Coconut found at Murlough Bay!

It is not something you expect to see during a stroll along the north Antrim shoreline and the discovery of the coconut in recent days is unusual to say the least.

It is fair to say it is not the sort of thing that regularly washes up on a beach in these parts but at least it is a bit more exotic than the usual offerings of the sea like jellyfish, twigs, wood, bits of rubbish and the like..

But just how did a coconut come to be at Murlough Bay?

We have checked and to the best of our knowledge there are no palm trees so the only other plausible explanation is that it definitely did wash up.

We asked the Maritime and Coastguard Agency if they had any theories and they told us it probably came off a passing ship.

Murlough sits on the corner of one of the busiest shipping channels in the British Isles with vessels transporting all sorts of goods from around the world mostly to big city production centres like Liverpool and Glasgow.

Despite the theory the Coastguard people said they had no reports of anything untoward in the Murlough Bay area like containers or boxes falling off ships and they had no reports of strange items washing up on the shoreline in that part of north Antrim.

It has been known for containers to tumble off ships during storms.

But the coconut find has caused a stir.

A local man, who walks the beaches regularly, said: "It is a very unusual thing to find here, usually it's just seaweed and things."

He added: "It is not the sort of thing you expect to see but it is always very interesting to keep an eye out on the shoreline for items that come ashore.

"You do get odd stuff now and again like shoes and paint tins but I have never noticed a coconut before. One thing is for sure, we definitely aren't getting the tropical weather to accompany the coconut! If only!"

Have you ever found anything really unusual on the beaches of north Antrim? If so phone the Times on 02827666216.