Dictionary or FB?

[blythburgh]

So local area FB group post about stuff happening on beach. Photo of fenced off white portakabin thingy. Apparently on the beach and they are removing the cairn (on beach below church).

man posts: what is a cairn other than a terrier?

later a woman posts: the pile of stones is still there but where is the cairn?

When I find a word I do not know the meaning of (unless RF has supplied the meaning) I used to head for my dictionary though I am more likely to use Google these days to find out what a cairn is. Thankfully this time I did not need to do anything as I knew what a cairn was. The only puzzle to me is who or what it was started in memory of

[BeautifulSunshine]

I don't understand.

[Richard Frost]

I don't understand.

No one needs to understand blythburghs ramblings. But in this case if you use a dictionary you would.

[expressman33]

The only puzzle to me is who or what it was started in memory of

What is the name of the beach the cairn was on ?

[Sarah]

Mountain-sides are usually populated by cairns, not necessarily in memory of anyone or anything in particular; they can help ramblers to find their way through cloud and fog. On a beach, though... perhaps different.

[macliam]

Piles of rocks piled up by people with too much time on their hands is an issue plaguing beaches all over the world. There is a beach near us in the Alentejo where it seems there is a pile every square metre - and they are not rocks from the beach, but brought from the cliffs at the edge. This got so bad that the cliffs were fenced off.... but still people continued.

I can understand a couple... but why do people continue, pile after pile, until the beach is covered?

post.jpg (194.71 KiB) Viewed 1061 times

[BeautifulSunshine]

Mountain-sides are usually populated by cairns, not necessarily in memory of anyone or anything in particular; they can help ramblers to find their way through cloud and fog. On a beach, though... perhaps different.

I understand now.

Once again, Sarah has taught me something.

[Chadwick]

Piles of rocks piled up by people with too much time on their hands is an issue plaguing beaches all over the world.
I can understand a couple... but why do people continue, pile after pile, until the beach is covered?

They do it because they beach is almost covered. To join in.
There are similar tales from Iceland, with the Icelanders wondering what possessed the tourists that they should do this.

[blythburgh]

We had just one that apparently has been destroyed.