Porthtowan - Photography Week 18 (2016)

Back in photography week 6, I had some success at Porthtowan capturing a glorious rainbow reflected in the wet sand. I planned a return visit for evening light and low tide. It took a number of weeks to come around but it was worth the wait.

I arrived early enough to walk the coastal path towards Portreath. I got as far as a rather modern looking chimney stack. At the time, I thought the stack may have had something to do with the airfield which has a boundary near the path. Researching this later I discovered that the airfield was a remote radar head operated by the RAF and was used in the 1950's for the production and storing of chemical defences (1). I couldn't find too much information about the chimney apart from one reference suggesting it is the remains of the Wheal Tye/West Towan mine (2):

As I returned along the coastal path I was reminded of the area's mining heritage with this view towards St Agnes Head:

From the top of the cliff overlooking the beach at Porthtowan I watched the many surfers making the most of the conditions:

For the last hour of the day I concentrated on the main purpose of my visit, the evening light and the rock pools left by the retreating tide:

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RRH_Portreath

(2) http://cornish-mining.org.uk/areas-places-activities/st-agnes-mining-district