Coast near Lynmouth, Devon

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British local authorities are notoriously poor at creating small, roadside, "viewpoint" lay-bys. A place for road users to pull in briefly to admire a view. Driving on the coastal road near Lynmouth in Devon recently we took advantage of one of these rareties that had been created. It gave us a fine view of the steep coast and the small bays at its base. It appears to be called Sillery Sands.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Knightstone and Steep Holm

The Bristol Channel between England and South Wales has a number of small, rocky islands. Today's photograph shows Knightstone and, in the distance, Steep Holm. The former is now attached to Weston-super-Mare by a permanent causeway rather than the original shingle bank. Steep Holm is today a bird reserve with no permanent human residents but has been at various times a place for sportsmen, a defensive site with cannons, and part of a chain of fortified sites designed to impede invasion.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Weymouth beach huts

There was a time, in the second half of the twentieth century, that beach huts seemed to have had their day. A place to base yourself by the shore for a day or a week, either owned outright or rented from the local council, some fitted out with electricity and water, ceased to chime with people's ideas about what constituted a holiday. But then they had a renaissance and became sought after adjuncts to time by the sea, and their colourful presence was something to celebrate rather than dismiss. This short row at Weymouth is only a small fraction of the total number in the town. The repeating colours with a limited palette suggests corporate ownership as opposed to the highly individualised paint jobs of the privately owned huts.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Sunbeams and showers, Lytham

For twenty years of my life I lived within two miles of the Lancashire coast. It was a time when I relished photographing the shoreline, the sea and the skies above it, and appreciated how the weather could transform very familiar photographic scenes. The beach at Lytham always had inshore fishing boats, tractors and buoys, and the view always had something of both the sea and an estuary about it. In this photograph I had my camera turned seawards, away from where the River Ribble enters the Irish Sea, because the sunbeams and showers off the coast made such compelling subjects.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus E-300     2005

Knightstone Island, Weston-super-Mare

Knightstone Island was originally connected to the mainland at Weston-super-Mare by a natural pebble ridge that was submerged at high tide. in 1824 the owner built a causeway above high tide and a low pier for boats. In subsequent decades successive owners built hotels, swimming baths, a theatre and other buildings on the island. The whole development struggled in the second half of the twentieth century. The main Pavilion closed and plans for leisure developments came to naught. However, in 2006-7 the whole island was redeveloped, old buildings were refurbished and many flats were built to complement the commercial properties. Today it is an asset to the town.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Boats, Weston-super-Mare

The Bristol Channel at Weston-super-Mare is wide enough to feel like the sea rather than an estuary. This feeling is enhanced by the presence of two islands, piers, a fine promenade and a scattering of boats. The fact that the beach is very shallow and hence the water is distant at low tide means that most boats are small and the larger vessels are presumably in nearby marinas. This colourful trio caught my eye at both low and high tide but looked better, photographically speaking, without the sea.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10