Sand-covered pebbles at Rhossili

The dynamics of sediment movement on beaches intrigues me. Every time you visit a favourite beach it looks different. The tides, currents, wind and weather all play a part in the transformations. The structure of the seashore is sometimes hidden and sometimes revealed. Last autumn the pebbles at the foot of the soft red cliffs beneath Rhossili Down on Rhossili Bay in Gower, South Wales, were in the process of being covered up by sand.

The texture and distribution of the sand showed that it had first been a wind-blown accumulation; then had been consolidated by rain; and at that particular moment it was drying out and beginning to crack over the curved surfaces. The images illustrate the contrast in textures and colours between the sand and the pebbles. The surface of the sediment layer mimicks the pebble shapes below. The overall effect is one of softening of the appearance of the pebbles as if they had been covered by a light blanket of drifting snow.