This extraordinary granite arch is found on the islet of Enys Dodnan, located off Land’s End in Cornwall. It is a highlight of one of the best coastal trips in Britain. The murky final image was taken on a rainy misty day last February, but is included here to show the whole isle. The jagged stack [...]
Archive for the ‘Geology’ Category
Enys Dodnan Leave a comment
Cretaceous and Jurassic 2 comments
Taken this afternoon, whilst failing to get served at Durlston Castle’s newly opened and (given that the park and castle are public spaces) inappropriately expensive restaurant. They were having teething troubles; like many others we gave up and left, presumably they’ll get more organised in due course. Anyway, the views were wonderful, including across to the Wight hills where I rode [...]
Caverns measureless to Man Leave a comment
This cave (of which you only see the entrance) is on the east coast of the Channel Island of Sark. A couple of friends are shown entering the cave in these images, but I actually arrived here about 20 minutes before them and entered it alone. Far back in the cave, where light began to fade, [...]
Islay north coast 3 comments
We paddled from Loch Gruinart to Port Askaig on the island of Islay, on a rather grey and damp day; so the photos are a bit unprepossessing. Having a damp camera didn’t help. Which is a shame, because this turned out to be perhaps the most complex section of UK coast we’ve seen. The shores are crammed [...]
Soldier’s Rock Leave a comment
Hidden away on the Oa peninsula of the Scottish island of Islay, Soldier’s Rock guards the entrance to a spectacular network of arches, tunnels, caves and a waterfall. All good.
Barrier Island 1 comment
Taking a break on Scolt Head Island in north Norfolk, the finest example of a barrier island in Britain. I’ve made a couple of paddles out to this long uninhabited island now, experiencing its empty miles of beach, dunes and saltmarsh in both winter and summer. It’s as true a wilderness as any I’ve experienced [...]
Sunny Hunny Leave a comment
Hunstanton is the only town on the east coast with a view facing west. It looks out over the Wash and is frankly, a very fine place.
Wicker Man 1 comment
Robin Hardy’s 1973 film Wicker Man is my personal favourite; I’ve watched it an unhealthy number of times, loving the plot, the scenery, the music, the gratuitous nudity. If you’re not familiar with the film, simply watch it. Enough said. Although the plot is set upon a fictional ‘Summerisle’, the filming was mostly done in and [...]
The Rhins of Galloway 3 comments
The Rhins of Galloway is the long thin strip of land stretching north-south in the far south and west of Scotland, parallel to the nearby Irish coast. When I paddled around Scotland, I passed through here, of course; although I paddled in dense fog and feeling rather ill, I saw enough to realise that there is some truly [...]
The cliffs of Ailsa Craig 2 comments
This photo shows the island of Ailsa Craig, 9 miles offshore in the Firth of Clyde, up in Scotland. I usually hate piddling around with Photoshop – the vast majority of pics here on the blog are simply posted up direct from the camera without any editing at all. I have nothing against Photoshop, it’s just [...]
Welcome to the Jungle Leave a comment
An 8 mile walk from Seaton (Devon) to Lyme Regis (Dorset) through the Undercliffs National Nature Reserve, on this muggy hazy March day. This remarkable and forbidding landscape was created by a series of major landslips, most famously the Bindon landslip of 1839; a huge chasm formed within the Undercliff, with a corresponding (and shortlived) [...]
Reasons Why…Shetland is the best Sea Kayaking destination in the UK 2 comments
The following article is written by Heather and was previously published in Canoe Kayak UK magazine… —————————————————————————– Reasons Why… …Shetland is the best Sea Kayaking destination in the UK There! I’ve said it. I’ll even repeat it: Shetland is the best Sea Kayaking destination in the UK. Now, before you spit in horror and say [...]
The Nodding Donkey Leave a comment
The ‘nodding donkey’ oil pump in Kimmeridge Bay has been working since the ‘50s and is still yielding about 65 barrels a day. It looks out over the Kimmeridge Ledges, five miles of coast where bedrock extends at least half a mile out to sea under the waves. With Atlantic groundswell, the Ledges form steep, [...]
Geology Field Trip 1 comment
The fellow above was purchased today from the fish market at Lulworth Cove. Served with linguine and cream, he made a splendid evening meal. Earlier, Heather and I had ventured out from the Cove to explore the incredible geological features close by. It was a cold and windy day, but it was good to re-visit [...]
Below!!! Leave a comment
This weekend we made a couple of visits to Chapman’s Pool, a cove located several miles from our home. Getting to the cove (without a kayak) is quite awkward at this time of year, as a 300 foot descent is required down slippery streaks of mud pretending to be paths. We weren’t the only thing slipping. [...]
Kayaking on the Rocks Leave a comment
This photo was taken underground in one of the numerous bunkers on the isle of Flat Holm. The lighthouse guides shipping negotiating the turbulent waters of the Bristol Channel. In the middle of the picture is my good friend Dr Liz, who has just cornered the market in blogs devoted to explaining geology from the perspective of [...]
Coral 2 comments
This beach in the north-west of Scotland’s Isle of Skye is famous for being entirely composed from coral … except that it isn’t. The ‘coral’ is mainly shell fragments and bleached remnants of red algae.
Stacks Leave a comment
The stacks at Duncansby Head, north-east Scotland. This didn’t happen quickly …
Landslide Leave a comment
This will be a brief post as I’ve just moved house (stressorama) and don’t have much of an internet connection yet in the new place, but … A large part of Dorset just fell off. The media is making out that this is a big deal, but actually there are major landslips thereabouts every decade [...]
Don’t Mention the War 3 comments
Tor Bay in Devon is an odd place from the environmental point of view. There are plenty of interesting coastal landforms here, but also sprawling holiday resorts like Torquay and various unwelcome concrete encroachments on the coast. However, the area has just received Geopark status, a UNESCO designation. This will hopefully protect and preserve Tor Bay from [...]
