Hilbre Island at High Tide

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Walking piece details

I compiled sounds recorded during a walk around Hilbre Island during high tide, when the island is cut off from mainland Wirral. I wanted to document the atmosphere of the island, for anyone unwilling or unable to make the journey themselves.

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About a mile off the coast of West Kirby, on The Wirral, is a sandstone archipeligo with an on-off relationship with the rest of the peninsular.

Roughly every twelve hours, the tide arrives and cuts off the outcrops from the mainland. For around 3 to 5 hours, anyone caught on Hilbre or Middle Eye is pretty much alone, save for the curious brown seals, elegant swallows and swifts, and the sea.

There is plenty of folklore about Hilbre Island and its smaller cousins; a place of monk’s pilgrimmage, a stash-spot for smugglers, and a decoy site during World War II.