At an unusual local auction sale of 30 acres of Morecambe Bay Foreshore and woodland, we managed to acquire a handkerchief sized plot of 2 acres running north from the Beach House. Labelled 'Manorial Waste' its ownership goes back in time to the middle ages and currently the Crown Estates wish to sell the lot. A sure sign of the times ...
So we have a patch of scrubland on an embankment of loose boulder clay, countless neglected small trees, loads of brambles and the foreshore up to the mean high tidemark. A public right of way - the Cumbria Coastal Way footpath runs along the tideline.
The strip contains a variety of trees: wild cherry, willow, ash, elder, hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, alder, young sycamore and a couple of small oaks. In consultation with Natural England, Greg Thompson, our local tree expert, began work - before the nesting season - on pruning some of the trees. A few, their canopies heavily weighted with ivy, were leaning towards the beach and with their roots loosened were in danger of collapse in the 'sail' effect of high winds . Some brambles are also being cleared to open up glades, others are being left as good cover for small mammals and birds.
Now having legitimate access to more beach space we can plan installations, arts and environment workshops and gatherings for the summer months. Working title for the project is 'Wildernest'.
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