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The British Isles
Beachcomber
Magazine
Discovering our Shores
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It's a romantic notion, walking across the sands, barefoot with the sea breeze blowing. It's a childhood holiday staple, rock-pooling and jumping over the waves, watching out for that special big seventh one!
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The great thing to me about the British Isles coast is that we really don't realize what treasures we have! Each seaside county has its own specific gifts - some I have probably never heard of.
Please share your beachcombing finds with us on our social media!
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Whether it's Smarties carton tops you collect or rare shells, we'd love for you to share with our beachcombing community.
A lot of beachcombing finds are based in the past, whether it's fossils or sea-glass. One of our experts may be able to give you more information about what you have found.
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...But what about the future?
If we look after it, the ocean can provide a lot of solutions for us. We will be looking at seaweed farms, bioplastics from algae,
tidal power and more in future editions. ​​​​
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Right: Photo by Armeda Jociute, whose beach photography is featured in Issue #2. - Cornwall
★★★★☆
"A charming, colourful new title with great scope to grow. • We probably all have a bit of treasure hunter in us, be it mudlarking for pottery shards along a riverbank, discovering classic industrial remnants in an abandoned tunnel, or scouting for sea glass, amber, shells and more along the shoreline. • And while there are various sources dedicated to beachcombing [incl. the related group in the comments], surprisingly, a topical, British magazine did not exist until this title emerged last year. • Editor Jo Belasco's joy shines through on the page. And, seeing how numerous print magazines left the market over the past decade or so, her dedication to go the print route is commendable. • This issue features inventive, delicate artwork made from empty mermaid's purse tendrils, an excellent toy/beach clean product by a British company in Malta, several beachcombers' and collectors' personal contributions, and more. • The magazine appears to be growing in strength, and with announced contributions by L. Maiklem and T. Williams [both authors I recently reviewed here], there is more excellent content to look forward to. • Well worth sampling."
Above is the deliciously British Isles eccentricity which allows for such a thing as The Human Limpet Project by Helen Garbett. Below is an exquisite ammonite found by Mike Harrison who is our fossil expert starting in issue 6 or you can find him on Instagram at mikeharrisonfossils
Down on the beach we call it Flotsam and Jetsom - back in the classroom or study, its artifacts or "material culture".
Whatever you call it, it's great fun to find and research!
Photo to the right shows a pipe found and photographed by Becky Grace Stares in Dorset.
This model was produced by Gambier in France in the nineteenth century.
In issue 6 onwards , renowned
expert on clay pipes Heather Devona will be guiding us to recognize and learn more about the little puffers we find!
https://www.studiodevona.co.uk
Travelling with a purpose...
I never really had a bucket list – I had a bucket and spade list! Poring over maps of the British Isles I marveled at the potential gems offered up by the different geological strata around our beaches; garnets, agates and jasper in Scotland, amber in East Anglia, jet in North Yorkshire, serpentine in Cornwall, fossils along the Jurassic Coast of Dorset and Devon and that's just for starters. Potential is enough for a hunter – if someone gifts you what they found, well, it's very kind but it's just not the same! It's all about the possibilities...
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It's not just our incredible geology which makes the British Isles ideal for beachcombing, it's the archaeology of our industries. In Victorian times, when glass factories chucked out slag carrying rubbish out to sea they would never have imagined that fast forward 150 years and that same slag glass, rounded and frosted by the weathering waves, would be highly sought after by stooping Beachcombing tourists from all over the world!
Above, right: a photo of a metal detector at Weymouth, Dorset - occasionally Roman coins are found at some Welsh and seaside sites where the Romans used to live or work.
Above, right: Margaret Preuss-Highams's black and white beach photography. (Cornwall)
Left: cave silhouette by Tracee Aggie
Sustainability
The images below show Jess Rippengales's
amazing Mermaid's Purse weaving! Her ideas and art feature in issue 5 and you can see more of her work on Instagram jess_rippengale
Art and Crafts
The image above left is part of a drawing by Nicky Beaton which was inspired by
time on the beach. The framed sea-worn crockery shards (top right) were found, framed and photographed by Alice Shannon, our Scottish correspondent. Alice writes about creating with your found objects in the second British Isles Beachcomber magazine.
Wild plants
We do not advocate picking flowers or seeds, indeed that is illegal in our country.
We do advocate learning about coastal plants like Sea-Buckthorn seen here and
picking its berries for smoothies or ice cubes. Be warned, the thorns are sharp and the smell after more than a few days in the fridge is, well, pungent!
Advertise with us
Contact the Editor
Jo Belasco at
britishislesbeachcomber@proton.me
Prices start at £20 for a quarter page, contact the Editor for more info...
Looking after marine life
We beachcombers often become the "Custodians of the Coast". As Hope Nolan wrote in her article on the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who better to ask to monitor marine life than us beachcombers who are knocking around at the beach anyway! This fabulous photo is by Ruary Rudd of 'Fungi' in Dingle Harbour, Ireland.
Below, left: Armeda Jociute - compass jellyfish. Middle: our Welsh correspondent Eira Thomas collecting what's called 'ghost fishing gear' so no creatures get tangled. Photo by her beachcombing companion.
Dreamers, Divers, Writers and even a Priestess have helped and encouraged me in this venture! Rr
Carole Weave Lane
Rachel White -Driftwood Fish
Philips' fossil finds are in issue 6 onwards
Above are some of Philip Jacobs enchanting designs inspired from his love of the shells and fossils
About the Editor
Jo Belasco grew up in land-locked Surrey near London. She came to beachcombing by accident as most of us do. Not having sea legs but having a husband who was a very keen sailor, Jo found herself hanging around at little coves where their boat was moored, rather a lot. Add to this a stone crazy quarter collie dog who was also more comfortable on shore and you begin to get the picture.
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"I was always looking down for stones to throw Zelda, she loved diving for them in the water! As I looked down I noticed the coloured sea glass, and that was the beginning..."
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After living in the States in the 1980's Jo gained a new appreciation for the British Isles. "It's a scale thing - you are only ever 80 miles from the sea wherever you are in the British Isles. Some people in the States had never seen, smelled, paddled or swum in an ocean."
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Jo has been quoted in a beachcombing article in SAGA magazine.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​