Les Pécheurs du Plage du Moulin

Easter Sunday, and our first lunch at Plage du Moulin. 

I'd called to make a reservation, une table extérieure, les pieds dans le sable, which was a wise move because the restaurant was very busy. We sipped our Kir cassis and nibbled on a shared platter of meat and cheese appetisers, and smiled and said how lucky we are to live in Brittany, and how we never cease to appreciate our lives here...     

(https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066774700175)

And as we finished eating and were licking the last of the salted caramel ice cream from our glasses/plates/bowls, we were amazed to see hundreds of people descend on the beach armed with buckets, nets and little forks. 

People of all ages: alone, in groups and families. 

Those on the sand were looking for cockles...

Those in the sea were searching for scallops...

And the harvests were bountiful.

I tried hunting for cockles and discovered that it's easy: look for a small hole in the sand and dig down, but I'm not a fan of fruits de mer so all that I found I buried again. 

No, we were searching for seashells and little living creatures which can only be seen among the rocks and in the rock pools at low tide. 

Sue spotted this treasure: "Look," she said, "how this little piece of seaweed appears to be walking." 

We watched and realised, yes, it was walking. How curious. Sue scooped it up so we could examine it closely. The clump of seaweed was a cleverly camouflaged crab.

A little spider crab. 

"With 700 or more species of spider crab, it may be hard to explain each species. While most have spiny exoskeletons, very long legs, and a long body, there are some which don’t look much different than other kinds of crab. All spider crab do, however, have 10 legs with the first two tipped in claws. Many use the spines and hooks on their backs to purposefully attach seaweed, dead creatures, and other debris to them for extra camouflage. These species can be found all over the world, with some even being discovered in the depths of the Antarctic." 

(https://www.allthingsnature.org/what-is-a-spider-crab.htm)

I've met them before on a beach further up the coast but those guys were playing hide-and-seek in the sand, not dipping into the dressing-up box. 

Here's one I found which didn't live long and prosper...

It turns out Sue is really good at finding things: like this tiny ghost-like starfish...

I found some hermit crabs in pretty shells. Hermit crabs should be handled them with care: if they feel threatened they have been known to leap from the shell and scuttle, naked, away. 

Probably not the best form of defence? Streaking across the sand.

And some fascinating fucus: This one looked like a sea creature. We had to touch it to be sure it wasn't a lobster in disguise and when we stroked its 'back' it opened up like a fan.  

We clocked up a surprising 5 km walking on the beach and down to the shoreline at such a low tide. 

I had hoped to swim but there were too many pécheurs in the water and the sea was too low, even for a person of smaller height. And, actually, just wandering and observing and finding new things was enough fun for a change.