“Always something there to remind me”

About 2.5 miles

Powillimount

“Galloway’s coral is at Borron Point, north of Southerness. You get to it (if the tide’s not too high) along a mile of rocky shore from the car park at Powillimount. On the way you pass the sea-arch of the Thirlstane, with its sandbank patterns of a river delta; also some shed-sized granite boulders dumped off by the glaciers. Then grey slabby limestone reaches down to the sea. Look around and you should spot several sorts of shells, little round bits like buttons that are fragments of crinoid or sea-lily, and two different kinds of coral.” Sea, sand and sequels, Ronald Turnbull.

Those growing long in the tooth might read the title and understand its relevance to the terrain, a sandy shore. Perhaps I should have walked bare-foot?

The Thirlstane

The Thirlstane

The Thirlstane is a natural arch in the rocks, and would originally have been called the Þyrel-stane, the pierced rock. The letter Þ (thorn) didn’t make it into our modern alphabet, though it has survived in Icelandic. Here it has been replaced with “Th” as it was in the original spelling of “the” (þe). This is why “the” is sometimes rendered as “ye” as in the anachronistic “ye olde tea shoppe”.

Powillimount

Powillimount

The last time I was here the Thirlstane was a sea arch but today with the tide out so we could walk through it. Unfortunately I didn’t find any coral this time but that’s an excuse to go back at low tide and explore a little further.

Powillimount

Powillimount

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