Light at the end of the tunnel

The planned trip to Blackpool sands had to be abandoned after nosing out from Dartmouth to test the waves and wind. Too much of both. So we looked for a sheltered spot up river for lunch. In the lee of the railway embankment of the Kingswear branch line seemed ideal. We were blown through the culvert and over the shallow bar at the end. Note the way the bricks turn from an axial direction to a helical curve towards the portal, which is not perpendicular to the tunnel. You wouldn’t get that refinement nowadays.

Brunel's culvert

One has to watch the tide carefully. An after lunch nap could leave one gazing at a dry tunnel with thick sediment, forcing a portage up the embankment and over the railway line. The turnout, three people, was disappointing, but it was wet and windy. Even so …
Tim P