Kent Beachcombing Guide - Westgate-on-Sea

Type of Beach: Westgate-on-Sea is a sandy beach, surrounded by a promenade. There are rock pools at low tide, and the bay gets more than it's fair share of seaweed washing up on the beach. This seaweed is cleared in the summer, but in winter it can be found covering the shore along with other flotsam and jetsam. 

Westgate-on-Sea is quite a busy little beach, it is popular with retirees and if they spot you beach combing they seem to home in on you. They can range from being friendly and quizzical "excuse me what are you looking for?", to somewhat rude to you, if you do something that they think is unusual (like taking a photo of a seagull for example!:0) "Ooooh, somebody likes taking pictures!" Honestly I have never heard such rudeness from retirees. Lol ;) 

Kent Beachcombing Guide - Copt Point Folkestone

Copt Point at Folkestone is one of the best places in the UK to go beach combing in my opinion. You can find all sorts of things.

It's not for the feint hearted though, Copt Point can be dangerous if you get trapped by the tide, so make sure to go when the tide is going out. You can escape if you ever get caught there, but it involves climbing crumbling clay cliffs, with huge boulders underneath them which is dangerous also!

The people on the beach are mostly friendly, eager to share their fossil finds, or to give advice on where to find them.

Type of Beach: The beach is made up of large boulders which sit on a bed of clay and gravel. There is a shingle and clay beach at low tide, with the boulders being close to the cliffs.

It is a designated SSI, so no digging in the cliffs, or digging fossils out of the ground

How To Find Sea Glass

One of the things I like to do is go hunting for sea glass and interesting stones on the beach, I mainly use the pretty pieces of sea glass to make jewelry (you can see one of my sea glass pendants in the picture to the left).

Lately I have had to really hone my sea glass finding skills. I had read that finding sea glass had become harder and harder, as it takes such a long time for the glass to be formed by the sea. At first I was disbelieving, but I have to admit that lately it has become much less frequent to see it lying around.

You can still find it though it you look in the right places. - Certain types of beach are better for finding sea glass, which I will cover below. But even on the right type of beach, you could be looking in the wrong place and not find any sea glass, so I will also give advice on where to look on each beach.

Crows Eat Dog Poo!

I think I have solved the mystery of why people are finding bags of dog poo hung in trees above bins. Of course the dog walkers were being blamed for throwing bags of shite into the trees :0 But being a dog walker myself this has really puzzled me. Why would someone go to the trouble of picking up their dogs mess, only to get to the bin and decide to launch it into a tree? Nope! I am not buying that.

There have been complaints in the press about this phenomenon, and I have seen it many times.

Yesterday I think I figured out who the culprit was, something had been attacking bin bags that were waiting outside of my house to go into the wheelie bins. I was watching a large crow pulling something from the bag from my window, and realised it was dog poo that my partner had put in the outside bin. I went outside and re-bagged the now ripped bin bag, placing the contents back in the bag.

Found Some Amber on the Beach :)

Yay! I managed to find two pieces of amber the other day, just lying there on the beach. I was not looking for amber at the time, just shells and stuff, I picked up the piece of amber because it looked like a yellow colored quartz pebble, but when I lifted it up it felt really light. I was not expecting this, for a moment I actually thought it was a piece of sucked toffee and screamed, lol! Then I realised it could be amber and put it in my bag to look at later.

The next piece that I found, I actually thought was a bit of plastic. It is not a rough piece, it's ready cut and looks like it has come out of some jewellery and got broken up a bit by the sea. This one has a lot of sparkling 'fish scales' inside it, which looked like flecks of gold when I saw it on the beach.

Weird Bug - Who's This Little Chap?

I found this funny little insect yesterday when I was washing my medicinal plants, of course I saved him from the water. He looks like some sort of long nosed weevil, just the type that will probably damage my herb garden, so I released him far away, in the woods.

He was a cute little chap, and the first weevil I have seen with such a long proboscis. On googling the creature I think he is an Oak Weevil, but I will have to re-check his proper name...

Wild Treasures 3 Rainbows in One Hour!

I popped out today with my partner to have a look for some herbal plants, I like to stock up once or twice a year because I use the dried plants for teas and other home remedies. Today I was looking for tender bramble tips, hawthorn flowers, and nettles.                                                                                                                                                                   Anyway, on the way out of the house we spotted this beautiful double rainbow. The first rainbow was really bright, the brightest rainbow I have ever seen! and the second much duller, but wider. you can just see the second rainbow in the bottom right corner.

Of course these rainbows showed themselves at a time when I was in a horrible location to photograph them, so I hurried to the fields to try to get a better shot. By the time we got out to the fields the rainbows had gone and it had got very dark and begun to rain.

Latest Pebble And Sea Glass Finds - From Herne Bay East Beach

Quite a lot of sea glass picked up from the beach at Herne Bay to Beltinge. All of this was hiding in the shingle bank, which sits above a strip of sand.

I found some yellow, aqua blue, and one brown piece amongst the usual greens and whites. I also found a large piece of olive green coloured beach glass, which when dry looks like a regular stone.

This one has been frosted a lot more than the others, and is much thicker, so I guess that piece is probably much older and has had a lot more battering from the sea. You can see it at the front of this picture of the sea glass I found at Herne Bay.

Kent Beachcombing Guide - Herne Bay Beach (East to Beltinge)

Kent Beachcombing Guide - Herne Bay East to Beltinge.

Type of Beach: Herne Bay East Beach is a mixed shingle beach, mainly of flint pebbles and gravel, with large areas of sand and clay as the tide goes out. When the tide is out (especially towards Beltinge) there are mussel beds, rock pools, and large rocks which trap fossils and other interesting things.

The beach has wooden groynes, and boulders, which make up the sea defenses. There are gentle, grassy slopes down to the promenade until you get to Beltinge creek, where the clay cliffs rise up. (and fall down! so be careful)

Beltinge is a very beautiful beach, with a view of the Reculver towers. There is a lot of  nature living in the cliffs and the surrounding countryside. There are rock pools at low tide at Beltinge, with a variety of sea creatures, and different sea weeds to observe.

It is a popular beach for dog walking, and sea fishing, and the people are friendly and chatty. There is car parking on top of the cliffs at Beltinge, which is free, and also along Herne Bay Slopes.

The Medicinal Plant - Another Form Of Wild Treasure

 The picture shows a pretty dandelion that I captured, another form of wild treasure! The dandelion, like other common wild flowers and plants, can be used in a variety home remedies, and herbal tinctures. This is another of my 'hobbies' and I have a website about all of the medicinal plants and herbs that I use 

I always feel happy when I see medicinal plants growing, I'm sure if I had a garden it would be full of what other people call 'weeds' lol! I love them though, and although I don't have a garden right now, I do have my own herb and medic gardens which I am starting to blog about. Last years garden was unfortunately wiped out by a combination of aphids, rot, and soil gnats.

Animal Skull Hunting For Kids

The fourth in my guide to fun nature and learning activities for kids to do outdoors. This one focuses on animal skulls and bones.

You might well think that it's a bit icky, and it is! But kids love icky things and finding something like an animal skull can really spark a passion for learning.

The picture shows a fox skull I found in the woods.

Pond Dipping - A Fun Outdoor Activity For Kids!

Pond dipping can be done in a variety of places with adult supervision of course. I used to do it in my Grandmothers ponds, as well as local ponds and streams which have pond weed.

It used to amaze me to see all of the different insects, plants, tadpoles, eggs, larvae, and other alien looking life that can be seen in an around ponds etc. - The photo shows the surface of my Mothers pond and some of her many frogs and snails.

I even used to measure newts with a ruler when I was 11 or so, I had a book detailing each newt and it's measurements :0 - I have no idea why I did that! I will Blame Gerald Durrell I think, and his amazing books.

Could This Piece Of Pot Be From An Alchemists Laboratory?

I have been doing a bit of research on this piece of pot I found in a stream. When I found it the simple pattern, and haphazard way it had been painted reminded me of Saxon runes and symbols.

I have been looking into ancient symbols (starting with Saxon symbols) and did not find anything like it. Quite by accident found a couple of pages of old Alchemists symbols. (See tables below)

In the first table the triangle shape with 3 legs is exactly the same symbol on the list for 'philosophers sulfur'

Philosophers Sulfur is obviously sulphur as we know it today. OR SO I THOUGHT....until I stumbled on more information about this mystical Philosophers Sulfur.

Nature Treasure Hunt For Kids

This is the second in my series of fun outdoor activities for kids, all of the activities I am writing about are ones that I have enjoyed as a child with my own parents, activities that bring the family together, and that cost little, or nothing.

As you can see from my collage a natural treasure hunt is today's fun outdoor activity for children.

I used to love treasure hunts as a child, every time we would go walking in the woods my Father would  give us a list of natural treasures to find. Whoever found all of the items on the list won a prize. You don't have to offer a prize of course, that's up to you.

Beachcombing in Rivers and Streams - Free Fun For Kids And Adults

Stream and river combing are nice free activities that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. People typically look for objects on beaches, but rivers and streams can contain a wide variety of beautiful and interesting finds.

Of course safety is key so be very careful when poking around, check for mud, tides (if a tidal river), slippery banks, and other dangers. I would advise going with another person and taking a mobile phone just in case.

Take something to clean your hands with too, like anti bacterial gel. Rivers, river banks, and streams, can harbour Weil's disease (from rats urine) it is best not to enter any river or get covered in riverbank mud if you have cuts or scratches (as this is how the disease enters the body). Faster flowing streams are safest where Weil's disease is concerned.

Kent Beach Combing Guide - Hampton-On-Sea (studd hill)

This is the first in my series of beach combing guides to Kent. I have decided to do this as it is always nice to know what to expect or look out for, when on a certain beach. I will go into the type of beach and it's features, high tide and low tide, amenities, maps, and what can be found there.

I may add more in-depth geological information for fossil hunters, but my brother will have to help me there as he is the fossil expert. Until I have his input I will mention the fossils that can be found, and where I have found them.

This Kent beach combing guide covers the end of Herne Bay bech, to Hampton-on-Sea. Starting where the beach huts at the west end of Herne Bay end.

Beach Combing Guide to Hampton-on-Sea

Crystals And Minerals Found At Folkestone

This is the first in a series looking at local crystals and minerals. I intend to write about all the minerals that I have found in a certain area, as there is not much information online about where to actually find crystals and minerals in Kent, or which ones can be found. (For any sea glass, sea pottery, and shell enthusiasts, I will also be doing some more general beach combing guides for my local beaches, with information on what can be found in each place.)

These particular mineral examples were found at Copt Point, Folkestone, Kent. Copt point is very well known for it's amazing fossils, and is a great spot for anyone interested in minerals and geology. The beach is full of huge boulders, with clay cliffs. The boulders are great for trapping various bits and pieces that have fallen out of the cliffs or been washed up, and Copt Point is one of THE best beaches for beach combing IMO.

Funny Looking Rocks!

Good job I am not too superstitious as these angry face rocks would have freaked me out more. I found them on the same day as well! Rocks with faces always capture my interest, usually they have nice happy faces though. I do find these ones funny! 

I took these to show my neighbour when I found them, I held them up to him and said ..."They're my friends.."

"I can tell!" he boomed back - funny!

Beachcombing For Sea Glass At Hampton-on-Sea's Lost Village

This beautiful sea glass was collected last month on Hampton beach, where there once stood a number of buildings, that were unfortunately taken by the sea, or demolished. (more about that later...)

when we got there the tide was quite far in, but we still managed to find all of these lovely pieces. The majority of the sea glass there was small but perfectly tumbled by the waves with no imperfections.

We even managed to find these pieces of beautiful and quite rare, yellow and red sea glass. I have never found red sea glass before and hardly ever any yellow.

Best Beachcombing And Fieldwalking Finds

Sometimes I fall in love with an item I have found, this can be a plant, flower, or feather, just as much as it could be a unique stone, fossil, or relic. These are my top ten finds so far...

1. Some Sort of Jasper? - This stone was actually originally part of a huge boulder, which I found outside my ex partners parents farmhouse in Granada, Spain. I have a massive interest in minerals and the farmhouse stood in a very beautiful and mountainous area. We went out with pick axes and I developed a great method for finding crystals and minerals. It was as simple as finding the crustiest looking boulder or stone around, (one that was crusty but has a definite shape.) Then smash it open, 9/10 times we found minerals or crystals inside.

This was the first boulder I smashed open, and it was so amazing I wanted to keep the whole thing. I chipped off this part with the pick axe, and it was one of the few pieces I got to bring back from Spain. Of course my luggage was full of stones and at the airport I had to remove most of them before I was allowed to get on the plane, or pay an extra £5 per kg which I did not have, Very annoying.