Samphire Hoe

I first visited this amazing nature reserve back in 2020. Sadly, I had left it too late in the season and although I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air and sea views, there was very little wildlife to photograph. This year, I made sure to visit much earlier and so, in the middle of July, I made the long drive with my husband in tow.

Samphire Hoe is a completely new piece of land, created by Eurotunnel during the construction of the Channel Tunnel over 25 years ago. Situated at the base of the white cliffs of Dover, you actually have to drive through them in order to reach the site. It is so different to any other of the reserves that I visit and the only drawback is the windy conditions that are a part of being so close to the coast. I photographed several damselflies in the dipping pool close to the car park, but they were waving around wildly and nothing was sharp enough to keep.

Unfortunately, I had similar problems with all the butterflies we spotted, but I did get lucky with a couple of heavier bugs. Featured at the top is a stunning rose chafer. Spotted and photographed in a matter of seconds, he didn’t stick around and flew off towards the cliffs.

Below is a beautiful queen buff-tailed bumble bee on a clover flower. I hope to visit again next summer, but I will make a point of checking the wind conditions for the area before we leave home.