Formby
Recently we went in search of Neolithic footprints at Formby (you can see an example at the top of Jonathan Wonham's blog, Connaissances - the imprint of the large toe is pointed and this is thought to be due to a large uncut toe nail). However once we arrived on the great expanse of Formby sands,
which seemed to stretch for as a far as the eye could see, the only footprints we could see were these...
which even a Hodmandod was able to date as probably more recent than Neolithic.
However the day was not a failure because behind the sand dunes there is an unusual and recent pine forest (about 100 years old) which turns out to be...
the ideal habitat for red squirrels and is the best place to see them in the UK.
They were surprsingly tame, running out quite close to us to recover nuts and adopting the typical squirrel-eating-nut pose. They did seem to be a bit thin and weedy-looking though, and their tails seemed decidedly unbushy. We put this down to too much sleeping and not enough eating over winter.
We intend to go back again to Formby - and this time join a guided tour because I think that is the only chance we'd have of spotting the footprints - which I think would be very exciting to see.
which seemed to stretch for as a far as the eye could see, the only footprints we could see were these...
which even a Hodmandod was able to date as probably more recent than Neolithic.
However the day was not a failure because behind the sand dunes there is an unusual and recent pine forest (about 100 years old) which turns out to be...
the ideal habitat for red squirrels and is the best place to see them in the UK. They were surprsingly tame, running out quite close to us to recover nuts and adopting the typical squirrel-eating-nut pose. They did seem to be a bit thin and weedy-looking though, and their tails seemed decidedly unbushy. We put this down to too much sleeping and not enough eating over winter.
We intend to go back again to Formby - and this time join a guided tour because I think that is the only chance we'd have of spotting the footprints - which I think would be very exciting to see.
posted by Clare Dudman at 6:09 pm
2 Comments:
This brings back memories. I was a student at Liverpool University and used to visit Formby and the red squirrels sometimes. Also tried driving my mini on the beach. Not a clever thing to do. With the salt damage, it was never quite the same again.
Jonathan: I'd always imagined that riding a car along a beach like the one at Formby would be wildly exhilerating - especially if the place were deserted - but I guess the thought that the car might subsequently be turned into a rusting wreck would take the shine off things. It's would make a very good race track nevertheless - maybe for disposable cars.
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