A stormy trip to Polkerris, Cornwall

 Another day and another band of rain infiltrating the South West. The poor weather conditions are causing the waves to be pretty ferocious looking!

We arrived for our beach clean just as dawn was breaking - a rare opportunity to be the only people on the beach

The rough seas have deposited a large amount of micro plastics

Every time we walked along the tideline, a fresh consignment of plastic was left...

Woody found a bundle of fishing nets again; he got to them before me and ended up with them tangled on his paws

Another knife handle and a scary looking contraption with sharp teeth and staples; I can only presume this is something to do with fishing

we found 3 food wrappers that were just intact enough to read the brands

This glow stick is one of many that i find at virtually all my beach cleans. I believe these are something to do with fishing and they clip onto the lines. I wonder how the liquid inside affects the marine habitat?

Stay safe x

Par Beach and the Warmth (yes warmth) of the sun!

 The sun decided to make a visit to Par beach today - was so lovely to feel the warmth of the sun. 

Not everything that glistened was golden...... the wind has caused rough seas which in turn, are depositing micro plastics over the beach. 

Woody found a big tangle of fishing lines; he got to is before i did and got it tangled around his paws; it did make me wonder how the marine animals manage with no-one to help them out... such a sad site to see. This bundle was safely deposited in the bin!

Stay safe x

Last night i dreamt i went to Mandalay ....... A walk to Polridmouth Cove, Cornwall

 Anyone who suffers from anxiety will understand the fear of going somewhere new on their own for the first time; although i have been to Polridmouth many times, this was  my first venture alone. I am so glad i found the courage to go, as it was a beautiful walk and we enjoyed our visit there.

For anyone who is a Daphne Du Maurier fan ( like me), a trip here is really special, as this was the inspiration for the boat house in 'Rebecca', and a stone throw from 'Mandalay'. I can really envisage the words in the book when i come here; the crashing waves against the rocks..... stunning!

But, this is about plastic pollution..... so todays adventure...

I love this stone and it's message.... so true. Fancy words are not required.

You can just make out Gribbin Head Daymarker in the distance

Personal waste and a blue lego flipper

A beautiful location

A lovely piece of potter.... if only it could talk and tell us of its adventures..

Spring has sprung!

A few photos of what we picked up today....

Stay safe x

Pyroplastics

Pyroplastics.... often difficult to spot due to their resemblance to stones. The photo illustrates various stages. Pyroplastics are melted plastic which is tumbled around in the sea, and end up looking like stones / rocks. This is why they are so hard to spot; unless you pick them up, it is hard to distinguish what they are.

The amount of  'plastic stones' are increasing, year on year. Another 'thing' to add to the ever growing list of plastics infiltrating the sea and coastal locations.

 Stay safe x

Par Beach ... The weather got the better of us!

 It is not often that i give up on anything; i am stubborn and determined. Considering these aspects and my love for beach cleaning, i am driven when out and about to make a difference. However, for the first time today, i was beaten by the weather! I can't even begin to say how freezing it was. The cold air, strong winds and at times freezing rain, led to us giving up on our walk! Nonetheless, i refused to go home without collecting debris off the beach....

We decided to go poking around the sand dunes to a) look for litter b) escape the wind!

As per normal these days, i found a number of cans in varying degrees of degradation

The bottle was also well broken down and had no visible makers information. The 'Wella' bottle was in pretty good condition. I am not sure if it is vintage or modern though

Such a long stem of artifical foliage... and finally, the top collectables from todays beach visit

Stay safe x

Polkerris.......... A vast array of debris

 Another day and another visit to Polkerris! I shall never tire of visiting this beach. 

There was a large quantity of debris, overall, it was mainly micro plastics.... nurdles were scattered along the various tidelines

The new moon, led to a very low tide; it gave us the opportunity to pick up debris caught in the seaweed along the harbour wall.

Before we left, we decided to go and look at the rock pools. It is always sad to see plastic floating in them. We were able to scoop the blue plastic out, but then we noticed this white bottle top lodged between the rocks, despite our best efforts, we were unable to dislodge it

There were lots of sweet wrappers today; most were stuffed in a larger bag and included all sorts of different sweets

These clear bottle lids are always a prominent feature on the beach... You can see the varying stages of breaking down

Numerous beads / plastic balls and nurdles . I am pretty sure nurdles get bigger each year and the variety of colours is also increasing

Stay safe x