ABC Wednesday - Egypt Bay

A sandy beach, a stretch of water, time to take a dip?

Oh look the sun has come out, maybe just take in some rays, and the view....

is delightful interesting of Canvey Island Oil Terminal.  Although over there is also the home of Canvey Island's own Dr Feelgood who are still rocking after all these years, you can't keep a good band down.

The exotically named Egypt Bay is on the Thames estuary.  These are the Halstow Marshes or Cooling Marshes which are on the Isle of Grain, Kent.  If the name Cooling seems familiar that is because this is the countryside described by  Charles Dickens in Great Expectations. They certainly were cooling when we were there as it was a very blustery day, but sunny, unlike how Dickens describes it when Magwich is hiding in the marshes.  But given a winter day I think it would be exactly how it is in ones imagination.

This little bay would be very useful for smugglers landing contraband, the convicts might have been those housed in hulks in the Medway, which is at the other end of the island, or the ones of Dickens imagination. Real or imagined their fate if escaped and caught was to be hanged, to deter others.  And curlews, well the marshes are a birders idea of heaven.  There are numerous birds of prey, waders,(including Avocets), and field birds like lapwings.  But its most famous inhabitants are at the Northward Hill RSPB reserve. Stand at the top of the hill or sit and view the marshes and woods as great grey winged birds glide, here are about 100 nesting pairs of herons, but also the largest colony of little egrets in the country.

This end of the Isle of Grain is a mix of grazing land, woods, water and marsh with big skies but also

go through the gate and cherry orchards are there by the reserve and apple and pear orchards too.  And if visiting at night you may hear a nightingale sing.

Escape, visit the ABC Wednesday meme where there will be more words beginning with the letter E