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Science/nature/environment

Pebble hunting and why do we have to buy them from B&Q

(61 Posts)
Lallykins Thu 15-May-25 16:18:34

my first post, so if its in the wrong place, apologies smile

I love beachcombing, and since I were small, as everyone else does, a shell here, or a small pebble there, would go into my pocket as a memento.
But we all know, that its illegal (here in the UK anyway), as there is a Law forbidding it!
So I ask,
if we aren't allowed to take a few 'trinket sized' pebbles, then why are we allowed to buy them?
for instance, in a seaside souvenir shop, made into cute decorations with the holiday town etched onto it.
Huge bags of them, slate, stones, pebbles of varying size and colour, from all parts of the country, for our garden scaping or home decorating?
I would like to know the difference between 1000 holiday makers taking a couple of stones, and a big company taking tonnes of the stuff and bagging it up, making a profit, while we could be fined up to 1000£ for taking one home?

BlueBelle Mon 26-May-25 08:56:18

There’s a shell church on one of the Channel isles I remember seeing it
I love shell and pebble hunting and will take my punishment if it’s ever given
I paint them sometimes ….

NotSpaghetti Mon 26-May-25 08:49:39

That's interesting, escaped - it has a "look" of a toll house - or a slightly eccentric gatehouse!

escaped Mon 26-May-25 07:23:10

It's pebbles NotSpaghetti, and is a Grade 11 listed building. Believed to be a former toll house, I think.

NotSpaghetti Mon 26-May-25 00:17:47

Very jolly.

NotSpaghetti Mon 26-May-25 00:17:37

Is that shells or pebbles escaped ?
I think there's a lot of them really.

escaped Sun 25-May-25 10:15:50

Just walked past this one with the dogs today. I'd completely forgotten about it on the doorstep.

Mollygo Sun 25-May-25 09:52:25

PamelaJ1

Mollygo here is my DGS’s Andy Goldsworthy creation.
My claim to fame…. His (Andy’s) mum was my godmother.

Love the photo, and that’s a great claim to fame. For weeks after we finished looking at AG’s art, the children would arrange stones, sticks and grasses into works of art on the playground.

PamelaJ1 Sun 25-May-25 09:41:49

Mollygo here is my DGS’s Andy Goldsworthy creation.
My claim to fame…. His (Andy’s) mum was my godmother.

OldFrill Sun 25-May-25 03:44:47

Ossuaries, not uncommon throughout the world. Kutna Hora ossuary is a well visited tourist attraction, macabre in the extreme.

NotSpaghetti Sun 25-May-25 00:47:18

How very sad - and horrible

NotSpaghetti Sun 25-May-25 00:46:40

Oh no Mollygo
😟

www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2kq1wwy53do

Mollygo Sat 24-May-25 23:23:26

NotSpaghetti

I don't think you should be removing those from beaches Mollygo
😱

🤣🤣🤣
I did wonder whose idea it was, but evidently there are several of them round the world. How do they collect them I wonder?

NotSpaghetti Sat 24-May-25 22:07:50

I don't think you should be removing those from beaches Mollygo
😱

Mollygo Sat 24-May-25 21:43:12

When we were in Portugal we didn’t see house walls covered in shells, but walls covered in skulls and bones.

Allira Sat 24-May-25 18:34:31

Wow!!

NotSpaghetti Sat 24-May-25 18:31:33

Years ago we were in Wexford and happened upon a shell cottage along Cullenstown Strand.

Just looked it ip.
Here it is. Facing the sea.

Lallykins Sat 24-May-25 18:13:38

Mollygo

Allira
Honestly, Sir, my pebbles came from B&Q and the shells from that nice woman who sells sea shells on the sea shore."
🤣🤣🤣
The shells she sells are seashells I’m sure.

grin

Lallykins Sat 24-May-25 18:12:17

Lol that would be fun. Being searched every time you came off a beach in case we stole a teaspoon of sand between our toes lol

Mojack26 Sat 17-May-25 21:26:56

Never knew it was illegal to take a pebble etc from the beach! Who polices that? Iveseen loads of people do it! 🤣

Allira Sat 17-May-25 20:55:34

ViceVersa

I suppose you could always argue that you were 'stoned' at the time! gringringrin

shock

Yu are very norty!!

escaped Sat 17-May-25 17:20:46

I'm 'shore' you're on my wave 🌊 length, VV.
🍷 🥂

ViceVersa Sat 17-May-25 17:15:45

I suppose you could always argue that you were 'stoned' at the time! gringringrin

Mollygo Sat 17-May-25 16:24:13

Allira
Honestly, Sir, my pebbles came from B&Q and the shells from that nice woman who sells sea shells on the sea shore."
🤣🤣🤣
The shells she sells are seashells I’m sure.

Allira Sat 17-May-25 15:55:15

escaped

🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

"Said pebble warden would also be required to cruise the neighbourhood checking front gardens for paths and features where pebbles from the beach have been purloined."
"Uniform provided."

😂

"Honestly, Sir, my pebbles came from B&Q and the shells from that nice woman who sells sea shells on the sea shore."

ViceVersa Sat 17-May-25 14:03:16

Primrose53

I thought everyone knew it was illegal. Most beaches have signs to that effect.

I can honestly say I have never seen a sign to that effect on any beach I've ever been to.