It was a fantastic day, marked by glorious sunshine and a long stretch of beach completely devoid of people. The course was run in a friendly and informal manner, with initial instruction in the art of cockling, including discussion on what signs to look out for to successfully repatriate them from their sandy homes and into our buckets! We all managed to gather a sizeable number each before returning to the cars for a warming lunch of soup and a mug of strong tea. A quick tip for any would-be cocklers; if you find one, there are bound to be others in the immediate vicinity so dig around and you're certain to scoop up it's brothers and sisters for the pot too.
The afternoon was given over to the art of push-net shrimping, something I've never done before, and it's startling effectiveness became clear very quickly. I was amazed at the sheer weight of shrimp we easily collected, amongst many other sea-dwelling creatures. Hermit crabs, small fish, flounders and a curious little cretin called a 'sea mouse' - which is apparently a worm but looks more akin to a giant sluglike caterpillar, see below for a pic. The day finsihed with a veritable feast, sampling the day's bounty and very delicious it was too, you couldn't get fresher seafood if you tried!
Get your names down for the next one folks as it is so worth it, great grub, great company, and the knowledge possessed by Steve Kirk of the Bushcraft Mag would likely fill a library 10 times over!
http://www.bushcraft-magazine.co.uk
Cockling...
Shrimpers
Just some of the day's haul...
'Sea Mouse'
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