Tidelands

'Tidelands' is a book of photographs. It is by turns an intimate and affectionate portrait of a place; a record of discoveries and unexpected encounters in the landscape; and forms a part of the authors enquiry into what it means to have a 'sense of place'.

Morecambe Bay is situated on the Lancashire and Cumbria coastline, just to the south of the Lake District National Park. Covering an area of 320 square kilometres, it is the largest area of intertidal mudflats and sand in the UK.

Despite appearances, the bay can be a dangerous place. Extremely fast tides, draining rivers, quicksands, and shifting channels can easily trap unwary visitors. The ebbing tide retreats as far as twelve kilometres, and races back over the bay at speeds of 9 knots: approximately 16 kilometres an hour. It is wise to check the tide tables before venturing out on the sands, as walkers can be trapped by waves speeding in, both in front and behind them. They say that the incoming tide 'approaches as fast as a horse can run'.