Shingle Street in Suffolk is a hidden gem – these pictures prove it

Shingle Street is a remote coastal village at the mouth of Orford Ness, between Orford and Bawdsey - landscape photographer Ruth Grindrod reveals its beauty

Shingle Street at dawn | Ruth Grindrod (Image: ruth grindrod)

As I step out of the car, way before dawn, it is dark and all I can hear is the pull and push of the waves on the miles of shingle that dominate this landscape. The sound gnaws at the shore with an ominous grinding. It is relentless.

Shingle Street at dawn | Ruth Grindrod (Image: ruth grindrod)

The mystery and tales of wartime invasions that surround this six-miles stretch of coastline seem evident as I walk towards the beach. I step deep into the dark stones and head for the curve of the shore.

Shingle Street at dawn | Ruth Grindrod (Image: ruth grindrod)

The light is just flickering through the clouds and the sea is now calm, drifting in and out with ease. Some of the eeriness lifts and I stand and watch the magnificent colours of dawn spread across this palette of beauty and bleakness. Waves break slowly on the shoreline. Being alone to watch this spectacle of nature makes the experience even more special.

I walk along one of the moulded shingle banks to look back at the coastguard cottages. They are half hidden in this lonely landscape, perhaps sheltering from the fierce winds that blow on this coast. But now the wind has now dropped and the sea is mirror like. Dawn is complete and the scene serene, for the time being. But tomorrow is another day at Shingle Street and who knows what it will bring?

www.ruthgrindrodlandscapephotography.co.uk