Winchelsea Beach

The East Sussex coastline is divided by the estuary of the river Rother, on which stands the town of Rye.  To the east, stretches the sandy expanse of Camber.  To the west, the beaches comprise shingle, punctuated by weathered and disintegrating groynes.  At low tide, areas of sand and mud flats are exposed beyond the shingle.  Winchelsea beach is a particularly attractive example.

This is 1066 country.  It was at Bulverhithe, just twenty or so miles further along the coast, that William the Conqueror landed on 29th September, 1066.

Patterns at my feet

Whilst walking on the seashore last week, looking for anything unusual that might have been left behind by the ebbing tide, I became increasingly attracted to the pebbles themselves.  In fact, it was a shingle beach so the pebbles were very small  –  the largest not more than 3cms across  –  and yet the variety of shapes, colours, textures and patterns was fascinating.  How easy it is to overlook the familiar!