What you might find after a storm - a Cleveleys Strandline Gallery

The beach adjacent to the new promenade at Cleveleys is completely covered twice each day by the incoming tide - which laps up the steps at varying heights and cleans the beach, so it is unlikely that you will find anything much here, other than beautiful clean golden sand.

Head a little further north, past the new promenade and sea front cafe, and you'll come to a pebble beach (known locally as Rossall Beach) which isn't covered each day by the tide, which is where you'll find all kinds of goodies. The strandline is the thick line of debris that wiggles its way across the beach, and is where the tide reaches and 'strands' the material that it carries. On this section of beach it's mostly seaweed and bits of straw and twig, but it also carries the rubbish unfortunately, and the marine life that gets washed up. Rossall Beach Residents and Community Group organise a monthly beach clean here to keep the beach clean and occassional strandline surveys where the Waterfront Rangers help to identify and log material that is found, for more details go to www.rossallbeach.org.uk.

About once a year there is usually a ferocious storm at Cleveleys. Winds can blow at 70-80mph and 2010 was no exception. The consequence was damage across the Fylde coast with a number of the Illuminations Tableaus being damaged, along with the sails on Lytham Windmill. Continuing north through the Five Bar Gate and up to Rossall School there is a little cove shape built in the concrete sea defences which turned into an Aladdins cave of sea borne treasure, as you can see in these photos. More to be added over time as things are found, and if you find anything unusual on the beach send your photos through, to jane@visitCleveleys.co.uk (Landscape photos work best!)

Navigation bars are left and right of the photo with captions and descriptions at the foot of the photos. Visit Cleveleys doesn't claim to be an expert in identification of beach finds, if you would like to add any information or extra comments please get in touch.

Hundreds of Starfish

The first marker of the storm was hundreds of tiny starfish washed up on the concrete walkway near the tank traps, just through the Five Bar Gate

Mountain of Seaweed

Approaching the steps at the access point below Rossall School, there was a mountain of seaweed, which is very unusual on this beach

Yet more Starfish

The seaweed was full of sea life which had been washed up by the violent storms, including yet more starfish... Did you know that they feed on bivalves, worms and various other small creatures?

Sea Mice

We've seen an occassional sea mouse on the beach, but never before in such numbers, there were literally hundreds of them all along the beach. The sea mouse is actually an oval, broad shaped scale worm, 3-6" long (and these were mostly large ones).

Crabs

We think this is either a Swimming Crab or a Velvet Crab, which are found on the West and South coasts. The book says it's 'an attractive crab which can give a sharp nip' you have been warned!

Sea Sponge

Not often seen on this beach, marine sea sponge

Sea Sponge

Flatfish

Hard to tell exactly what this is as it's a bit dead! Originally would have been some kind of flatfish, probably a flounder, fluke or dab etc

Anemone

The commonest of our anemones, the Beadlet Anemone, found on all UK shores.

Sea Squirt

Sea Slug

The main food of the sea slug is the anemone...

Sea Slug

Dog Fish

Evidence of dog fish is often to be found at Cleveleys - the little black sacks called mermaids purses are their egg sacks. The Dog Fish itself is actually a small shark.

Dog Fish Egg Cases, or Mermaids Purse

The Dog Fish on the previous frame is actually a small shark. The egg cases are often to be found on the beach, which contain one embryonic fish. The ones you find are often split, which shows the fish has hatched, and they are often black.

Another Flatfish

Probably a Dab

Whelk Egg Case

The edible common whelk is seldom seen on the shore as it lives below the low tide line - although the empty shells often get washed up at Cleveleys. These are the egg cases, frequently to be seen in the strandline, and are blown about on the beach almost like litter.

Whelk Shell and Egg Cases

An edible common whelk shell, which lives below the low tide line and you'll often see empty shells washed up at Cleveleys. This is just a small clump of the egg cases, and they can often be quite big clusters.

Native Oyster

This is a bivalve 'two shell' mollusc - one is concave and is used to attach the oyster to a surface, the other is flat and sits snugly inside it. They are found all around the British Coastline and can live up to 15 years. They change sex depending on water temperature!

Common Cockle

This is a bivalve that lives from middle shore downwards, and a rish source of food for our many oystercatchers. Dig a few inches down and you'll find the whole animal - or many single shells are found washed up on the shore.

Turnstones in Flight

Something a little different and not washed up on the strandline, but certainly a very active resident on the edge of the water at high tide! Flocks of hundreds are on the beach at Cleveleys.

Turnstones having a breather!

And here they are, having a rest. One gives the nod and they all run up and down along the beach, held together by an invisible thread!

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