GLW2020 : Hovering
around Sandside
Tuesday
29th December 2020
And
now for something completely different. Well,
soon. This was a visit to familiar territory and
a subset of last week's BOOTboys
report- a walk along the old railway track from Sandside
to Arnside then back along country lanes- the ground
was far too wet to wade through fields.
It
was a glorious day with superb long-distance views across
the sands to the snow-capped Lakeland hills.
The
tide was rushing out- we didn't anticipate the significance
of that at the time.
It
was after having crossed the railway by the station
bridge that our route departed from that of the BOOTboys.
We turned inland, passing lots of bungalows that
bore resemblance to our future Lea Green dwelling. On
a garden gate post was a remarkable sign noting that
:
That
was something different!
After
the level crossing was a bit of an unpleasant trudge
along the busy, pavement-less road. Its only redeeming
feature being a glimpse of Arnside Tower across the
moss.
We
escaped on to the much quieter Storth Road. This
led us past Hazleslack Farm, with its ancient and nearly
modern towers......
.....
then down through Storth, passing a van offering inspiration
for our new kitchen, and back to the coast.
It
was there that we saw the something completely different.
The estuary was now low and still. Suddnely,
round the bend came one, then two then more mini-hovercraft.
Six in total. They stopped on a sand bank then
flew round in circles before disappearing again out
to sea.
Subsequent
research suggested that they were from Liverpool but
had probably launched at Lancaster. I wondered
how much one would cost. The answer seems to be
about £12,000 for a new model. Hmm. A
future hobby? Margaret not keen so probably not.
But it does leave me with one unresolved question.
What is the group noun for a collection of hovercraft
in mid flight??
Don,
Tuesday 29th December 2020
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