Another grabbed opportunity!

Dunraven Bay

Another break in the winter weather and another grabbed opportunity.  That seems to be how it is at the moment.  As I write this it’s almost Christmas, I’m sat in my comfy armchair near a log fire, the room is toasty warm and I can hear the sound of heavy rain pounding the glass conservatory roof again.  O’ for some better weather.  Positive news tho, the days are now getting longer :-)

This most recent opportunity was about 60 miles to the West at Dunraven Bay on the South coast of Wales.  It’s a pretty spot and somewhere I’ve been before.  By chance it happens to be due North of Porlock Weir, the subject of my preceding post, and on the opposite side of the Bristol Channel.  It too, therefore, has a big tidal range and the sea advances or recedes across the beach quickly.  So quickly in fact that you need to keep one eye on the water at all times if getting wet is to be avoided.  About ten minutes after this image was taken the majority of the rocks in the photograph would have been covered.  To put some figures on how quickly the tide can change - The image was captured with a tide height of almost 7.75metres.  Sixty minutes earlier and at the start of the ‘golden hour’ the tide height was 5.3m. Doing the math, the rate of rise was roughly 4cm per minute.  That might not sound much but on a shallow angled beach that water almost chases you up the beach!

I guess the take-away is: Wear your camera bag and don’t tempt fate by putting it on the ground - especially if you are anywhere near the waterline with an incoming tide!

Wishing everyone happy holidays,

Andy