Shawn Downey was on the beach at Winchelsea when someone got stuck in the mud.
“For me it was just a regular trip for a dog walk, but upon arrival a member of the coastguard team pulled up and asked about the report of someone stuck in the mud.
“I was able to zoom along the coast using my phone and I could see clearly some human activity in an area I know to be synonymous with sticky mud but that was some 500 yards from where we were standing.
“That, I determined was the target area so I shared the screen with the lifeboat crew and by this time all service personnel were close by pondering where the activity was. I was pretty certain that it was where I had pinpointed. They radioed to get the gate open to the shore road so access could be gained.
“I walked along the sandbank that stretches from Winchelsea Beach to Rye Harbour and I could then see the person had freed themselves (with the help of other dog walkers) and they were escorted to the emergency vehicles which by this time were within the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve on the shore road.
“I know this sandbank extremely well, it’s one of my favourite dog walks and it’s not uncommon for me to be walking the length at 5am on a low tide – you see a few lug diggers with their head torches who just wade through to the low tide shore line. I’ve often wonder how they avoid the mud but I guess that they must simply know-the-ropes so to speak.
“I’ve never felt the muddy areas to be as dangerous as my grandad used to claim, but as I pointed out in my social media post, however, I don’t risk it – as it’s easy to lose your shoes as they get stuck in the mud and if the tide is on the turn a sense of doom can easily prevail. My grandad always said there were mud holes on the beach but I’ve never come across anything like you see in the old movies – but certainly in the fifty years I’ve been walking this beach I’ve always learnt the simple rule, that of retracing my steps the moment things start to get a bit sticky – must be quite a shock to find yourself stuck!”
Image Credits: Kt bruce .
Last Sunday I found myself in a mud hole up to my waist. I have been using Winchelsea beach for many decades but never come across anything like this. I do worry about young children. I feel we need to put up notices as a matter of urgency.