Do you get that sinking feeling?

Not me! My tripod! It’s when one of the three legs of the tripod which support my camera sort of disappears into the sand as the tide comes in.

“Hang your camera round your neck on a long strap.” That is good advice if you contemplate taking photographs of the incoming tide at somewhere like Happisburgh where there are few substantial rocks and lots of flat sand.

I joined a jolly group of photographers who were on a workshop with Justin Minns. Getting down on to the beach at Happisburgh is not straightforward.

You may have watched on the television news that seaside properties in some areas of Norfolk are rapidly disappearing in to the sea.

Sadly Happisburgh is one of those places. We managed to walk down a newly constructed slope from the ever diminishing car park.

Various bits of earlier sea defences are visible as the waves steadily advance. I was conscious of the fact that we were turning former items of necessity into artistic features.

One exception though was the “Spirit of Happisburgh” a tide and time bell which was created and put in position during the summer of 2023. The special bell is made of marine bronze and is mounted on a wooden sledge anchored in the sand. The idea is that as the tide advances the bell rings. That is the theory anyway. I suspect deposition of sand is rapidly overcoming the bells movement. We arrived as the tide was fairly full and the bell was surrounded by sand. Nevertheless it made an interesting landmark (or perhaps I should call it a sea-mark) to include in the photographs.

The light was already going soon after we arrived near it and as darkness approached, we did the same.