Beached - Sepia Saturday

I thought I would explore some beaches found in my archives and take you on a tour from the West of Scotland via the Adriatic coast to Egypt and end up in the South West of England, before a friendly warning.

A seaside postcard from Ayr, Scotland

This card was one of several linked to Robbie Burns but apart from the views contains no other information to help you date when it was taken. It looks prewar to me.

I cannot date my second card from Yorkshire either and you need good eyes to see anything on the South Bay beach.

The Spa and South Bay, Scarborough

I can put a rough date on the next shot taken in the 1940s, probably somewhere in Egypt during the war when the Fleet Air Arm crews were on a beach.

Egypt (?) - 1940s

Sorry that there have been no bathing belles to admire so far; we get a bit closer on the Adriatic coast of Montenegro.

Beach on the isthmus to the island of Sveti Stefan - c1986

Coming back to Cornwall all I have to show are empty beaches.

Camel Estuary, Padstow - May 2011

At least you can see some footprints - I wonder where Man Friday went?

Crantock Beach, Cornwall

That sea is waiting for the surfers to appear.

Meanwhile this little girl is counting her collection.

Hope she hasn't lost count

I wonder if "she sells seashells on the seashore?"

Finally here's that friendly warning that all can see.

I just wish I could remember where this was taken, I must ask my wife to jog my memory - on second thoughts, I had better not.

For more sand and sea take a trip or donkey ride to Alan's place.

Cards for Burns Birthday

On 25 January 1759 Robert Burns was born in Alloway, three miles from Ayr. Tonight people will celebrate the anniversary of his birth at Burns Suppers all over the world.

It is a sheer coincidence that I visited a market stall today in Stockton-on-Tees and discovered a wallet of postcards from Ayr, six in all, four of them related to Burns.

Good Luck from Ayr

 

Burns Cottage

Auld Brig O'Doon, Alloway, Ayr

The Brig o' Doon was the late medieval bridge used as the setting for the final verse of Burns poem Tom O Shanter.where Tam, on horseback. is being chased by Nannie the witch. He is just able to escape her by crossing the bridge (over a running stream) narrowly avoiding her attack as she is only able to grab the horse's tail which comes away in her hands. Today a plaque stands next to the bridge:

Brig O'Doon Plaque

The fourth card contains the memorial to Burns.

Burns Monument and Auld Brig O'Doon

For those postcard collectors among you the cover of the 'concentina' wallet is missing and there is no other information included to enable me to identify the age, date or origin of the cards or who created them.

Photo:

• Brig O'Doon Plaque Author - llkast, 2 Aug 2011; licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license