Storm Ciara which arrived on Sunday February 9 turned out to be all that had been predicted. The whole country was subjected to a relentless battering in varying degrees but we seem to have escaped relatively unscathed compared to many other areas. Locally there were trees down, fence panels blown over and debris swirling around but at Jurys Gap in Camber it was a different story.
There were a few intrepid explorers walking along the coastal sea defences, dog walkers were few in numbers and those who did brave the wind and rain probably wished they had stayed at home as the place looked like a Hollywood film set. The angry sea had already covered neighbouring holiday caravans in a thick coating of fine sand, the tarmac along sections of the main road was invisible, again covered in a thick layer of sand and motorists were stopping to photograph the candyfloss of foam being whipped up by the sea.
There was a thick layer of foam covering the sea defences, the huge granite boulders on the sea side of the wall were nearly unrecognisable, covered in foam which floated through the air, powered by the relentless wind which fired rain drops into our faces, the force of which made them feel like needles.
Sunday presented quite a different picture from the huge expanse of golden sands we all know Camber for. There were very few vehicles in the carpark and even fewer brave souls walking. Spring isn't far away now and the area will soon be packed with tourists flocking to the dunes but for now, the ferocious sea is in full control and has changed the seascape once more, proving once more that you cant tame mother nature.
