The Shifting Sands

Some of you might recall when I wrote about Morecambe Bay and the shifting sands there. I had told you how we had met the Queen's Guide, the man licensed to walk across these dangerous moving sands. Well, I was there walking again last Sunday. The photos are taken from the safety of the cliffs but I think you might see the atmospheric magic that is Morecambe Bay.

Tragedy haunts this area too. A short time ago a terrible event happened. The Bay is renowned for Cockles. Gathering of these can be very profitable as they are popular in smart restaurants. Of course where there is money to be made, there is the unscrupulous. A 'Gang Master' brought a group of Chinese workers to gather cockles. Many were illegal immigrants, they were poor and desperate people. They were out in the Bay on a black night and suddenly the tide swirled in. Can you imagine the terror, they could see nothing, didn't know which direction to go and all the time surrounded by the rushing tide. Many drowned; it was a horrible story. As they say "lessons have been learned" and people must now be licensed. Too late to learn a lesson, whenever I hear that meaningless statement, I know it is too late for some poor human being.