What I Learned When I Went Rock Pooling
You can discover incredible things when you explore the tiny worlds contained in rock pools
The seaside town of Rhyl in North Wales doesn’t have many claims to fame. Once a popular tourist destination, it has experienced a steep decline in recent years, with holidaymakers opting for cheap trips abroad and numerous businesses moving away. Many of the main attractions have closed down, with high levels of deprivation particularly in the west end. Rhyl is frequently described as grim, miserable, and stuck in the past, becoming a regular feature on the list of worst places to live in the UK. And yet, despite all of this, it will always have a special place in my heart.
Growing up in a single-parent family in the nineties, it’s fair to say we didn’t have a great deal of money. Certainly not enough to be able to afford trips abroad. But Dad was determined to give me and my brother a holiday every summer, and so Rhyl became our go-to destination. It was vibrant, affordable, and less than two hours from Wolverhampton by train. We went every year and we absolutely loved it.
There is something about being near the sea that makes my soul vibrate within me. I find it hypnotic, so much so that I could sit and stare at it all day. It makes me feel both peaceful and exhilarated at…
