4 guides
Smugglers, Brandy and the Buildings That Still Watch the Coast
Cornwall’s coast path passes a watch house built after revenue officers seized 484 gallons of brandy in 1835, although the smugglers walked free from court. Similar lookouts and landing places dot our shores, marking the long contest between authority and coastal communities.
Watching Seals Ashore Without Driving Them Back Into the Water
Seals haul out to rest, moult, nurse pups or digest—and a lone pup isn't automatically abandoned. If they wake to watch you, raise their heads, move suddenly or rush into the sea, you're too close or your dog is. Disturbance wastes energy and disrupts feeding and breeding, so keep dogs away from haul-outs and give seals the space they need to ignore you.
How Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins and Kittiwakes Share a Breeding Cliff
Seabirds return to coastal cliffs each spring to breed, often using the same rock face in different ways. Guillemots and razorbills favour ledges; kittiwakes build nests there too; puffins use grassy edges, crevices or burrows they dig themselves. There's no fixed vertical zoning plan that applies to every colony—nesting positions vary with the site and what's available.
Holy Island's Two Crossings: Why the Road Timetable Doesn't Cover the Walkers' Route
Northumberland County Council publishes safe crossing windows for the Lindisfarne Causeway road, but a separate marked walking route crosses sand and mud using different timings. For the walking route, aim to finish before the halfway point of the road's published safe window—earlier still if wind or weather are against you—and never cross on a rising tide.