On Chesil Beach... there's rubbish

Sunday, November 30, 2008

On Friday, I took the train to Weymouth to visit Dorset's Jurassic coast, Portland Bill and Chesil Beach.



Chesil beach, from above


Chesil Beach is an amazing geographical and geological wonder - a huge, 18 mile long bank of pebbles which start out large and become smaller the further you walk along the beach.


Chesil Beach



I was very lucky to see a beautiful sunset from the beach.



Sunset, Dorset



The beach has become more popular recently with the publication of Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach. Signs ask visitors not to take pebbles, but I noticed one family had commemorated their visit by writing on the pebbles.


Names written on pebbles, Chesil Beach


I was less heartened to see, however, that rubbish is strewn all over the beach. This ranged from odd shoes, combs, plastic bottles, tin cans and drums to more natural detritus like wood and ropes.


Rubbish on Chesil Beach



It's a shame those signs that say 'don't take pebbles', don't also say 'but please take some rubbish away with you'.


Rubbish on Chesil Beach


That said, however this tin of pimento dulce (sweet paprika) intrigued me - had it floated all the way from Spain or Portugal?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aaah the memories. I once spent two weeks in a caravan by Chesil beach. There's a shop there that sells very nice freshly caught seafood, if I remember correctly...

Anonymous said...

Isn't Chesil beach one of the best places if not the best place in the UK to get fossils? I remember when I was small I got a little Ammonite which was a golden colour in Iron pyrates.