A common dolphin, but rarely seen

THE ATLANTIC breakers of the western seaboard have a romantic purity. Bathing in waters that stretch for 3,000 miles gives an illusion of health and well-being, of immersion in a timeless infinity.

The Irish Sea, on the other hand, offers a mere 60-mile vista. Its tainted waters seem murky and the nuclear waste discharges from Sellafield do nothing to improve its image.

This may be the world’s most radioactive water body, but emissions are so low that the addicted fish-eater has nothing to fear. Nor is the Irish Sea’s cesspool profile accurate.