Between the Tides: The Perilous Beauty of Morecambe Bay by Cedric Robinson
Cedric Robinson will shortly have held the historic office of 'Queen's Guide to the Kent Sands of Morecambe Bay' for forty-five years - a longer period than any of his predecessors. Records of the previous twenty-four guides stretch back to 1536 and the reign of Henry VIII, but none can surely equal Cedric's achievements. He has transformed what was becoming an archaic piece of history into a modern-day recreational institution. From modest beginnings, his cross-Bay walks have become internationally famous with some 400,000 people having now participated under his expert guidance. It is the walk and the Bay that take centre stage in this new book, which focuses on many recent developments. Several centre round the Kent estuary, now even more dangerous as a result of changing its course on an increasingly frequent basis. Others involve the apparent consequences of global warming, with dolphins and salmon becoming a regular sight in the Bay. Finally, Cedric looks at the issues behind cockling and the recent deaths of Chinese cockle pickers, which he describes as a disaster waiting to happen. This book is beautifully illustrated with photographs that depict both the walk and the vast expanse of Morecambe Bay in all its amazing variety.