Last year a BBC weather watcher picture caught my eye. The featured photograph showed multi coloured beach huts lined up in rows. The caption gave the name of the place as Walton-on-the-Naze. The picture was fascinating and I said to myself “I must visit this place one day”. When the opportunity arose to speak at a conference in Colchester, I planned a visit to the seaside towns in Essex before arriving at the conference. The idea was to take pictures of these colourful beach huts starting at Walton-on-the-Naze.
Arriving in the town, I went to the viewpoint on the cliff that overlooked the pier. Behind me was the Victorian architecture of the town and in front the rooftops of the Beach huts lined up along the promenade. Walton-on-the-Naze is a picturesque seaside resort. In early October, the holiday season was at an end, and the doors of the beach huts were shut. I went down to the promenade walked past the pier and immediately came face to face with the colourful fronts of the numerous beach huts.
As a photographer, I just self-indulged in taking pictures with all those vibrant pastel colours. I walked around them and even climbed up the cliff steps taking in all the different rows. As well as their colourful designs, people had called their beach huts various names. I walked for a good half a mile along the promenade admiring the various huts. The tide was in and the sea was splashing upwards and I had to take care of the camera. The sun was shining and there were countless opportunities to take pictures of the people who were out and about walking up and down the promenade.
The design of the huts changed as I moved towards Frinton-on-sea and some of the beach houses were on struts with walkways leading up to the door. Looking at my pictures you can see the different varieties.
Next stop was Frinton-by-the-sea and here the cliff wall was higher but I went down and once again came across a long row of the beach huts facing the sea. I even found one couple had opened the doors of their hut. They were enjoying the sun and catching up with what looked like work.
Following my visit to Frinton-on-sea, my next stop was Clacton-on-sea or simply Clacton. The town was busier and whilst there are only a few beach huts, there was a very grand pier which was open to the public. The pier was quiet and none of the amusements were working but there were some good views of the coast. I walked along the promenade and visited the area where Butlins used to be situated. The area is now a new housing estate and the information boards gave details of what the place would have looked like in post war times.
The tide was going out and so I was able to get on the beach and take in the sea air. This visit has satisfied my desire to see beach huts. I did enjoy the colours in each town and all the different characters of these charming seaside resorts. There was the cleanliness and gentility of Frenton-on-Sea to the brash busy streets of Clacton. Walton on the Naze enjoys a beautiful coastal location with the added attraction of the Neze Tower. A lovely day out at the Seaside.
Please read my companion piece on the Naze tower.
