Ravenglass

 


In between the wind and the rain (Cumbria's default setting) we actually had a fine day on Saturday. Cameras in hand, we tootled down the coast to the village of Ravenglass where three rivers meet in a rather splendid estuary. Last month the snowdrops appeared, and this month the crocus were in full bloom. There were even a few daffodils open. The winter may have been wet and windy, but it's also been very mild.



I thought that we may see large flocks of overwintering birds on the flats, but there were mainly singletons and pairs. A lone Redshank was probing the sands, and a Little Egret took flight at our approach. Meanwhile, in a nearby tree, a Greenfinch was calling with his characteristic 'dzeeee' at the end of each phrase.



There's a fairly good path (not wheelchair accessible, for those of you who need to know) with lovely views across the estuary. There was a small flock of Herring Gull, a pair of Shelduck, and the odd Curlew, warbling away.



Lifting a small square of plywood, lying on the bank, I was surprised to find what appeared to be a host of jumping beetles. On closer inspection, these turned out to be a large clutch of froglets, no bigger than my fingernail. Very early in the year for them to have hatched, we're usually still looking for frogspawn in February.



Making our way back to the village along the salt flats, and peering into the little pools and gullies, we found a fair number of cockle shells, left by the birds. In one, there was an egg case of some sort of Skate (a Thrornback Ray, I think) and also an oyster shell. A good place to go shellfish foraging (providing you know the tides and where the quicksand lurks).

Apart from a lovely walk, the village of Ravenglass also boasts two railway stations. It has a mainline station, and also a narrow gauge railway which will whisk you up into the fells. Plus a railway museum. The village is mediaeval in the main, but the Romans were here before that and there is a Roman bath house in the village. 

As is the norm in Cumbria, the pub grub is of a high standard. We had a lovely home made steak and ale pie in the delightfully named Ratty Arms. 



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#antiques #midcentury #interwar #retro #vintage

Location: Ravenglass CA18, UK

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