Cromer Storm Clouds and Afternoon Light

After a beautiful sunny clear morning on Wednesday, storm clouds gathered at Cromer and we had a heavy rainstorm which cleared to give some very attractive late afternoon light.

Cromer Beach at Low Tide

Yesterday's tide was one of the lowest of the year and coincided with a very sunny warm day (until the rain arrived!). Just right for reflections on the wet sand and interesting foreground details!

Clacton Under Lockdown

A few images from our afternoon in Clacton - a late break in the clouds gave some very dramatic lighting - difficult to capture the colours and tones. Unsurprisingly, there were very few people about on the beach. The imposing Pavilion building has been renovated since my last visit to Clacton with a full Adventure playground and other amusements behind the façade. There is an extensive plan for Clacton's future but I guess after the withdrawal of EU support this is unlikely to happen. With Covid19 notices everywhere, it was good to see even the seagulls taking it seriously. There was excitement as police cars arrived in the evening and two policemen went off in pursuit of someone, while this local inhabitant put Phil right on one or two matters!

 

Under the Pier

I am spending the weekend near Clacton for a postponed Bird Watching cruise from Brightlingsea tomorrow. Yesterday afternoon the sun came out for a short while and I made use of the light to investigate the world under the pier. There are abundant textures and colours but I mainly concentrated on the  'underwater world' and small glimpses cameos.

Grey Evening in Weston-Super-Mare

We took a brief walk along The Grand Pier before it closed at 4pm and then round to the old Birnbeck Pier via the Marine Lake. The Birnbeck Pier is still standing despite the sea and weather damage. It doen't look possible that it can be restored - very sad!

Walton-on-Naze Pier

Saturday, the rain stayed away from the coast until I was leaving at 2pm though the light was very dull. I enjoyed a visit to the pier. The original pier was built in 1830, one of the earliest in the country. It was built for landing goods and passengers from steamers. The pier was badly damaged in a storms in 1871 and 1880. In 1895, the Walton-on-the-Naze hotel and pier company (then owners of the pier) opened a replacement pier 500 ft longer (150 m) than the original. Several extensions have increased the pier's length to 2,600 ft (790 m), the third longest in the UK. 

Today, the pier remains a popular attraction, with amusements and funfair rides in a hangar-type building. Beyond this, the pier extends into a promenade popular with anglers.