Looe Island (also known as St George’s Island) belonged to two sisters and at their passing it was entrusted to Cornwall Wildlife Trust and has now become a nature reserve. It is normally accessed by boat but a few times a year the Spring tides allow the mainlanders to walk across the seabed to the island shore.
This is something I’ve always wanted to do but never have. It was a spontaneous trip as I only found out about it the day before and knew that my Mum would like to come too.
We watched the tide heading out as we ate our picnic lunch before making our way down to the beach to have a look in the exposed rockpools. We saw a hermit crab and watched it scuttle across a rock (can you spot it?!) We were reminded of a Julia Donaldson book we enjoy -Sharing a Shell.
As we went further, my son loved seeing the seaweed sticking up from the sea bed. We found some that looked like crocodiles so we had to be careful as they kept snapping at our toes!
It was a wonderful atmosphere down there. I tend to avoid places where there might be lots of people as I prefer to be able to explore somewhere and have it to ourselves. But as my Mum said, it felt as though we were connected to people that would have made this journey in ancient times and it was lovely that even in this modern, technology-focused age, people were still in awe of this natural wonder and had come together to experience it.
The water gradually got deeper and I had to carry my son or he would have had to swim! It got to one point where the water was about to come up over my wellies, my arms were aching and I couldn’t judge how deep the water would get or how much further there was to go. I thought about turning back… A man returning from the island told me if I was going to carry on I’d get absolutely soaked, so I figured I may as well go for it! It was quite freeing. I think in life the ‘not knowing’ is sometimes the hardest part.
The water was absolutely freezing and came half way up my thighs but with shared giggles from fellow waders, we made it!
There wasn’t really time for exploring though because as soon as we had reached the shore, the tide was on its way back in again and would soon be too deep to cross.
So hand in hand we set off back to Hannafore beach, this time with the sway of the incoming tide urging us to go a little faster!
But we had time to stop and admire this large blue starfish! The picture doesn’t show how blue it was, we were both very impressed.
We were soon back on the beach again, all changed into dry clothes and sipping hot chocolate. We watched the sea slowly cover where we had walked, almost as if we had never been there, and thought of my Auntie who would have been delighted to hear about our adventure in this place she loved.
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Dancing in the Rain 
What a lovely adventure (: Nature is just so good for everyone!
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Thanks it was lovely to do something different! It is indeed 🙂
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What a wonderful day I do like impromptu adventure’s like this. I’ve not been too Looe in years and didn’t know about the little island. A great adventure wading out to the island even though it sounds like a drenching for you , I bet your son loved it. some amazing sea life you spotted too. Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids
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Thank you for having us 🙂 He absolutely loved it, it was such fun! (And I’m glad I brought a change of clothes just in case 😉 )
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What a lovely day, even with the cold weather! The experience sounds amazing and the blue starfish is super cool! I bet nothing tasted so good as that cup of hot chocolate when you got back!
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It was, Erin, so glad we heard about it in time to take part. Yes the hot chocolate was very welcome!
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You were very brave! I’m sure you’re glad you did it. This reminds me of “Wattlaufen” in Germany on the North Sea. I use to do a lot of it when I was growing up and living in Germany. I was blessed to have grandparents who had a home there in walking distance of the sea. There was a “Deich” to protect the homes from floods. Thanks for visiting 1camera1mom!
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Very glad to have done it Christina! What wonderful memories of your childhood in Germany x
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I love the town of Looe. I never knew about this little island though. So cool that you found it and look at that star fish. It looks like such a beautiful place and such a fun adventure. You can’t beat wading through the shallows and looking for nature. I can’t wait to go rockpooling with my little one again soon. Thank you so much for sharing this with Whatever The Weather xx
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We often visit the beach here and search the rockpools but it was great to do something different in a place we know so well! Thank you for having us on #whatevertheweather 🙂
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I think this is fantastic and I absolutely love that you decided to keep going through the sea thigh deep to get to the island carrying your son, you’re such a supermum! I love exploring rock pools, you never know what you’ll find, we’re hoping to find some good ones on Mull when we go camping in a few weeks (eek!). We also had those wellies for our little A, until I lost one up a hill they are so sweet. Thanks so much for linking up to #Whatevertheweather 🙂 xx
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Hee hee, thanks Jenny 😉 Ooh exciting, enjoy camping -I’ve just got our first tent! Aw I’d noticed your little one had the same wellies on your Instagram pic, shame one was lost! My son couldn’t bear to part with his so luckily I found the same pair in the next size up when he needed new ones! Thanks for having us on #whatvertheweather 🙂
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What a fantastic trip to the island and back. Oh gosh it does sound freezing but so glad you made it in one piece. I’m sure your little boy will remember that experience for a while. The starfish looks huge! Lovely following your adventures. Thanks for joining in with #MyFavouriteTrip Polly x
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