On the west shore of Crummock Water sits a small oddity that likes to keep a low profile. It is said to be the only example of its kind in the Lake District, which is no small boast for a strip of stones.
This feature is a “tombolo”, a gravel beach about 50 metres long that links the shore to a small island called Low Ling Crag. The island itself is a “roche moutonnée”, smoothed and shaped by ancient ice, a rock patiently rubbed by time. The beach is made up of flat fragments of Skiddaw rock, most no bigger than a fingernail, laid out with the quiet care of nature pottering at its own pace.
Tombolos usually form on the sheltered side of islands, where waves lose their punch. The island interferes with the incoming waves, bending them as the water becomes shallower. Slowed and softened, the waves turn to follow the lake bed instead of charging straight on, and the stones they carry finally get a chance to rest.
Picture the island as a stout shield in a stream. Behind it, the water calms, the energy dies down, and the lake gently drops its load of gravel. Over time, stone by stone, a narrow causeway appears, neat as you like, connecting island and shore.
The word “tombolo” comes from classic examples on the west coast of Italy, though Crummock’s version manages the same trick with far less sunshine and a good deal more restraint. A modest marvel, doing its work without making a song and dance about it.
Source:
Wilson, Peter. Lake District Mountain Landforms. Page 157. Scotforth Books.
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