3rd February

 
Hooray, I have my beach back - the barricades are gone!!!
Today is the last day of work on the sea defences - the barricades came down yesterday and a solitary digger is working at the north end of the beach.

An icy wind blows from the northwest. Erosion at the foot of the cliff and a line of seaweed and rubbish (plastic bags, in particular) are evidence of recent high tides - it is a while since I have seen tides of this height. But now the tide is out and just the occasional disposable cup gently wafts in on the waves.

I find a Smartie top early on - a 'K', an old one too. And two old Ski (1960s/70s) yogurt pots...  - why do they wash up so frequently??

There are a lot of cuttlefish today - and too many sanitary towels.

high tide: 07.16 hrs 2.3m, low tide: 13.21 hrs 1.2m

time of arrival: 14.20 hrs

weather: cloudy with some sunshine, winds NW 18mph, temperature 2c
marine litter: primarily light plastics ie. plastic bags, sanitary towels, cups and bottles, mostly at the foot of the cliff deposited by a previous high tide.

 

    

 

  

 

 

12th January

It is warm and sunny with a brisk breeze and beautiful stormy skies. The sun, low in the sky, dazzles when you look south. To my dismay I discover I have left the memory card out of my Nikon so have to resort to my mobile phone for photos - the colours look weird and hyperreal - it is too beautiful to miss.

It is exactly high tide as I reach the beach south of the barricades and it is strange to find the plastics washing up right at my feet, straight from the sea. What's more it is a plastic cup tide! Fragments of plastic cups are washing up everywhere I look - 50 in total, just on my short walk.
There are a lot of ready-made wildlife traps and drinks cans too.

Excitingly, I also find a tag from a Newfoundland lobster pot, dating from 1989 and having travelled over 2500 miles.

The shingle is banked up heavily in front of the Headlands, half submerging its fence.

A large digger approaches from the south, seemingly out of the blue, at speed along the shingle. I seize the dog and retreat up the bank just in time. Meanwhile the rain drives in.

low tide: 06.41 hrs 0.3m; high tide 12.57 hrs 2.7m

time of arrival: 12.41 hrs

weather: cloudy, wind W 18mph, temperature 11c
marine litter: fragments of plastic cup (50 collected)... everywhere. More drinks cans than usual. Lobster pot tag from North America dating from 1989. One piece of paraffin wax.