There are two road bridges connecting England to Wales across the Severn Estuary, one opened in 1966 and the other in 1996. There is also a rail tunnel and, until 1960, there was a rail bridge; this was lost after a pair of tankers collided with it in fog. The remains of one of the ships can be seen in the middle distance.
The estuary has the second highest tidal range in the world, beaten (just) by the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia. Maximum rise and fall here is 15 metres or roughly 50 feet. Only a few hardy locals venture out onto the mud flats and sandbanks at low tide, fishing for eels and salmon. Foolhardy visitors get drowned as do yachtsmen with out-of-date charts - the channels shift to suit their own designs, not those of men.
Anyway, enough of the facts. It can be a haunting place, a haven for waders, ducks, swans and geese. In full flood, it has all the deep foreboding that a swirling mass of water can conjure up. Even when the river is at rest, at the turn of the tide, I can sense a frisson of lurking menace, the merest hint of treachery to come.
The Roman's gave the Severn a woman's name – Sabrina - and made her a goddess; I'm sure that's of no significance whatsoever and she’s really a kindly soul whose only wish is to carry her cargoes with decorum and restraint.
6 comments:
Everything you said before belies those last few words :)
I don't think the email I sent to you went through but I would love a copy of those dancing trees a few posts back. Thank you for offering.
This pic with its pale blues and pale foreground is as haunting as your description.
Now wasn't that big, expensive long lens a worthwhile investment?
Wait a second...did I sense a little slight of hand there?
Hmm...
This photo is a mixture of my favorite colors. For some reason, it almost looks like winter.
I love bridges...
They are hauntingly beautiful colours, aren't they, and I can see why Josephine thinks of winter - as it happens it was in the nineties fahrenheit!
Peter and I intend to return to this spot in the late autumn when the sun's angle will be a lot shallower and, if we're lucky, there'll be the scent of wood smoke in the air.
Yes, Lee, it's quite powerful despite being such low contrast.
I love shades of brown, caramel or toffee, what ever it's called, and the foreground of this picture just do it for me. Thanks for the story, now that is just as interesting to me.
Thanks, Hannelie, I love your description of the colours.
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