I would love to know when the first car was lost in the sands at WSM or Brean. I recall the fun of watching cars being washed away with the tide on visits to WSM. Not much fun for the owners. Landlubbers were never very good at understanding the tides in the Bristol Channel. Have any of our listers or their families lost their cars to the tides? I recall camping in Padstow and organising a BBQ on the estuary. We went to purchase the food and other families were delegated to collect the driftwood. In the evening when we arrived to find the bonfire and wood there was nothing there. It hadn't occurred to the landlubbers that tides come in and go out! The wood had been taken out to sea!! Were any of your ancestors on the Campbell's Steamers that got stuck occasionally in the mud because they had been delayed in the area between Portishead and Bristol. I know my family regularly took days out down to Ilfracombe or just to Clevedon. I have photographs of them taken by the photographers who stood waiting for the ships to land and everyone would be snapped. I think they asked for addresses and the photographs could be sent on once they had been developed. There are some wonderful photographs of the paddle steamers that were in the Bristol Channel on this site http://freespace.virgin.net/tom.lee/bristol%20channel.htm As for global warming - The Musandam Peninsular which is at the base of the Arabian Gulf, was trillions of years ago, at the North Pole and the lands moved around, not surprising it's now one of the world's hottest countries and quite spectacular with fiords. So, the world is for ever changing and we have to accept that. Sorry to add that, it's just one of my favourite places in the world. Liz www.btinternet.com/~e.newbery OPC for Street, Somerset ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charani" <familyhunter@family-hunter.co.uk> ! > > And people will still take their cars onto the beach and get stuck! <G> > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/8249464.stm >

Liz mused: >I would love to know when the first car was lost in the >sands at WSM or Brean. >Have any of our listers or their families lost their cars to the tides? I see there has not been a huge rush of people making their confessions on this one, Liz. The best I can do is that I know someone who lost their car that way - but it was on the causeway to Lindisfarne, Northumberland. That route has a "high spot" in the middle where you can be cut off by the tide advancing both ahead and behind you. It is equipped with a refuge box fortunately, but that did not help their car! Getting back on topic, I recall a spectacular photograph of a ship stranded by a falling tide across the channel in (roughly) the Avon Gorge area which broke her back, largely blocking the river. I can't recall the date or name of the ship, but I am sure someone can? >The Musandam Peninsular which is at the base of the Arabian Gulf, was trillions of years >ago, at the North Pole and the lands moved around And Bristol and Somerset used to be well south of the equator, and later had a desert climate. Ian