The Naze, Essex

The Naze is not to be confused with Walton-on-the-Naze, a small and traditional Essex seaside town that – to its credit – is refusing stubbornly to recognise that the 1960s came to an end 35 years ago.

The Naze, an eroding stretch of coast that runs north from the town, has been declared a site of special scientific interest. One of its most fascinating features is the natural sculptures created by the impact of tidal erosion on the the red crag and London clay which together form the cliffs at the Naze. At low tide the foreshore becomes an intriguing landscape of clay-formed furrows and brows : curiously shaped, red and blue hills and valleys of miniature proportions, which together direct the flow of the retreating tide.

This photograph was taken as the storm, visible in the distance, approached. Shortly afterwards, rain and hail descended or, more accurately given the furious wind that accompanied the storm, blew in horizontally. There was little to do but take refuge behind a small sand bank and wait for conditions to improve.

Exposure of 0.6 second at f/22.

Canon EOS 5D and EF L 16-35mm lens.