The Gower Peninsula
I’m recently back from a 4-day series of natural navigation exercises on the wonderful Gower Peninsula, in South Wales. To see photos and videos of…
Tag: beach
BUMPER HOLIDAYS PUZZLE
Here is a bumper photo puzzle that went out in my newsletter email earlier this month (you can sign up for that at the bottom…
Fish Frenzy at Water Surface – Predator Sign
Early this morning I saw an interesting sign in the water, a clue that fish were trying to defy a predator. At about 6am, I…
What is a Wind Shadow?
A wind shadow is a place where the wind doesn’t reach. There is a calm, sheltered zone on the downwind side of all obstacles, a…
A Plein-Air Artists’ Manual
One of the great joys of natural navigation is that it intrigues such a wide variety of people, something it shares with food. We can’t…
Plants Change Near the Coast
The closer to the coast we get, the tougher it is for plants. Once you can smell the sea only maritime species thrive in the…
Nature’s Clues and Signs – Thorney Island
I’m just back from a wonderful walk, exploring the unique landscapes of Thorney Island in southern England. Most of Thorney Island is a military base,…
Why The Coconut Palm Points to the Sea
The coconut palm tree (Cocos nucifera) does something that very few trees do. It leans into wind. Most trees have trunks that will bend away…
The Sorting by Sea Currents
Sea currents sort objects according to size, shape and weight. There is a documented case of left Wellington boots from a lost container washing up…
Pacific Island Navigation
There was a near perfect ripple map on a very windy West Wittering beach yesterday. The different wave patterns on each side of an island…
The Beach ‘Step’
The ‘step’ is the line where the beach gradient steepens and the water suddenly gets a bit deeper. It is marked by a line of…
The Effect of Wind on Breaking Waves
The way waves behave is a big subject. But here we’ll look at just one simple aspect, the way the wind shapes breaking waves at…
What is swash?
Swash is the name given to the waves that rush up the beach after a wave has broken. They are intriguing little waves that inhabit…
The Pebbles on the Beach
Thank you to everyone who tuned in to listen to me eulogise Clarence Ellis’ book, The Pebbles on the Beach, on the Today programme on…
The Colour of Water
The colour of water is determined by: A) What’s under it. B) What’s in it. C) What’s on it. D) And by light levels and…
How to Make a Compass Out of Sand, Snow or Dust
Whenever you’re on sand or snow, tune in to the direction the most recent winds have been blowing from and you’ll find yourself surrounded by…
Pin Holes on the Beach
When a wave breaks it pushes foamy water up the beach, this is the ‘swash‘. Some of this water flows back down the beach to…
A Sand Colour Mystery
If you study the picture below, you will notice that the sand is not all the same colour. There appear to be three colours. Ignoring…
Gauging Distance from Point of Ayr Lighthouse
After a brief visit to North Wales, I took the opportunity to go for a walk along the beautiful Talacre Beach, towards the Point of…
Sculptures in the Sand
Each part of the world has its unique natural navigational heritage with distinct differences, making each appear totally foreign to the other on first meeting.…