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Happisburgh August 19 2009
North Norfolk and Happisburgh Index
www.happisburgh.org.uk
Visit to the tower of Happisburgh Church
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I only counted 131 of the 133
steps to the top of the church tower, but by the end I was not a
well person! The climb is steep and the winding corkscrew
narrow, at least for some of us! The rewards were, however,
ample. On a fine and sunny day the views over the village, and
inland were very pleasing ... |
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... whilst the sight of the
eroding coast to the south rapid the effort with large
dividends. These shots at low water illustrate well the
crenulations of 'Happisburgh Bay' and the void up of sediments
seawards to meet the offshore rock reefs at Sea Palling. The
iniquities of variation in coastal protection also show well;
Cart Gap and Sea Palling are defended fully, Happisburgh
'enjoys' 'managed-retreat'. |
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A slice of English country life,
from the pub through the caravan park ... to the row of houses
destined to be lost to the sea in the next 18 months onwards. |
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Happisburgh has high levels of
residential tourism during the summer, and on this summer
weekend there were additional touring caravans and tents on the
caravan field . The right-hand shot might be thought of as
one of the more lucrative Norfolk crops! |
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To the north are the settlements
of Walcott and Bacton, where North Sea Gas comes ashore and the
new interconnector links with Europe. Beyond is Mundesley and
then Trimingham, where a radar dome is sited. |
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Cart Gap to Happisburgh
along the beach
The new lifeboat ramp at Cart
Gap.
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Elements of coastal protection at
Cart Gap; the sea wall and stabilising concrete honeycomb, left
and well-maintained sea walls and groynes, right. The political
will to maintain these defences is by far the most important
element, however .. and might be represented by the Environment
Agency surveyor in the centre. |
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A wide beach in front of a
concrete sea wall, behind which are light soils, essentially
fine sand ... and the same materials as is washed out of the
cliffs to the north. |
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The outflanking of the
steel-piling defences at the northern end of the Cart Gap sea
wall has been arrested, to a degree, by a line of rock armour. |
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The wide beach, at a very low
tide , of Happisburgh Bay. |
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Looking a little like a
Spiderman's outfit, the sea has scoured attractive curves into
this fallen brickwork on the foreshore. |
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Closer to
Happisburgh the beach has developed fluted cusps and, further
on, is reduced to the clay basement, with its own low-water
drainage pattern. |
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Evidence that the
tides have not brought waves to the base of the cliff over the
summer is provided by modest quantities of new vegetation at the
top of the foreshore, left. Defences of rock armour are left
high and dry at this time, but their time will come! |
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The debris from the
scaffolding pole headland, now almost removed, lies downstream
on the beach, as does the sad remains of isolated rock armour
and the broken revetments. |
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Mostly still
anchored in concrete, the scaffolding poles remain as the most
unexpectedly effective sea defences seen at Happisburgh. Now
isolated from the cliff by open beach, their role will be
increasingly reduced. |
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The current state
of the cliff at the end of Beach Road, Happisburgh. Even the
quiet times since my last visit in the spring, and the
vegetation indicates a temporary halt to erosion here, will not
same the properties behind, as the slope will find its angle of
repose. However, future storms will make this academic. |
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Isolated rock
armour and the remains of sheet piling in front of Beach Road. |
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Southwards along the cliffs
towards Cart Gap
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The view to the
north, where defences are relatively intact, are contrasted to
the south, where the defences have been abandoned, including the
lifeboat launching ramp, right. |
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Views from the
track next to the last houses of Sea Road. To left and right are
shots of the end of the gardens, already eaten into by cliff
falls. |
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Beach Road from the
northern end of the bay, left, and, centre, the gullied cliff
top in the same area. The remains of the curious smoke pattern
in the right-hand shot were the 'Red Arrows performing at
Cromer! |
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Scenes looking
northwards towards the lighthouse and Happisburgh generally.
Both pill-box and lighthouse look noticeably nearer the cliff
top this visit. |
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Some of last year's
crop seems to have survived, or re-grown, between the new track
and the cliff top. The width of the beach is impressive, but it
is flat and offers little protection to the cliffs during the
highest tides, of course. |
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Embayments along
the new bay which, amongst all the other dangers, is under
attack from people carving steps into it. This was mentioned by
the Environment Agency men, and given short shrift by me. Later,
however, two lads with full-size shovels were cutting a
path to the top. I told them off! |
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Birds also attack
the cliffs unknowingly; in this case probably Sand Martins. |
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New rock armour
joins old at 'Crisis Corner' north of Cart Gap. The original
rip-rap looks decidedly weather-worn, whilst the new will
probably struggle to be high enough to prevent undercutting by
swirling seas at high tide ... as happened at Bawdsey until the
job was done properly and a geotextile barrier used to underpin
the rocks. |
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A team of surveyors
from the Environment Agency were using their GPS kit to map the
cliff top and beach levels. Results might be obtained from their
Peterborough office, I was told. |
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Norfolk Happisburgh
Beach Road Cart Gap Sea Palling coast erosion defences neglect
revetments rip rap rock armour sheet piling groynes beaches rock
reefs sand dunes marram grass lighthouse sea walls lifeboat
station church Environment Agency survey beach cusps bricks |
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