Beach hut with red roof, Rye Harbour, Sussex.
Overheard on the train from London, “Mum, stay off the vodkas this time – remember when we went to Birmingham and booked that nice Italian restaurant and you were too pissed to go. Let’s just get a kebab and go home Nana” The whole family laughed.
Rye DIY. Ancient, narrow winding alleyways. Chinese man photographs his wife in front of the picturesque timber framed Mermaid Pub in various contrived poses.
Distant camber sands full of humanity like a Lowry vista. Find myself smiling when back on the beach – cliffs of Hastings at the horizon.
It’s hot and I drink water voraciously sitting on a cliff top throne carved from a tree stump shaded under an oak tree. Sounds of the waves and squealing children. Coast zig zags to a line of wind turbines and in the far distance Dungeness power station.
Past a row of manicured yew hedges in Fairlight I ask a chestnut tanned man in his garden where the footpath to Hastings is – “Are you fit then?” he says after giving me directions – “I hear there’s some up and down”, I reply. “A LOT of up and down” he says waving his pruning saw at me for emphasis.
Microlight buzzes overhead.
On the cliff path to Hastings a tired looking group of young asian men ask me for water, I take off my pack but they misunderstood me and said “no, not beer” they walk off before I have time to explain.
Indeed much steep up and down in mysterious woodland, then gorse, smooth grass, dust and sea above the cliffs at Hastings.
I rush to catch the train to meet friends Jan and Ingrid who’d offered to put me up for the night – Hastings harbour and the net houses look spectacular from the high cliffs but I keep my fingers crossed that the light will be good in the morning and pass noisy arcades, drunks and shirtless teenagers on BMX’s. Soaked in sweat I make the train with moments to spare.
Hearing about the walk their daughters ask me where I sleep (tent), if I have spare clothes (no), how I cook (solid fuel) and how I go to the loo (woodland).
Rye Harbour Pill Box I, Sussex.
Mary Stanford Lifeboat house, Winchelsea beach, Sussex. On 15 November 1928 while attempting a rescue in gale force winds the whole of the 17-man crew of the Mary Stanford Lifeboat were drowned, practically the whole male fishing population of the village of Rye Harbour.
Rye Harbour Pill Box II, Sussex.
Pett Level, Winchelsea, Sussex.
Cliff End, Sussex.
Hastings Country Park Regulations, Fairlight Cove, Sussex.
Disabled parking, Fairlight, Sussex.
Net Shops, Hastings, Sussex. Tall black wooden huts were built to provide a weather-proof store for fishing gear.
I thoroughly enjoyed your commentary in this edition of The Perimeter to go with these excellent photographs. Will you be putting your journey into a book at the end? It would make for an interesting read, something that I would be glad to purchase when the time comes.
Many Thanks Mike. Glad you enjoyed the commentary as its the first time I’ve tried it to give a feeling of the place and to give context to the photos. Also many interesting things I encounter either can’t be photographed or don’t make a good photo. I’d love to do a book in the end – I’ll be sure to mention it here when I do but its a few years away till I finish!
Reblogged this on Geometry & Silence.
This last group is one of my absolute favorites. Thank you.
Great! thanks for dropping by
Some crisp, striking shots once again, Quintin. I’m enjoying the text as well… photographs alone don’t always tell the whole story down to the smallest of details.
Good to know – just starting out with adding text. Must check out your Dungeness post….
I liked the text as well!
Thanks Fiona. Seems like I’ve got a new format!
Going into the 2nd yearr of Covid, I’m glad to have this walk and these photos as part of my morning routine. One day’s walk and photos each day.
Minor correction to caption of last photo: Presumaly “wooden nuts” should be “wooden huts.”
That must have been wonderful in lockdown. My local Gloucestershire walks were much muddier! Thanks for pointing out my inadvertently amusing typo. Now corrected!