you are making excellent progress with the A to Z, Hilary, and was pleased to see Lindisfarne that is central to one, and hopefully two of my children''s books. Now to grit my teeth and continue with poor River Dark.
More lovely photos of the outside. And a great use of the letter 'c.'
Hi Hilary, a few years ago we would go to the beach at Birling gap every year, have been to many of the places you've mentioned here, we have a wonderful coastline which nature is bashing.
Pleased to see you included Lindisfarne. We really should visit it as it's the closest to us,
Wonderful use of the letter C, Hilary!
Nature is such a powerful force, isn't it? I suppose that's why we love it so much. It's sad to see the damage though.
Hilary
The power of moving water. It carves the path of least resistance. Those cliffs (near you) would be spooky for me as I have this fear of high places. Ninny that I am. Houses on our NW coast line are falling into the sea too. And now there's rumbling in Yellowstone (near where I live). Nature likes to keep us on our toes.
Another great photo field trip, Hilary! I remember seeing the cliffs of Dover--beautiful. And a little scary because we stand right on the edge!
I remember parts of the Suffolk/Norfolk coastline disappearing taking buildings with it, buildings from the centre of town now on the beach. Today they may not be there at all. I hadn't realised this last winter had caused so many extra problems. How's Beachy Head doing?
Oh, I'm sorry there has been so much damage due to all the rain and storms you have had this winter. Amazing what power nature can have.
Love the alliteration of your post title!
As coastlines crumble, as mountains wear away, new land is being made somewhere else. It is the way of the earth. Nothing stays the same.
Erosion and storms both destroy and create!
Hi, Hilary,
I can relate to the land slippage. Whenever we have heavyish rain for days, we start having landslides.
Here, it's due in part to people who cut down the trees willy-nilly.
This is an excellent reminder that nature has her own agenda. She really doesn't care about our houses and roads. She reclaims the land and gives it back as she sees fit. I love living near the water... just not TOO near.
We can't fight with Mother Nature can we Hillary? Regardless of the damage caused by the sea the views are spectacular!
What a wonderful collection of C words that connect!
A great job with C. This demonstrates the incredible power of nature.
If the sea rises more, I guess that's no longer an if, but a when, I hate to think how much more of those lovely cliffs and coves will be hidden. Hoping the Netherlands has the technology to help out Great Britain. As always, I've loved your pictures.
I think it is as God intended. Nothing lasts forever.
Louisiana's own coastline is melting away. Our own lives wash away with each passing wave of a day -- enjoy the moment and the beauty around while we can, right?
Beautiful pictures thanks for sharing them.
Some lovely pictures. Sadly there has been a lot of erosion around the coastline this winter.
I saw some of this same type of erosion when I visited Wales years ago. The ocean had washed away almost a full half of an old ringed fort and I was saddened by the loss of history there...
Hilary! I (finally after all this time) just joined to follow your blog! Hadn't noticed being able to do that before. I'm excited!
I love all your C's. The collasping cliff path had me a little concerned. :)
Too bad about the erosion, Hilary. My goodness, seven years of damage. Not far from where I live, in a place called Palos Verdes, scientists estimate the cliff will be gone due to erosion, and not from rain, but the soil/rock not being able to sustain that area. From your pictures here, certainly looks like a tourist paradise.
Very nice posts and beautiful pictures, makes me want to take off on a holiday to some coast! Happy posting for the rest of the month!
I think they'd better move those other four cottages!
It is what makes Britain the Islands we love. Land carved by sea over centuries. What is happening now is nature being nature.
Amazing, but also humbling to see that cottages have crumbled and made room for more cliffs. You live in a beautiful and interesting area.
Beautiful pics!
Causeways and coves...
I've always imagined that a cove would be a wonderful setting for part of a mystery story...
Hi Hilary, I've always loved that European coastal scenery. It's neat so learn more about all the ins and outs of it, as well.
So much history and natural wonder to behold in the Coastlines and Cliffs of the UK. I think of what inspiration they have been for writers of many 'Classics'. Your presentation was comparable.
Sue at CollectInTexas Gal
Love your A-Z theme, Hilary. I hope the coastlines recover, this seems to be a problem all over the world.
Crickey, this is scary, Hilary! I've read about collapsing coastlines before but I never realised the extent of it! Thanks for sharing the photos :)
I love causeways. I haven't been on one for many years now. Coastal cliffs are crumbling outside Los Angeles too. Or at least they were when I saw them last, some years ago now.
It must amazing to stand on one of huge coastal cliffs and look down! Wow. We have sand dunes, but they don't look anything like the cliffs. The same thing happens to them and to houses along our coastal areas.
Nature giveth and nature takes away...especially if we aren't good conservationists.
Happy day, Hilary:~)
Wow, 7 years damage in one...how devastating. Yet there's such beauty too in how nature carves its path the ways it wishes. Gorgeous vistas you've captured here.
Tina @ Life is Good
A to Z Team @ Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2014
Before and after.... the views are still great.
And I love that nature can tell us little creatures where we get off.
But I wouldn’t like to have a house on a crumbling cliff.
Wonderful sights.
Hi human, Hilary,
My aching paws. This alphabet challenge is way too much. Arf and Yikes!
My human and I have taken many a coastal pathway. One of our favourites is just outside Aberystwyth. Thanks for another beach of a pawsting, my human friend.
Penny, the pawsitive host of the Alphabark Challenge, 2014!
hopefully our coastlines dont get washed away...love the sea cliffs....and tucking back into coves...
The cliffs are magical, and have provided an illusion of being the end of land! Nice post with awesome pictures! :) Cheers ~ Kaushik
Such beautiful scenery! In awe of the majestic power of the sea.
That's a mouthful of Cs in just the title. :) Lovely pics.
Gee, that's a bit scary that the cliffs are disappearing like that! Bloody weather!
Very interesting post.
I read it with my daughter.
My friend and I did walk the causeway at St. Michaels, Mont. Great memory of the trip in that area.
@ Gail – lovely to see you .. . this year we’ve had some rearrangement that’s for sure ... but nature does its thing doesn’t it ... I saw and noted the tsunamis down the South American coast ... their range can be so broad .. . Hawaii and Galapagos Islands ..
@ Deniz – once the coast has gone – then that’s it .. but new pieces of land will be found .. and slowly built ...
@ Weekend-Windup – we can’t help nature destroying what it built sadly – we can however not tempt that fate .. as we seem to do ...
@ Karen – nature is a force to be reckoned with ... if we know, then we could avoid some problems we create ourselves, if we don’t know as in earthquakes or tsunamis – we have to accept what nature throws at us ..
@ Marie – good to see you here .. the climate will change regardless: getting warmer, or colder as I think more likely ...
@ Tasha – somewhere I’ve got a Somerset photo ... and the sea weakens many parts of the UK ... those intrepid days – they wouldn’t allow us to get anywhere near to explore a way down now! Health and Safety at work ..
@ Carole – Lindisfarne is an amazing place – I haven’t been for 40 odd years or so- but it impacted ... and I’m always pleased to remember its history – your books will be fun for the kids ... Good luck with River Dark ...
@ Rosey – many thanks .. it’s fun to remember and see the coast from different angles ...
@ Bob – sounds like you need to get across to Lindisfarne ... that coast is such a beautiful area ..
@ Shirley – I am stretching my vocabulary a little and as you mention Nature is very powerful at times ... and just stunning most of the times thankfully ...
@ Manzanita – water is very strong and we forget it’s so corrosive, and will take the path of least resistance. People are really taking their lives in their hands as they walk so close to the edge – the cliffs are very volatile here ... Is Yellowstone rumbling ... that could be a force of nature immeasurable ... good luck – and to us over here ..
@ Elizabeth – seems to be the month of coastal views! The chalk cliffs at Dover are similar to ours a little further west in Sussex (as here) ... and they’re not that high – yet leave us in awe ...
@ Jo – the eastern coast of England suffered quite badly this year – lots of erosion and no doubt in due course land building elsewhere ... some houses have actually gone over the cliff – where people lived – sad, but really they should know better: geologically we have so much information now-a-days .. Beachy Head is still there .. but we’ve had lots of cliff falls along our Sussex chalk cliffs ... a few years ago Beachy Head had a big fall ...
@ Julie – it is extraordinary what nature can do ... and as the weather improves we’ll have more as the cliffs adjust and settle ... thanks for the alliteration note!
@ Bish – it is the way of the world isn’t it ... humbling to see ...
@ Alex – the eroding keeps on as the land adjusts ... but more is created ..
@ JL – I’ve seen some of your land slippages in the news ... it’s sad when it happens – and yes much may well be man-made ... a difficult thing to explain to the very very poor or profit oriented money grabbers ...
@ Robin – nature sure does have its own agenda doesn’t it ... and yes I’m quite glad I don’t live along a river, or too near the sea – beautiful to look at though ..
Part 2 following ...
@ Jen – we as you say fight Mother Nature – but we all love those views ...
@ Siv – I’m having fun trying to connect all the letters as each day approaches!
@ Betty – good to see you .. nature is magnificent isn’t it ..
@ Lee – it’s part of that huge cycle that is life on earth .. and yes we’ll be under water at some stage – here we’re living on an old sea as evidenced by the chalk ... We’ve way too much of a long coast-line to be protected ... the Netherlands will certainly help places – they’re looking at a number of alternative solutions ...
@ Paula – nothing lasts forever .. as you so rightly say ..
@ Roland – Louisiana .. I’d love to visit ... and yes as we live each moment has gone – quite difficult to get our heads round ... but absolutely enjoy each moment and that beauty that nature gives us with all its wonders ...
@ Glenda – good to meet you .. glad you enjoyed the photos ...
@ Suzanne – you’re in right place to notice how much damage has been done – Cornwall has been particularly badly hit ...
@ Lisa – it’s the nature of the beast that Nature is ... and we forget how much the land on which we live is always altering itself ... I expect that ringed fort has been eroded even more by now .. or totally encroached by the sea ..
Hi Lisa – delighted you’re able to follow me now – I can’t use their widget as I type my posts in Word and Blogger doesn’t like it – so I can’t add it! I’ll sort things out one day ...
@ Teresa – it’s the way of our lives here ... this year we’ve just seen a lot more collapses ...
@ Silvia – it’s been really bad this year ... and lots happening at once ... our collapses have been cliff undermining, storm surging ... and development in places ... but our rocks aren’t always as solid as we think they are ...
@ Madhu – good to see you ... we’re always happy to have visitors!! Enjoy your A-Z too ...
@ Sherry – they’ve knocked down a couple of the cottages .. and shored them up – for the time being ... one or two are lived in still (I think!) – I must find out ..
part 3 following ...
@ Paula- so true the sea has created this island and we live with its beauty ...
@ Damaria – whole houses, which were lived in, crumbled into the sea on the east coast ... we are very lucky to live in the UK ... we have lots of variety – mind you I loved my time in South Africa!
@ Michelle – thank you .. I should have thought about Creek – Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier ... a coastal path down to the cove, where on the cliffs would you find the body ... yes I agree a mystery story ...
@ Mark – just delighted to see you’re enjoying the ins and outs of this amazing little island of ours ...
@ Sue – our coastline really is full of history ... and we can learn so much by finding that out ... thank you so much – I just love offering a little of our land out to the world ...
@ Nas – many thanks ... I think Nature will do its thing, some we can sort out .. other places nature will take its course ...
@ Len – great to see you ... I have to say it may have been devastating for many .. but it has been so interesting see Nature at work .. and man doing what he can to repair and restore ...
@ Inger – causeways are extraordinary aren’t they – I haven’t been across to St Michael’s Mount in years ... must take time out next time I’m down in Cornwall and visit ... I’m sure those LA cliffs are still crumbling – but it’d be interesting to see once again ...
@ Sara – I haven’t been ‘down the road’ to look at the crumbling cliffs – not sure I’d trust the edge! But have watched Birling Gap over the last 20 years or so get reduced by the weather as it crumbles northwards ...
Sand-dunes are more vulnerable in many ways –not as stable, yet ... As you say Nature giveth and Nature taketh away ... and especially if we’re not good conservationists .. which too many of us are not ...
@ Tina – this year’s winter storms and rains have certainly taken their toll .. but there is beauty over the years ... thanks so much ...
@ Friko – at least we now have before and after shots ... and as you know the Seven Sisters Country Park ... and our range of chalk cliffs offer some spectacular views and landscape .. Like you I’m glad I haven’t got a house on a crumbling cliff face ... or a raging river ...
@ Rosaria – thank you ...
@ Penny – I can imagine ... my human digits are struggling too ... and I’m sure your walks around the coast at Aberystwyth were just lovely – having written a few posts about the area I’ve seen the beauty there ...
@ Brian – they won’t all go yet ... sometime yes, but then we’ll have new coves ..
@ Kaushik – thanks for coming by again ... and yes just because land is under seawater doesn’t mean it’s the end of land does it ... those tectonic plates keep us guessing ...
@ Marcy – the sea is awesome isn’t it ... and we have some fantastic scenery here ... as do all countries with coasts ...
@ JL – lots of ‘Cs’ .. yes but sort of explains it all quite simply – thank goodness for adjectives!
@ Trisha – change is always good, but I’m glad I don’t live on the edge ... and we needed the rain ...
@ Julia – what fun ... and how lovely to know you’ve read this ‘story’ with your daughter – the photos will have added to her imagination ...
@ Tasha – it’s a wonderful part of the world .. I miss going down to Cornwall – I’ll get back in the habit again sometime soon .. I expect ...
Thanks everyone so much for coming by .. appreciate all your comments – cheers Hilary
We just experienced those collapsing cliffs here in OSO,WA In 3 minutes on a Saturday morning, 24 dead, 15 injured and 30 still missing in a mudslide - buried the houses and the people - most of whom were all home
big problems with global implications
Hillary!
The evolution and devolution of islands has always fascinated me. I first became aware of it in Hawaii, where the Mauna Loa volcano contributes between 1 to 3 feet of "land" to the island of Hawaii per year! Thanks for sharing, Mary.
@ Patricia .. I know that landslide was reported on here .. very very sad.
@ Mary - well there you go .. the extra mud being added to the shore .. as happens here all the time, but usually in a gentler manner - though this year's storms were pretty damaging ..
Cheers - and thanks for your visits .. Hilary
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