Mussolini and a little bore

Of all things I thought I might blip about today I had not contemplated Il Duce. I had thought that a visit to see the Arnside bore would produce something. It did - an extra. The size of the bore - even with a good high tide - slightly underwhelmed. Not as dramatic as the Severn bore currently on the BBC news website.

But after a few moments when the wave had passed - at speed - and you realise the massive volume of water filing up the estuary you can’t fail to be impressed. Across the bay the water level rises as you look. The pillars of the train viaduct begin to disappear and the flowof the water through them is like rapids. So well worth a visit.

Mussolini comes into it through a visit to the Dock Museum at Barrow in Furness. In the shadow of the huge BAE units where they build submarines, a dry dock has been converted into a great (free) museum about Barrow, the rise and fall of its iron ore mining industry And its great shipbuilding history. Many displays of models and liners built at the yards.

The blip is of a wooden carving of Mussolini’s head which featured on a float in 1935during some festivities. From a distance it looked like a creature out of Dr Who.

The day overall was grey with hints of rain but the visit was well with it. The only downside was that access to Furness Abbey was blocked so we will have to save that for another visit