The August bank holiday weekend is over, and the schools are
back. There’s a feeling of calm as I walk the tide line from the car park along
the golden sands on Oxwich beach. There are no children making sand castles, just
a few holidaymakers gently making their way towards Nicholaston Pill. The few
boats that were moored for the summer are gone, and it’s as though we have Gower to
ourselves again.
The new stylish restaurant by the water’s edge, with its
distinguished chef, looks like it’s had a good summer. The renovated old
coalhouse building is now an addition to the landscape in contrast to the
dilapidated eyesore it replaced. Open even during the off-season, it offers
quality food in an upmarket environment, and will no doubt be a luncheon refuge
for some of the more discerning walkers on the beach today.
The high sand dunes end abruptly as I approach Nicholaston Pill. Many years
ago their existence was threatens by wind erosion, but extensive planting of marram
grass saved them. I take a detour along a well-trodden path looking for a late
orchid, but find only shrivelled remains. Autumn colours are gaining momentum
now, and bracken and blackberry leaves, painted red and gold, cling to the ground,
and deep purple dewberries are almost ready to pick.
Intimacy with the places we live in and know, induces an
expectation of what to find. I know there’ll be gulls bathing in the stream as
it crosses the beach, and would be surprised not to find a small flock of pied
wagtails there too, but it’s what’s missing that’s often more intriguing. There are no sanderlings along the
shore yet; a small flock winters here along with a few ringed plovers. They’re
a bit late this year, but I know they’ll be here in a few days time.
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