Swirling Waters at Howmore
The Country Diary in The Guardian attracts descriptions of British scenes with the emphasis on the quietly dramatic, ever-changing scenes of rural life. Here, in her piece published on 8 March 2012, Christine Smith considers the responses of lapwings and oystercatchers to the turbulent, troubled waters of the tidal flow on the beach at Howmore. She uses a phrase – ‘waiting out the weather’ – to describe the response of the birds. It could be applied, on occasions, to the attitudes of some hostellers, keen to make tracks though aware of the discomforts awaiting them away from the hostel.