The beautiful Jurassic Coast near Burton Bradstock

Close to the picturesque village of Burton Bradstock, in West Dorset is a lovely stretch of golden sand and 160 ft high cliffs, whose beauty belies their danger. Much of the cliffs are unstable and, after heavy rainfall, the cliffs are prone to landslip. Last year a young woman was killed by a landslip whilst walking on the beach below the cliffs. This year another landslip left a dangerous overhang at East Cliff, between West Bay and Freshwater Bay. The coast path between Cliff Road at Burton and Hive Beach has recently been re-routed by the National Trust to keep walkers away from the cliff edge.

The cliffs, which are an uninspiring ochre colour in dull weather, really come into their own in strong sunlight, when they glow shades of gold and red. The landscape is featured by Joe Cornish in his book “First Light” and photographing the underwater limestone pavement has been a favourite of mine for many years whilst visiting my son, who lives at Bridport, just 3 miles away. The pavement is only visible for a short time at low tide, so viewing a tide table is useful before setting out.

If you are photographing the beaches in this area it is good sense to keep away from the vicinity of the cliffs. Hope you enjoy the images.