Matt Adores... Lydney Harbour
I adore being next to the sea. Which is rather inconvenient as I live about as far as possible from the ocean in the very centre of England. The nearest seaside resort is, at the very least, seventy miles away.
I enjoy listening to the waves, feeling the sand beneath my toes and watching the seabirds and
fishing boats going about their business around the coast.
Whenever I get the opportunity to visit the shoreline I head towards the water and make the most of the day by looking outwards away from the land. I feel relaxed whenever their is a vast expanse of water nearby. I'm describing a rather peaceful nature of the seascape. Its not always the case. Storms, hurricanes and flooding are a clear and present danger to anyone living in the vicinity of the waves.
The sea is a more powerful force than anything, we as humans, have been able to control. The tidal surges bring salt water rushing into freshwater estuaries, making the environment tough for the wildlife and people. The salt air can rapidly erode anything metallic and the physical motion of the tide can wreak havoc if its a particularly high one that often occur in the Spring. We've built defenses and harbours and ports to give us access to the sea, while giving us some respite from an oceanic battering.
I recently visited a small town on the edge of the Severn Estuary. Lydney is served by a train station and is in the county of Gloucestershire. To the North is the Forest of Dean and the River Lyd flows through the town and into the River Severn. The docks were constructed in the nineteenth century.
Lydney Harbour is home to
Lydney Yacht Club and they teach people how to sail on the tidal waters of the Severn.
The Harbour itself is easily reached from the train station. A path starts near to the train station and follows a route over a small bridge towards the docks.
The area has been redeveloped over the past few years and views are available across the river to the
Severn Bridges and to the Power Stations on the opposite bank.
The path between the harbour and the station has several billboards explaining the history of the area, and of the redevelopment that has occurred. My favourite things were the drilled rocks.
Gazing through the bored out rock, like a telescope, other significant landmarks could be seen. A plaque next to each portal gives the name of the distant object and the compass bearing towards it.
If you have a place that you adore, leave a comment or send a tweet to @WhatMattAdores
