Last week I realised that I hadn't been to Whitby and Saltwick Bay for months so it was high time that I drove across the North York Moors again. Low tide was scheduled for 16:08 but I decided for a change to arrive a few hours before low tide and capture the sea as it retreated over the rock ledge.

Arriving early was the easy part but the tide was particularly high and didn't retreat as much as I expected. Consequently I spent most of my 3 hours winkling my way along the edge of the swirling sea and over the hundreds of huge boulders that have fallen off the cliff. It was hard going but I managed to stay on my feet and keep my camera safe.

Did I mention the slippery rocks that were like glass? Red growth was fine but any rock that had green or brown on the surface had to be avoided at all costs as they were lethal when in contact with my wellies.

I really enjoyed trying to capture the waves when I first arrived as the sea was quite lively and was also throwing up a lot of spray which added atmosphere to the scene. As low tide approached I tried to capture some reflections in the many ponds on the rock ledge. It was far too wild to get to the very edge so I kept close to the cliffs most of the time.

Walking back to the main beach was relatively easy after the endeavours of negotiating the cliffs on my way out to the wreck but it was at this point that I slipped and fell in. Fortunately no cameras were injured in the making of this blog although my knees are bruised and my tripod is undergoing a major desalination programme!

Also see Yorkshire Coast Gallery