DUNGENESS DAYDREAMING

1961 Lighthouse - Dungeness

A bit of a misleading title as it was not a day for daydreaming. Despite the wind being from the south it was decidedly chilly. But, I love it like that - raw and elemental. It's such an unusual place - designated as Britain's only desert and the biggest single shingle spit in Europe.

Coastguard lookout tower and 1901 lighthouse

There have been seven lighthouses at Dungeness - two low and five high. The current lighthouse, commissioned in 1961, replaced its 1901 predecessor, which was obscured when the nuclear power station was constructed.

Nuclear power station

There are other existing structures including a coastguard lookout tower - now a holiday home, a number of military buildings, some crumbling, some restored. Also a foghorn and a strange elevated frame, use for fishing boats to navigate their way safely home to the beach.

Nuclear flasks

Today I was lucky (?) to spot a train of nuclear flasks waiting to start their journey to the reprocessing plant at Sellafield. Hauled by a pair of class 68 diesel locomotives, a friend who works on the railway said it's unusual to see three flasks in the train. It's usually on one or two, so perhaps I was lucky.