Potential
Tankerton, April 2010
Out for a seaside walk at Tankerton slopes today, on a lovely springtime Saturday morning. Vanessa’s sisters are visiting for the weekend which is always fun, and with the extra cars, we were able to bring various wheeled contraptions for the boys. There’s a black KMX recumbent trike for Raff, the Green Machine for Monty, and skateboards and scooters for Milo and Gabriel.
The long level path that runs along the seafront was perfect for riding these – we were there quite early in the year when the seafront was fairly quiet. I saw Raffy parked on his trike at the top of this slope, clearly considering whizzing down it (he didn’t in the end) and thought it would make an interesting picture.
Tankerton Slopes is a strip of well-manicured lawns that roll gently towards the beach between Swalecliffe and Whitstable, and provide excellent views of the sea. The area is popular with dog walkers and cyclists, but dogs must be kept on a lead between May and September. There are seats and shelters to watch the coast and passing boats - the sailing club is only a few hundred metres away. There are rows of colourful beach huts at the base of the slopes which are great to photograph all year round, and ‘The Street’, a naturally formed spit of land that extends into the sea, can be walked on at low tide.
You can most easily reach Tankerton via the A299, and turn off onto the A2990 Thanet Way at Whitstable. Follow the A2990 a few miles to Chestfield and at a double roundabout (with drive-thru McDonalds and KFC) you can turn left onto the B2205 Herne Bay Road that leads to the location.
Olympus uTough-8010, 5mm lens, 1/800 sec, f/3.9, ISO 80, Lightroom, Photoshop, Silver Efex Pro 2
