Enquiries are being made into the phenomenon that is the “shingle walkabout” on Camber Sands.
No one seems to know why the shingle is stretching itself from the shingle bank in front of the houses in The Suttons at Camber and moving towards and in front of the two cafes by the central car park in the village.
Normally we are a southwesterly windy place and that would mean the shingle would be heading towards Jurys Gap, the army site and Dungeness.
I will attempt to find out more. Please contact Rye News if you have an explanation (or comment below).
[Editor’s note: Sand blowing off the dunes and into the car park, around the cafes and blocking up drains and gutters is a problem Rye News has reported on before – but shingle on the march is a new one. It is tempting however to wonder whether all the work the Environment Agency has been doing on the beach has had any unexpected consequences?]
Photo courtesy of the Environment Agency
The shingle has moved west because of the strong easterly winds we have had recently. Shingle is moved by the waves and the waves move in the direction of the wind. Prevailing westerly winds will move the shingle westward soon.
Camber used to be known as the nearest sandy beach to London, but I fear that this will soon no longer be the case. In the last few years there has been an increasing amount of shingle coming from the Rye Harbour end and spreading eastwards right along to the cafes, I was told this would disappear as high tides and winds would disperse the shingle, but this is certainly not the case so far. Shame! Thank heavens we still have plenty of sand for all activities at low tide.