Coastal Landscape

Living just a few miles away from the East Coast, I tend to take what is on my doorstep for granted. In my daily travels, I can't ever recall a week going by without seeing the many moods of the North Sea. Some hold special memories like St Mary's Island, one of the icons of Tyne and Wear. During the winter months it attracts many migratory birds to its rocky coastline, feeding on the crustacean that is disturbed by the tides.

The erosion of the sea is endless, continually buffeting the land with its pounding waves. One of the best known landmarks in South Shields is Marsden Rock, disfigured to a mere pinnacle after the great arch was destroyed by the fury of the sea. Today the coastline is a much poorer place without it, and the local people live with great memories of what the great limestone Rock used to be like.