There and Back

One of the most eye catching things about Hunstanton in Norfolk, are the cliffs. The best time to see them is in a late evening summer evening - and we had just such conditions for these images. The famous red and white striped cliffs are an eye-catching attraction. Why are the cliffs striped? The stripes in the cliffs are caused by layers of different coloured rock. The main layers are Carrstone and also Chalk.  Carrstone is the brown layer and consists of sandstone - sand cemented together by iron oxide (rust). In places where the cement is stronger, the rock is darker and less crumbly. There are no fossils in this layer apart from a little fossilised wood.  The red and white chalk is made of limestone. Limestone forms in warm tropical climates, which suggests that Hunstanton climate was once warmer than it is today. The colour of the red chalk is due to iron staining. Patterns in the sand, made as the sea retreated. On the f...

Walton is a traditional seaside town on the east coast, unique in that it is surrounded on three sides by the sea. Its three miles of gently shelving sandy beaches facing south-east stretch from Frinton to the Naze. To the north, the sea sweeps round the Naze into the backwaters, known as Hamford Water, and the Walton Channel stretches right down to Walton Mere, only 300 yards from the main beach. The Naze, as well as being a natural open space, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) famed for its fossils found in the Red Crag cliffs. As well as these glorious natural features, Walton is known for its pier – the second-longest in the country – its yacht club and marina, and its iconic tower at The Naze from where panoramic views can be enjoyed of the Walton backwaters, Harwich and Felixstowe and the Suffolk coast.  The coast of East Anglia is always subject to erosion and the day of our visit to Walton demonstrated the effects which a stormy period on the Nort...