Author Archives: manonabeach

About manonabeach

On a beach…welcome to manonabeach.com, where I’ll regularly add video of my beach visits, so you can enjoy a flavour of the beach, even when you’re not there.

Talisker Bay

Season: summer

The walk to the beach from Talisker House is one of the most beautiful approaches you could imagine, particularly in high summer, as was the case on this visit. The glen draws you down to the sea and a sense of anticipation is unavoidable. The impact on arrival is ancient, volcanic and elemental. The beach can often showcase black sand as a result, but on this occasion it was mixed with grey. It feels as if you’re in a cauldron of dynamic creation, wonderful.

What the beach means to Heather.

A view from behind the beach at Talisker Bay.

Season: summer

The beach at Talisker Bay is best seen at low tide, with its mix of stones and sand. A sharp-sided sea stack guards one end of the bay and there’s a waterfall on the vertical cliffs at the other side, making this a highly charged natural setting at the foot of the Cuillin Hills. A highlight is the sunset, due to the atmospheric rocks and its westerly aspect.

Two perspectives on the beach from Jane and Jim.

The volcanic beach at Talisker Bay.

New Aberdour beach

Season: summer

There’s a theatrical style to this beach, with the formal surround to the spring, the dramatic caves and the red desert rock that they are set in. A flat green strand backs the beach, which has a pleasing arc. The beach is pebbled, allowing the action of the sea to add a dramatic soundscape to the scene. Interviewee Sam, hammer in hand, was about to start his university geology studies.

The beach as an inspiration for Sam.

The beach below New Aberdour.

Season: spring

Although it’s a shingle beach, there is sand at the eastern end of this north-facing beach. Aberdour Bay has a pleasing crescent shape and the beach is backed by rocky sandstone caves. There are a couple of noticeable features on the beach, firstly the white-walled St Drostan’s Well, which has a fountain you can drink from and whose name adorns the church up on the hill. Secondly, the memorial to Jane Whyte at the western end of the beach commemorates her part in the rescue of the crew of the steamship William Hope in 1886.

A great place to watch the world go by.

St Andrews East Sands

Season: winter

The ruins of the cathedral stand on the hill above East Sands at St Andrews. This is a town beach, yet the waters off the long, sandy beach attract gulls and gannets. From here you can even spot whales, dolphins and seals offshore. The beach lies on the Fife Coastal Path. Seasonal weather allows windsurfing, surfing, canoeing and fishing. The long harbour wall creates an enclosed feel, distinct from the wide vista at West Sands.

The restorative effect of the beach for Kieron.

A view from above East Sands.

Season: summer

A languid morning with a calm sea greeted me for this visit. The sun reflected on the water, as interviewee Michael and others took their morning dip. The beach sits below the cathedral, away from the golf links at West Sands. As a result, it has a quiet, pensive ambiance, frequented by locals and featuring in many people’s daily routine.

The beach as a frontier and as a link to another world for Michael.

A languid scene at East Sands in the summer.