Sunderland Point, River Lune, Morecambe Bay, Lancashire
On the northern shoreline of the River Lune Estuary, where it exits into the wider Morecambe Bay, are these Salt Marches. At high tide they flood right up to the houses you can see above. This twice daily phenomena of tides make Sunderland Point rather unique. It is part of the mainland, not an island, but only assessable between tides.
To be strictly accurate, Sunderland Point is actually the tip of this peninsula. It is the village that holds the name of Sunderland.
I love this location both for its history and it natural beauty. Sea Birds, including lots of Waders feed on these marshes. As each tide arrives it drives the birds towards you, a great experience to witness.
But let me explain the history. Sunderland was developed into a coastal Port for the City of Lancaster which lies upstream on the Lune. It was thought that this would avoid ships having to navigate the tidal river, so speeding up turn round.. Here they could be beached and loaded or unloaded directly into carts at low water. The Harbour as such was built in the early 1700’s. Fortune didn’t favour Sunderland and before the end of that century the port was largely redundant.
