As i left Southend along the beach it began to snow heavily. I was looking forward to taking a closer look at the old boat house on the far side only to discover that it had been rebuilt and was no longer old. Disappointed well maybe s little bit. I headed over the headland and down onto the shingles and sand of another beach. As i continued on my way i noticed the dark red sandstone which was similar in colour to the clay cliffs in Norfolk and for a short while i was cast back to my earlier hike in the sun along the east coast which now seemed like such a longtime ago.
Further along the beach i passed the first of several caves i was to discover that day. This one, a sea cave, had an oval mouth. The walls inside had been worn away and felt smooth to the touch. It didn't go back very far and with a long hike ahead of me i didn't go in. A mile or so later a came across my second cave. Outside were a couple of static caravans probably used during the holiday season. This cave was set into a small cliff up away from the shore. The walls were rough and the mouth quite large, larger than the first cave, much larger.
This cave was far to interesting to ignore and warranted further investigation. Taking out my head torch I headed in to the first chamber. The ceiling was high, the walls were damp and the floor was muddy. As the chamber narrowed i could see a short tunnel, large enough to walk through. On the other side a second chamber opened up just as large as the first. It was much drier than the first and at the back i could see a small opening which appeared to extend back. I shone the light from my torch hoping to shed some light on the possibility of further exploration. I knelt down to get a better view, it looked as though the small tunnel headed far into the rock. Where did it go, i pondered. I still had a long hike ahead of me though so reluctantly i decided to head back.
Standing outside the entrance to the cave i looked back over my shoulder and closing my eyes i pictured the unknown in my mind. A vast cavern leading to a maze of tunnels stretching for miles. I opened my eyes and i was back in the real world and back on the trek.
Leaving the cave and my imagination behind me i continued to follow the shoreline, passing sone more caravans in a field. There were three touring caravans up turned and laying in a ditch. The recent storms had proven so strong it had tossed these mobile homes like they were plastic toys.
Further along the terrain was looking challenging and rose up above the beach. It would mean another race against the tide and miles hopping over rocks and boulders.
And so the adventure began. Gradually the beach was replaced by boulders and i was soon climbing small rock faces and large boulders. It wasn't long before I stumbled on my third cave of the day. The entrance was a slit between the rock of a cliff. Inside it was long and narrow, at the far end i could see sun light shining through another much smaller opening. It was too narrow to have been a dwelling but there was the remains of a wall just outside. There wasn't much left of the wall and it was hard to determine how long it had been stood for.
From the cave i then followed a narrow trail which appeared to have been used by cattle. There were no more beaches to follow, the cliffs were now all the way to shore. I'd been following the trail for about a mile when i came across another cave. It was becoming quite an adventurous day. This cave was high above the sea and again quite large. Inside the mouth and to the left was a sturdy wall, water was seeping through the cracks in the ceiling and collecting in a pool. Again there was an opening at the back which appeared to go back into the rock. Another tunnel. It was tight and shining my torch in i could see it bent right. I wanted to investigate further but i knew my window of opportunity was limited. I maybe had three hours tops before the tide would return to the cliffs and my route would be cut off and I'd be unable to continue any further, risking getting cut off completely. Again i decided to tame my desires and continue to conquer the coast.
With the tide out which would make it possible for me to scramble over the rocks in front of a hill that was known as "the bastard". I didn't know why the hill had such an unusual name and saying it out loud for some reason made me feel awkward. Not something I'm particularly known for.
The geology of the landscape now changed, no longer were they red sandstone or your more traditional grey boulders they now resembled giant lumps of concrete. The boulders were also considerably larger and tougher to scramble over and more physically challenging. This didn't stop me from exploring more caves though.
I really couldn't believe my luck, the further i walked this coast the more crevasses and shallow caves i found. Occasionally I'd spot a cave that drew me in and this was to continue. It wasn't long before i came upon yet another cave with a large opening, this one once again sparked the imagination. I had to descend into the abyss, it was an overwhelming urge that needed to be satisfied. Inside it was much like the others a narrow entrance beyond the mouth that descended into a large cave at the back. As i cautiously went in a bird rapidly exited causing a sudden injection of adrenaline and a few colourful words.
After exploring the cave for a few minutes i had to drag myself away and continue along the coast. As i made my way feochaig the boulders got bigger and the scramble more challenging. Being halted by a boulder the size of a double decker bus and unable to walk around i had to get my climbing head on in order to get to the top before jumping a four foot gap to an almost vertical rock face on to another gigantic boulder . My leap had to be precise, a single misplaced grab or missing the small ledge with my foot would mean a serious fall. I took a breath, selected my landing and made the leap. Landing perfectly i climbed up the side of the boulder. I can't deny it, i love what I'm doing and yes i could have followed the road but where would be the fun in that.
The days adventure didnt stop there i still had to scramble over smaller but still massive boulders till i reached feochaig and as the tide was coming back in now i had to make the decision to stop there and carry on the following day.
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