I love this story on the BBC. Apparently, people visiting Holy Island (the Lindisfarne one) in Northumberland keep ignoring signs warning that the causeway joining the island to the mainland is only passable at low tide.
As you can see, the signs are extremely misleading and could easily be misinterpreted by, say, an orang-utan or perhaps a small dog. But you’d think that those who outwardly resemble humans would understand (even if they are Australian).
Not so. The story reports that an Australian couple were the eighth rescue the Seahouses RNLI crew has had to make this year alone.They were in a hire car, and that has been written off as a result.
The thing is, it’s not just the signs. Unless the locals have a very warped sense of humour, chances are they are telling everyone repeatedly not to venture on to the causeway when the tide is coming in.
A couple of years ago islanders specifically warned a man to leave the island before the tide came in, otherwise he would get stuck.
He pooh-poohed it, saying it was just something to frighten tourists, but half an hour later he was hanging onto the roof of his car and his wife was up to her chest in water, clinging on to their two children.
Imagine that. Someone who wasn’t aware of what tides are all about, visiting a place where access is tide-dependent, thinking he knew better - and being allowed to have kids.
Must be a front runner for this year’s Darwin Award.