Fresh and the Salt

Firths and estuaries are liminal places, where land meets sea and tides meet freshwater. Their unique ecosystems support a huge range of marine and other wildlife: human activity too is profoundly influenced by their waters and shores.

The Solway Firth - the crooked finger of water that both unites and divides Scotland and England - is a beautiful yet unpredictable place and one of the least-industrialised natural large estuaries in Europe. Its history, geology and turbulent character have long affected the way its inhabitants, both human and non-human, have learnt to live along and within its ever-changing margins.

Auteur

Ann Lingard spent her childhood in Cornwall. After living and working in various places including Cambridge, Glasgow, Oxford and Oregon, she and her husband now manage a smallholding in North-west Cumbria, within sight of the Solway Firth. Having left academia and research to write and broadcast, she has subsequently written and spoken a great deal about the countryside and shore.

Résumé
&quote;Beautiful, intensely visual prose, born from deep intimacy with subtle borderlands: land and sea, England and Scotland, people and environments.&quote; -David Gange, author of The Frayed Atlantic EdgeFirths and estuaries are liminal places, where land meets sea and tides meet freshwater. Their unique ecosystems support a huge range of marine and other wildlife: human activity too is profoundly influenced by their waters and shores.The Solway Firth-the crooked finger of water that both unites and divides Scotland and England-is a beautiful yet unpredictable place and one of the least-industrialized natural large estuaries in Europe. Its history, geology and turbulent character have long affected the way its inhabitants, both human and non-human, have learnt to live along and within its ever-changing margins.&quote;Lingard's scientific knowledge of the area and its multitudinous inhabitants [is] delivered in riveting prose. This is deep and beautiful natural history writing.&quote; -BBC Countryfile Magazine&quote;Like a hungry gull, Ann Lingard explores her beloved Solway shoreline for every living detail that catches her eye. In so doing she has created a portrait of this nation-cleaving water that is as broad and deep as the estuary itself.&quote; -Mark Cocker, author of Birds & People&quote;A kaleidoscopic portrait of the borders of the land.&quote; -Cumbria Life&quote;Lingard writes vividly about this estuary . . . an excellent point of reference for locals, visitors and for those simply intrigued by this lesser-known corner of Scotland.&quote; -Scottish Field