31st August

My year at the edge is approaching its end - and what a way to go. The beach is deserted - it's like walking on my own island - and on day's like this, there is absolutely nowhere on earth I'd rather be...

Sadly, marine plastics litter the tideline. But there are a few interesting finds: a red silk flower lies poignantly on the water's edge; a burnt out Chinese lantern (no doubt a legacy of Aldeburgh Carnival fireworks night on the beach when many, many are released...) washes up tangled in a plastic bag; another Tampax pearl tampon applicator in an apparently 'fun' (P&G's description) pearlescent blue (to match the sea presumably where so many end up). Blue is 'regular flow' - appropriate as so many regularly flow arrive with the tidal flow...; finally, a smartie top (for me, treasure) - and it's a Z! If only this had turned up on my final walk.


high tide: 10.16 hrs 3.0m, low tide: 16.42 hrs 0.2m
time of arrival: 11.19 hrs  
weather: sunshine, wind  NE 17 mph, temperature 14c
marine litter: large quantities of polystyrene, plastic cups and rope & line

6th September

 It's a wild day to start walking at the edge.

The winds are near gale force (though from the south so it's not cold) and the rain is persistent and near horizontal. The wind whips the sand into the air - I can only take photos with my back to the wind - and holding onto my bags of rubbish (especially once filled with polystyrene) is no mean feat! It's a sizeable and messy haul: lots of lightweight items, flung across the beach by the wind - sand is everywhere...

 Unable to walk south back into the sand and wind, I take the cliff path home.

low tide: 12.00 hrs, 0.8m; high xx hrs 2.5m 

time of arrival: 13.03 hrs

weather: rain, wind SW 24mph, gusting to 38mph, temperature 17c
marine litter: lots of lightweight items such as polystyrene (large pieces),  plastic bags and packaging but also quite a few cans too.

I imagined that the winds would wash vast quantities of debris onto the beach but my haul consists mainly of large pieces of polystyrene, remnants of sanitary towels and plastic bags (popular with snails, it seems...). And, of course, the occasional balloon. There is also an unusual amount of litter left by visitors to the beach - evidence, I am sure, of beach fishing in the previous days...