Spurn Point Lighthouse

A day by the sea yesterday and we chose Spurn Point because it's quite a few years since we last visited. I chose this image because it shows the beautifully blue day, though my photographic obsessions for the day were on capturing soft focus into the sun shots and hard edged graphic images of the groynes. (Some of which were successful and some definitely rejects!)

When we arrived the road down the spit was closed as the sea had been over at the lowest point and they were still clearing the sand away. So we set off on a three mile meander towards Spurn Head, alternating between beach, road and footpaths.

Highlights:

- walking on the beach on North Sea side of the spit under a gorgeous blue sky
- exploring the groynes/sea defences which look like the skeletons of beached whales
- walking among Sea Buckthorn and Sea Holly
- photographing common blue butterflies along the road without being disturbed by passing cars (not many other butterflies about - mainly small & large whites and one Red Admiral)
- visiting one of the hides where three men were patiently waiting to photograph birds on the estuary side
- disturbing two female Roe Deer who quickly hid behind a clump of bushes and peeped out at us
- walking along dry grassy paths with clouds of grasshoppers jumping along in front of us
- looking out over miles of mud flats on the estuary side (the tide was well out) and spotting a few birds - curlew, possibly Black-tailed Godwit, Ringed Plover, Grasshopper Warbler
- spotting (we think) an Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar trying to cross the road

We thought the road closure had done us quite a favour as we probably would have driven down to the end and not given ourselves the opportunity to experience this an amazing place. Though our walk back was frequently interrupted by the passing cars which had now regained access to the single track road.

We didn't realise, until we read the leaflet picked up in the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Information Centre, is that all the Lifeboat families have now left Spurn Head. Unfortunately increasing inundation by the sea has left them cut off from the mainland and on occasions unable to get back home.

There's a small news clip on the BBC website where they talk about leaving.