Took a bike ride with @Mauve_matelot to Bigbury on Sea.
How do you get from Burgh Island to the mainland when the tide is in?
Boat?
Nope.
Sea Tractor!
Poirot fans may recognise this place from David Suchet's version of Evil Under the Sun.
Is it just for recreation Stuey?
@LnzyHou
I suppose so.
There are folk who live on the island who rely on it, but mostly it's used by tourists, especially those staying in the Art Deco hotel you can see.
@Mauve_matelot
Looks like fun. They once had busses in Philadelphia that drove from the roads into the river. They were discontinued after a death.
I was this many years old when I learned about sea tractors.
It’s both ingenious & somewhat anxiety-producing…
I remember that episode! What a great show. Might be time for a re-watch.
@stueytheround @Mauve_matelot Yes! I have watched that episode. So nice to get to the seashore any way you can. 🌊
@stueytheround @Mauve_matelot I love this film, only "Murder on the Orient Express" is better. But did you actually trust this tractor? It looks ... not very stable in terms of its center of mass.
@ToruOkada
There's been one working there for a hundred years (not the same one. This is the 3rd). No problems that I'm aware of.
The chassis is mostly steel girders and the cabin is mostly wood. Deceptively low centre of mass. @Mauve_matelot
@stueytheround @Mauve_matelot I trust you as you trusted it. It just looks like it could easily flip over. Obviously, an image does not reflect the mass distribution.
@Mauve_matelot A short video of the Sea Tractor in action.