I was out and about at 0430 last Sunday in my quest to capture both the ultra low tide on the Stour and the rapidly disappearing industrial complex at Cattawade.

Now that I know the site will be a railway depot servicing new Swiss trains for Greater Anglia there is no time to waste. Everyone knows that trains run on time so maybe it why we are getting Swiss made ones. That said, this depot will be operation in 18 months time. The seaward side of the track is being returned to nature. Now here’s a thing. Over the years I whizzed past this site commuting into London and was fascinated both by the factory complex but also the proximity of sensitive and rapidly disappearing salt marsh.

What I found out last Sunday was they shoot birds across the marsh and it is listed as private. So shooting ducks and geese one side of the dyke and toxic chemicals the other. One learns something every day.

It was a yomp from the car to hump the tripod and camera 1.75 miles around the factory complex on overgrown footpaths. I was glad the Ebony was lighter than my yold field camera. Next time I’ll pack tree pruners and secateurs. The only really clear bit was crossing the railway line. When I did cross over I was greeted by a water deer on the other side that got easily spooked and melted into the long grass, the long green grass that seemed no different in green terms to the expanse of estuarine mud smothered in slippery green algae. It seems to be everywhere around this coast at present. Even Pin Mill last Thursday was a sea of greenery with the tide well out.

The post was a day late delivering my negatives back from Peak Imaging but as always it was just like Christmas opening the box and finding 10 perfectly clean negatives.

Here are my selection of four from that edit.