Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

A trip to Spurn Point (part 3)

Switching cameras and film for the next bunch of photos from this trip…

You can just see the north sea in the shot, but I took this one because I liked the weather-vane goat.

South-facing goat

A view north from the top of Spurn with rough conditions (although they didn’t seem so bad further down the point). The “promontory” jutting out to sea is actually the remnants or concrete wartime structures that have fallen as the cliffs recede due to coastal erosion.

Blustery

A few miles out to sea stands a large offshore wind farm, something that has become a common sight from the North Sea coastline.

Windfarm

I wasn’t the only photographer on Spurn Point that day…

Photographers

I wonder how much time has passed since this section of brick wall fell into the sea? I’m quite impressed at how well it is maintaining its structural integrity. Perhaps it will become a large and intricately patterned pebble some day.

Eroded wall

More groyne remnants…

Last line of defense
Sentinels

And another view of the remains of man’s efforts to hold back the tides…

Regular - Irregular

Among the other debris, there were a number of lobster pots washed up on shore (or shortly about to)…

Partially buried
Washed up

There are lots of pieces of chalk scattered across the seaward beaches of Spurn Point. These have most likely been transported south from the exposed chalk cliffs at Flamborough, almost fifty miles up the coast (although the entire Holderness coast is under laid with a bedrock of Cretaceous chalk, this is mostly covered by glacial till).

Three white rocks

Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD on Fujifilm Acros. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 24 August 2025

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

A trip to Spurn Point (part 2)

Today’s shots were also taken with my GW690, although on a different roll of film: Some Kentmere 400. Unlike the Fomapan 400, there were no defect on this roll, plus I avoided any potential bromide drag by using standard development with regular inversions. I’ve shot a couple of rolls of Kentmere 400 now and both times I’ve found it gives quite bright results and I have to drop the highlights a little. Not sure if it’s a feature of the film, or the way I’m developing it.

The first four shots were taken around the tip of Spurn Point showing the beach and dunes beside the estuary opening. In the shot of the dunes you can just make out an old sea fort dating back to the first world war in the distance. There are two forts: Bull Sand fort, and Haile Sand fort. I think the one in the picture is the former. The structure in the fourth shot is the sea traffic monitoring station. I’m not sure if it’s still manned at all, but the radar is active and the tubular antenna at the top of the building was constantly rotating.

Driftwood
Distant sea-fort
A long way to Sydney
Vessel Traffic Services building

The next four shots are of groynes and other sea defences, or what remains of them at least. These are no longer maintained, with the land now left to natural forces. You can see the battering that the man made defences have taken from the tides. I particularly like the final shot where pebbles have been jammed between the boards of a groyne by the force of waves and resulted in what reminds me of some sort of aquatic abacus.

Groyne remnants
Falling defences
Coastal erosion
Ocean's abacus

Fujica GW690 & Kentmere 400. Ilfotec DD-X 10.5mins @ 20°.

Taken on 24 August 2025

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Pirates

Out at sea a lone pirate vessel heads south along the shoreline. Crewed by a motley band of brigands, ne’er-do-wells, and, well, anyone who bought a ticket for the pirate boat trip from the hut at the harbour really.

No press-gangs required
For a trip to sea on this
Small pirate vessel

Pirate shores

Olympus XA3 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 27 May 2021