If it is January then I must be in Whitby. It is always my first holiday of the year and one that I enjoy very much. It is always quiet down on the front and on the piers, and I am only a five minute drive from the delights of Saltwick Bay.

This year I made two trips to the bay. I, along with a few other togs, visited pre-dawn on Sunday morning and then I returned a couple of days later to explore the area around Saltwick Nab. The light on Sunday morning wasn’t particularity promising but fortunately the sunlight shone through the bank of cloud for a few minutes before rising up out of sight.

I know what to expect around Black Nab and the Admiral van Tromp shipwreck but the left hand side of the bay is less well known. I have been here a few times now and I think that it’s problem is that the interesting rock formations on the edge of the shelf are very high and consequently don’t get waves washing over them until near high tide. Like the south end of the bay It isn’t a good idea to linger here too long as the tide comes in quickly and cuts one off but there is also no easily accessible high ground to shelter. The other issue I had was that the sun was directly in line with the cuts in the rocks which meant that I had to deal with enormous shadows either in composition or photoshop. Evening seems to be the best time to turn left for photography at the Saltwick Nab end of the bay.

See also Yorkshire gallery for more photographs.