If you can't beat it, Watchet.

Was heading for Dunster yesterday but realised i'd left it too late in the day, so popped into Watchet for a while.



They've fitted a gate to keep water in the inner harbour at low tide.



Steepholm Island in the Bristol Channel.







some lovely Geology there, imagine the forces that twisted this strata



there is a small outcrop of Alabaster.



Its a lovely semi translucent mineral thats used for decorative carvings, you'll find monuments in many churches made from it, there's one in Salisbury Cathedral. Unfortunately its water soluble so won't last long outside.



Looking toward Minehead, I think that white blob is probably Butlins.



That'll be an Ancient mariner with an Albatross then, wonder if you get wafers with it?

 

Used to live in Blue Anchor so we know Watchet quite well. And yes the white thing is part of Butlins in Minehead.

 

Is that beet still growing on the harbour wall ?

I wont be back fishing there until the end of April.

 

All really beautiful pictures, thank you Ziggy. The wonder of the sea in all its glory today.

 

Didn't see it Scrunge, might have died back for the winter.

 

What is the turquoise thread running across Picture 6 please? Isn't that Alabaster's translucence beautiful too?

 

So you'll recognise this:




I wont be back down that way until March/April time but it can be a bit scary with high spring tides combined with onshore winds early in the year

 

Very atmospheric picture Scrungee. Wouldn't have wanted to have left my car on the seafront that day!
Jenny

 

I had my car parked tight up against the hotel where I was staying to avoid any damage but luckily avoided the tiles sliding off the back of the building falling onto my car.

 

We were further inland than that at Chapel Cleeve, but yes we have seen the front at Blue anchor covered in pebbles from the 'beach'. Some of them very large too. Not the place to go wave dodging!

 

Similar geology to Lyme Regis apparently (pic from http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~imw/Lyme-Regis-Westward.htm - loads of interesting stuff there):



P.S. Was that West Street beach in the pics?

 

lovely thanks for the reminder. maybe i should come back and visit is has been a while XX

 

Probably a band of siltstone in the red marl Jenny

 

It was on the West side yes, the rocks are older than the Lias on that side, Triassic Marls about 210 million years old. The Lower Lias outcrops on the East side of the harbour.

Just to confuse future geologists they've put Lias boulders on the beach on the west side to protect the cliffs.