coastline

Wirral at high tide

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November in the UK can be dank and turgid. When a day of bright blue skies was forecast, I booked a train to the Wirral, one of my favourite coastal spots. Enjoy the photos and read more below

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West Kirby is the last stop on the Wirral shuttle from Liverpool. It boasts a large marine lake, islands in the estuary and acres of sky.

But this day was different from previous visits. The tide swell was unusually high, filling the Dee estuary next to the peninsula.

Nearby Caldy Beach was underwater so I took the cliff path and enjoyed the views and winter sunshine.

After I headed back to West Kirby, the pathway which rings the Marine Lake was resurfacing. But my walk resulted in a pair of wet shoes and sodden socks!

Since that day Manchester has been cloaked in a blanket of dense cloud and is feeling truly wintry. Maybe some cheery, warm Christmas lights will provide respite from the gloom.

Boats on the Dee Estuary between Wales and the Wirral peninsula

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Gozo: Big little island

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I recently went to the southern Mediterranean to capture some much-needed sunshine.

The small island of Gozo is part of Malta and packs in rugged coastline, undulating countryside and delightful old towns.

I stayed by the sea at Xlendi and cycled around the island with my camera on my back. Here’s just some of my journey…

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Southerly seaside

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Anchored shellAustralia’s island state of Tasmania sits to the south of that vast land mass, a hour’s hop by plane from Melbourne.

Tassie is about the size of Scotland or West Virginia, and packs in an awful lot of coastline. We drove from the coastal capital of Hobart up the east coast, passing through seaside towns with familiar names like Swansea to the ochre rocks of Bicheno.

Our travels also took us to the north, stopping at Beauty Point and stunning Freers Beach at Port Sorrel. The tide was out and there wasn’t another soul there – apart from hundreds of sand crabs scuttling around.

The towns are comfortingly sleepy and old-fashioned, while the coastline is beautiful, especially under a cobalt blue autumn sky. If you’re going to Tasmania, don’t stray far from the seaside.

Velvet sheen - clean (2)

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Hobart craft

Rusted lake

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This landscape is barren yet rich in colour, flecked with beautiful orange and green hues. The water seems lifeless yet deep and inviting with an inky glow. It appears almost otherworldly.

Rusted lakeBut this is no fantastic lake in a forgotten corner of the world. It’s a small rockpool on the Tasmanian coast at a place called Bicheno. The seaside terrain is famous for its red colour, created by a vivid ochre type of lichen. The effect is compelling and beautiful for the eye and camera.

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green

Mersea shore

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An image from a holiday weekend visit to Mersea Island, part of Essex in eastern England. This stretch of coastline is a recognised place of natural beauty. It was a warm summer’s day, maybe one of the last we will see, and many people were enjoying this unspoilt seaside.

With a beautifully contoured sky and the layers created by the sand, sea and wooden fences, this was an irresistible spot for some landscape photography. I’ll share a gallery of Mersea Island views in the coming days.