Monday, September 29, 2008

The Reefs and Caves of Flamborough Head

With the North Sea so unusually calm I took the opportunity to have a look at the reefs and caves of Flamborough Head. The Yorkshire Wolds chalk foundations end abruptly here and there are frequent reminders to be seen, that the North Sea and 'god's own county' do not get on. At Flamborough the result is a spectacular headland riddled with caves, adorned by sea stacks and footed by kelp infested reefs.

On close inspection the reefs are cris-crossed with a network of narrow gullies that often lead into some of the larger caves. For once the beach at North Landing was not as tempting as on one past occasion I used this small haven to escape the ravages of a possible maritime nightmare. I find it unusual to see people angling from the edge of the 80 metre high cliffs but I suppose this high altitude technique is borne out of the necessity of keeping out of reach of the sea. We continued to the eastern end of the towering Bempton Cliffs before turning round and making our swift return to South Landing with a following flood tide.

No comments: